African Cichlid Aquarium - New Setup

[TWhite2345]

What lake are these from

[xxbluezxx]

@TWhite2345 Lake Malawi. 

[ewilddog]

the water quality looks amazing

[buencaminojulia201]

my dad set up a tank 2 day.the filtration thing isnt bubbling,and the cichlids keep circling it.does that mean something's wrong?????

[mrfrappy1]

amazing setup, looks nice

[cleancutamerican]

They look very happy with lots of room. Crystal clear water as wee. Nice job!

[VanSneiwder]

swell aquarium!

[MominSS]

nice tank

[lolustupid]

how many gallons is that and how many fish are in there?

[mcgrady7761]

blue,y uo have a hell of alot of viewers now. i remember i saw this back in 2007 when u first posted. dam this video exploded

[bsgatje12]

Nice Vid wich Malawi Cichlids do you have in there

[whothq18]

love your fish. i subed could you some back.thank you

[jackasuars]

i bet this setup takes a long time to clean

[Infamous2C]

nice tank i used to have africans and jewel mix and my bright orange one grew to be the biggest and most dominate but he was a trippy fish i used to get him to follow my finger along the tank haha

[octilia2]

were did u get the rocks

[xxbluezxx]

Limestone is everywhere where I live.

[petsgalore12]

awesome vid 5* i cant wait to get my chiclids at the end of the week :)

[ariel4more]

I unfortunately lost my red belly pirhana yesterday to a parasite infestation that I mistook for fungus. I scalded the gravel, and sanatized the tank, and equipment, and got 6 small africans today. I didn't see the bright blue, with the yellowish fins at any pet store, what is the species?

[xxbluezxx]

Sorry to hear your loss. I believe you are referring to the redtop zebra. The Acei is the solid purple/blue fish with yellow fins.

[ariel4more]

Redtop zepra? I since then have gotten two accei. I plan to get a red peacock as my last cichlid, totaling 12 fish for my 75 gal. I've never heard of the redtop zebra, which ones are they?

[nmbking]

for lighting you should try the coral life T-5... even tho it says its for salt, it will bring the color out on your fish like no other lighting

[Tomb611]

Do you NEED brackish water to have Chiclids? Coz the bitch at the pet store stopped me getting a Chiclid ( dont know what species thou)

[RAFFilmsLtd]

no way. although you should have a small cup of aquarium salt in the tank. it helps fight disease and actually calms fish.

[rrcoolj354]

That's bull shit there isn't any cichlid that should be kept in brakish water. The guy at the pet store has no idea what he's talking about.

[mikee1333]

i cant wait to get my 150gal tank and fil it with oscars piranhas are dum

[ILoveFish15]

what the orange cichlid called??? #

[xxbluezxx]

The orange fish is a red zebra. Check out my newer vids, he is huge now! Thanks!

[shogunx90]

lol orange fish a red zebra.... who ever named that fish has some eye problems or something. nice tank by the way im going to get some cichlid soon once i get my 125 gallon tank

[CVEC5]

Very nice tank dude!

[historian111z]

hmmm...this fish grows pretty big.

[GNROX401]

dude!!

sweet tank

i like sticking with a single fish aquarium, like a 35 gallon oscar tank, less maintenence and concerns and oscars are very hardy fish =D

[Livewirex]

lol no oscar would fit in a 35 gallon tank, except for maybe for a month or 2 while they are still juvies....

[melanochromis1975]

Check my setup. Your is nice.

[12addictedfish]

love your tank what rock and sand u using

[12addictedfish]

dude your yank is sick.... love your cichlids your yellow lab looks like minelol..

[welcomegohome]

what kind exactly are those vibrant blue-green ones!???!?!?!

[xxbluezxx]

The blue fish are red top zebras, demasonis, and an acei.

[welcomegohome]

god damn it, i just realized the colors were changing in the video, not on the fish.

[reptilemaniac101]

wow nice set up. i used to do ciclids but i changed to a blk ghost, rope fish, cat fish and large tetras lool

[ramsheatcards52]

Nice vid!

[joethejr]

its awsome wat u did wit the gravel and i like ur rocks im gettin cichlis and i plan on getiin more rock cuz i got like a buch of plants and onloy one rock ! u think i should get more or am i fine? thx

[cheebsncichlids]

just keep in minde that cichlids love to be able to hide in tunnels or caves and dont like too much light, check out my latest vid!

[kingkongrichie]

I could watch this set up for hours. I love my cichlids and this is such a great set up. I'm going to steal some ideas from you thanks

[siaosiaochin]

Holy ! i got 14 of those , 8 which is purple and dark , 2 dark and blue , 2 yellows with blak stripes and 2 yellows , ima post a video soon ;D

[sadm1234]

nice tank check out mine and subscribe

[danipyro2]

nice!!

[jimengsta88]

where did u buy the sand...

[xxbluezxx]

At my local fish store. I changed out the substrate to caribsea aragonite.

[yuriogy1]

lol nice fish theyre so colorful but a black or blue background would be nice:D

[xxbluezxx]

Check out my latest video.

