Different Filter Systems
A bit of thought should go into what kind of a filter you are going to use. There are many different kinds of filters, the undergravel filter is the most popular of all filters because of the easy no hassle vacuuming involved but with cichlids these filters create a problem because most cichlids dig holes in the gravel causing their fry to get sucked up by the current and holes stop the function of the undergravel filter. What happens is that the cichlids dig down to the filter plate, exposing it. Since water is sucked through the course of lease resistance, all the fluid tends to flow through the uncovered areas of the filter plate that are exposed, they bypass the gravel, which is the filter medium. Most cichlid keepers use other types of filtration than an undergravel filter. Depending on the size of your aquarium some hang filers are a cheaper and more affordable way to filter smaller tanks ranging from 5gal - 75gaI and offer easy replaceable filters. Then of course for larger tanks ranging from 75gal - 300gal a much more expensive filter is required like a canister filter it pumps very large amounts of water in little time cleaning the water using four mediums chemical and biological to rapidly reduce ammonia and balance the nitrate levels in the water. I myself use a canister filter which sucks water through an intake on one side of the tank and pumps it out the other end of the tank being filtered by 4 compartments of different medium in between the two cycles. It is possible to use undergravel filters with cichlids but I would strongly recommend against it especially if you keep larger cichlids.
What Filter works best with Cichlids?
In my opinion the box or canister filter is the ultimate must have for cichlids in fact I recommend you use two depending on the size of your tank. For a 100gal aquarium I would use two 350GPH Canister filters. They are not cheap but they offer chemical, biological, and mechanical filtration all in one filter and the reason I recommend you use two is so that every two weeks you can clean one before the other this is so the water conditions are not effected while you clean one the other remains dirty and contains the natural water conditions but on the down side you still get to clean out your tank every two weeks.
Water Conditions
Cichlids enjoy waters with an alkaline pH, that is, above a pH level of 7.0. The pH level 7.0 is nuetrul listed below are the ranges for the lakes Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria.
- Lake Malawi 7.4 - 8.6 pH
- Lake Tanganyika 7.8 - 9.0 pH
- Lake Victoria 7.2 - 8.4 pH
These values are the apporxomet ranges found in nature, but these are the levels we have found that cichlids can tolerate well. I would recommend tanks which house African Cichlids to use a stable pH level of 7.8 - 8.6, which cichlids from all three lakes can live with. The water African Cichlids live in is also very hard, containing many dissolved minerals and salts.
Cichlids appreciate these higher pH levels making African cichlids one of the few fish whose aquariums may be decorated with coral and shells, which normally push the pH levels of a freshwater aquarium above most fishes natural ranges. In some instances, it may be necessary to buffer water to reach these higher pH levels. There are many suitable commercial "Cichlid Buffers" on the market which can be used. Many of these manufacturers also offer "Cichlid Salts" and "Trace Elements". We recommend using both the salts and trace elements, as fish which are kept in water containing them often exhibit superior coloration because they are in water which more exactly recreates their natural conditions.
Other things to Consider
A cichlid aquarium is different than most other aquaria in several aspects, one depending on which cichlid your planning on keeping in the aquarium. If or if not they can be mixed with other specimen or not. Then you must consider how big that certain cichlid is going to grow this will help you determine the size that the aquarium will need to be. If you plan on running a community tank you should really go with a 75gal aquarium especially if you plan on keeping African Mbuna. Most New world cichlids can only be kept in pairs and depending on which new world cichlid you intend to keep you should also keep in mind that they get bigger than most old world cichlids so an even bigger aquarium would be recommended. Also the bigger the fish the more they dirty up the aquarium so good filtration and good maintenance is important when keeping new or old world cichlids.
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