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For a 55 gallon African cichlid aquarium, I stock 7-10 five inch length cichlids, provided the aquarium has adequate filtration, dissolved oxygen, and hiding spaces for each cichlid.
Read the following article for more details.
The AquaClear 50 powerhead is an aquarium pump designed to improve circulation, aerate water, and with the filter cartridge accessory, polish water.
I find it works best to polish water when cleaning the tank. The filter picks up all the debris that gets churned around when vacuuming the gravel.
I published a review here on the powerhead. I purchased the powerhead from Amazon
This 13 step process is what I use to clean my 55 gallon African cichlid aquarium. It is my thorough monthly cleaning.
Some steps can be cut out to do a simple water change once a month as well.
As my African cichlids tripled in size, my Tetra FS 30-60 power filter lacked the filtration capacity for my 55 gallon aquarium. Three died from disease related to inadequate filtration. As a result, I upgraded to a Fluval 305 External canister Filter.
The change has been dramatic. The water is now crystal clear and the cichlids are much less prone to disease. I highly recommend the Fluval 305 for 55 gallon tanks, or any related product line for tanks up to 100 gallons or more.
I found an ideal combination of wafers, flakes, and pellets to feed my African cichlids. I outline the feeding regiment here
The short of it is this:
Breakfast: Hikari Algae Wafers: $6.57 (2.89oz)
Lunch: Zoo Med Spirulina 20 Flake Fish Food: $12.67 (4oz)
Dinner: New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula – 300 g: $11.99
Once a week treat: brine shrimp or bloodworm.
To finish the current African Cichlid series, I introduce an image gallery of my aquarium, noting the progress in growth over 8 months.
I’ve observed my African Cichlids for about 8 months now. Each has a personality I’ve come to recognize. In this essay I elaborate on my observations. I also reveal the discovery of a mouth-brooding female and her raising of four fry.
Completed an overview of African Cichlid tank setup and maintenance.
After reviewing the supplies required for a 55 gallon tank, I outline the setup of the tank, including tank cycling, water treatment, feeding, cleaning, and lighting.
Against recommendations, I started my tank with two African Cichlids, constantly monitoring the ammonia levels. I then added four more within the span of a few weeks. All were no greater than an inch in length.
My gamble paid off, ammonia levels were managed by little to no feeding at times, with 10%-30% water changes if spikes occurred.
I overview the procedures here
Over Christmas 2009, I set up an African Cichlid Aquarium, 55 gallons. It was my first experience maintaining an aquarium, I’ve found it very engaging. As of August 2010, I have my original 6 cichlids, with the addition of 2 Chinese Algae Eaters and the surprise birth of 4 Electric Yellow Cichlids.
I will be publishing a series of articles outlining the required supplies and cost, the preparation process, tank maintenance, and my general observations about my African Cichlid tank, including fish behavior.
The first article of the series, supplies, is located here
At first, I found it overwhelming and stressful to manage all the requirements of a healthy tank. Carbon filtration, bubble aeration, ph management, ammonia monitoring, algae management, temperature regulation, disease prevention, chlorine removal, salt addition, tank cycling, tank cleaning, etc… There are a million things that can go wrong
