Cichlid noob

Hi all! Just discovered the site and think it's awesome! Would like to get some advice on setting up an African Cichlid tank. I have a 37 gal. I've recently converted from gravel to sand. I used bricks (tested with vinegar and boiled) to make lots of hidy holes and think I'm ready to start stocking. I have been reading a few stocking ideas. However, I have to admit that I am seriously tempted to just take advantage of the 2/$4 mixed tank Petsmart is running until the end of the month. My main concern is not getting cichlids that will outgrow my tank (since I know it's on the small side) or are incompatible. Also, I've read overstocking can help with aggression, but I don't want to crowd them too much. Any suggestions/tips/opinions you guys could throw my way on the setup would be really appreciated!

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hey dude I was looking at your picture
aren't you afraid one of those bricks will fall and break your tank??

I wasn't until you said something! lol j/k Actually, it's very stable. I built it on egg crate before adding the sand and then spent about 3 days messing with it until it was solid. In fact, I have a small colander holding the old gravel to help out with bacteria growth. I can set that down on top of it all and remove it without any movement from the bricks at all. Should be good.

I would be a little worried too. Not only that, it doesn't give your guys much swimming room. If you're looking for some cichlids, post in the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] section and there will be a ton of people wanting to help you out with all of this Good luck!

Yeah like crash said whatever type of fish you get will need more room to swim maybe taking of some of the bricks on top will give them more room to swim....and I would avoid fish from petsmart/petco they dont have good quality fish and the people there are not very knowledgeable

you will have better luck getting fish from the guys here

Thanks for the advice. I think I will remove some of them on top to give them more room. I was mostly thinking that they would need a lot of places to hide, so that was my primary concern. I did end up getting 5 little fry from the mixed bag. I got too impatient, I think. They are little, but awfully cute. It's fun to watch them go exploring. I got mini pellets to feed them, but even that seems too big. Think they will be okay for a bit on the tropical flakes? I haven't tried Brine Shrimp yet, but figured those were more of a treat. Any thoughts on how many I should add? I was given the standard "1 in. per gallon" at the store, but that didn't seem consistent with the suggestions from the site below. Is it because of the varieties suggested, do you think?

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Hey everyone, I'm also a total noob to aquariums in general and cichlids in particular. I've read everything I can get my hands on, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] was a godsend. I finally finished cycling and took home Scott, a single electric-blue Johanni last week. Now, I'm discovering through more research that these guys are a very aggressive breed. Scott here is just about 1-1/2" long now. What else can live with him and not tear each other to shreds. I have a 20g tank right now until I can find a bigger, better solution.

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Hey everyone, I'm also a total noob to aquariums in general and cichlids in particular. I've read everything I can get my hands on, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] was a godsend. I finally finished cycling and took home Scott, a single electric-blue Johanni last week. Now, I'm discovering through more research that these guys are a very aggressive breed. Scott here is just about 1-1/2" long now. What else can live with him and not tear each other to shreds. I have a 20g tank right now until I can find a bigger, better solution.

Alright, so I've housed Johannis with Electric Yellows, Venustus (giraffe cichlid), Cobalt blues, and red zebras. They can basically be with others with the same temperament. When placing others with him, make sure to rearrange the hiding spots and rocks, because they claim a territory and that will eliminate that aggressiveness. Remember, anytime you house african cichlids, especially lake malawi cichlids, there will be aggression within the group, but the more the better. Hope this helps

What about Jaguar Cichlids? There's a page at liveaquaria (http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/fwcompatibility_chart.cfm) that shows who can play with who across species, but there doesn't seem to be a cichlid-only version.

like mikey said move things around when adding new fish helps but i have also noticed that if you add several at a time they seam to accept each other better. if you need to add some more let me know i have some 1 1/2 ish african fry im going to be selling here shortly. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

tendrilsfor20 wrote:What about Jaguar Cichlids? There's a page at liveaquaria (http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/fwcompatibility_chart.cfm) that shows who can play with who across species, but there doesn't seem to be a cichlid-only version.

jaguar cichlids are from central america and your blue Johanni is and african cichlid so you should keep new world cichlids separate from african cichlids...the water parameters are different

controlled overcrowding and overfiltering---I too will have some for sale soon, red zebras, and a couple yellow labs

Will be keeping an eye out for when you guys have some ready. You were right. Breeders are the way to go. I went the petsmart route and only 2 out of the 5 were strong enough to survive. What's the point of getting buying one and getting the other one free if the other one is dead? Don't think it was my tank. Ammonia and Nitrite were zero and ph was around 7.8 or so when I put them in. Guess I'll have to add something to bring that up a little higher? I added a little salt and some stress coat to try and make the transition a little easier. I dunno. I'll have to keep an eye on the tank and make sure it is staying stable. Of the two I have left, I have one that is definitely a lab. The other is a pale orange colored one. Not sure what he is, because he's still so small. But he comes out to see me when I come to the tank. And I think he's the one that has been digging all the way down to the egg crate in the corners of my tank. How could such a tiny fish move so much sand?

i would be scared as hell with those bricks stacked so high.

I guess I don't understand the worry about the height on the bricks, other than swimming room. They are on the egg crate and not on top of the sand, so they are on a level surface. The bricks are completely flat, so I don't have to worry about balancing on any weird edges. I tried to make a structure out of river rock and that wasn't stable at all. I kind of used this tank as inspiration. So what am I missing?
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I completly disagree with crash and sidekickin.... keep the bricks.... they dont need room to swim... they have plenty of room to go around the bricks and through the wholes you made.... Lots of good hiding spots, and caves, spreads aggression... You could take a couple off the top, but besides that its perfect!
About how many fish without overdoing it... well You can kinda overdue it in the begining... then thin the heard when they start growing and you can sex them.... This way you get rid of males keep the girls.... I usually go 1 fish per 5 gallons when adults.... so to start get between 12-18, then thin down to about 8 guys in your 37 gal.
This is just one african keepers opinion.... There are allot of people, allot of different rules they go by to make things work....

Aww...thanks, Sandnuka. I'm glad you like it because it has really been growing on me and the fish I have seen to be groovin' on it. I put some air stone under a couple of the pavers, so the bubbles flow up the structure. Looks a little like an upside down water feature. And thanks for your take on the tank load. That's exactly what I needed!

it looks good , get a couple green plants to put on each corner of the structure ... yeah ,, i also have some mbuna for rehoming , actually i have all the fish u need ... anything ... lol ... just ask ... pm me if u need anything

ceashel pic?? sounds cool lookin..