[lynden619]

i want to start a chiclid aqaurium how do u lay out the sand in bumps like that i have all my stuff wanna set up now please reply

[xxbluezxx]

The fish will sift through the sand so it will happen naturally.

[CherryPandaUK]

great water quality

[Fortetennis]

sweet tank how many gallons is it?

[xxbluezxx]

55g.

[PaintBallers10]

what all do i need to have a good cichlid tank

[yuriogy1]

white sand, rocks, a little wood, and a BIG tank.... at least 30 gallons if you want a reasonable amount of fish :D

[LFCWalsh22]

Great setup!

Im thinking about getting cichlids but ive got a 80 litre/18.5 gallons tank. Is that big enough?

[xxbluezxx]

It will not be enough room if you are keeping mbunas long term. You can house some Tanganyikan shell dwellers.

[baller21kd]

get a black backdrop...that look tight..even tho i hate african cichlids [:

[xxbluezxx]

The tank was barely setup in this video. You should check out some of the other videos.

[DefinedTONE]

Awsome love the Aquarium set up very NICE!!!

[xxbluezxx]

Thanks for the comments.

[Zerstiren]

Needs more areas for them to hide bud, build some caves

[xxbluezxx]

They actually have enough hiding spots. This was a new setup. You should see the new videos of the tank.

[mattman696]

i have a 135gallon tank i want to turn into a cichlid tank what do i need to know..??

[xxbluezxx]

First you'll want to research what species you want to keep.

[mattman696]

i would like to do a mix but im thinking African...

[mattman696]

I wanna do African..

[patriotsrock1]

i have a tank with yellow pearch and blue gill in it. it is about 500 gallons. i keep about 500 wax worms in the firge for them.

[1213982]

beautiful tank and fish

[getnachoy]

Are you sure this is a 55 gallon? looks bigger

[4freexbox360]

what is the rule of thumb for adding salt??

[xxbluezxx]

1 tablespoon of salt for 5 gallons of water. I hardly ever use salt.

[4freexbox360]

what kinda sand/gravel are you using?

but nice tank set up!!

[jayman5895]

wow that is nice clean fish tank!

[starrett1350]

where did you get the rocks?

[TheJacobCastroShow]

Hey what type of sand are you using?

[xxbluezxx]

It's silica sand made by a company called Tec Minerals.

[pete11208]

shows the life support tubes kills the naturallook of the set up constructive crid

[xxbluezxx]

In this video the tank had been setup for 2-3 weeks. Check out the newer vids.

[fishbreeder87]

what size tank?

[xxbluezxx]

55 gallons.

[pete11208]

dude looks nice but you need to get a serious backround makes abig diffrents check out mines

[Trammelbach]

Can u have them together with tetras?

and do they eat also normal food?

nice tank

[xxbluezxx]

If you keep cichlids long term I would not recommend mixing them with tetras. I feed my mbunas a variety of food. Mainly spirulina and new life spectrum. I also feed them brine and mysis shrimp.

[tazonotaz]

esta hermoso esto como son marinos

[xxbluezxx]

Gracias.

[piggyplace]

I like your tank setup.

[oH1TM4No]

how many gallons is this tank?

[xxbluezxx]

55g.

[madmark299]

you need more rocks and caves

[xxbluezxx]

Check out the newer vids.

[ArizonaMtKingsnake]

I have heard the Demasoni are killers . You find that to be the case?

[xxbluezxx]

My male Demasoni is fine since I have a female for him. All the other mbunas are large so the Demasoni don't really cause any problems. If you keep only Demasoni species then you want to over stock to help with aggression.

[ArizonaMtKingsnake]

Thanks I plan to go buy some at cichlid breeder next week just cycled my 75 gallon tank. the water here is ideal for Africans as its naturally hard water high ph

[fromdust2dust]

had a 1" demasoni kill an adult convict it is true

[xBenawesomex]

Over stocked for a 55 gallon

[xxbluezxx]

Actually isn't overstocked until these guys grow out more which they are doing very quickly.  This is just a grow out tank. They will be rehomed in the next few months to a much larger tank. Thanks for the input. :)

[drummerbowlskater]

lime stone will break down and cause ur ph to go up! just letting u know nice tank!

[xxbluezxx]

Thanks for the heads up but it hasn't caused any issues with my PH. I've kept limestone in my tank for 2 years now and never had an issue. The PH stays pretty constant.

[nitehawk57]

Cool!! *****

[whipper0]

no offence at all but when all those guys are full grown? wont that take be way overcrowded? and many gallons is it anyway?

[xxbluezxx]

Absolutely. This is just a grow out tank. They will be going into a 210 in the new few months. Check out my newer vids to see how much they have grown! Thanks :)

[Suidakkra]

Beautiful fish !

[mrbahn21]

Wow very nice!

[shacks30]

No offence but it looks very anxious to my becoze of the water bubbels...no plants? no Backplane?

And the hyde the wire...

[xxbluezxx]

Tank was barely setup in this video. Check out my other vids. I'll have a new video soon.

[sk8t3b0ard3r111]

how many pounds of gravel is reccomended for a 30 gal. tank, dunno how much to buy.

[xxbluezxx]

20-30 lbs.

[marmadoise]

Tres sympa !

[aquarium6987]

is the sand hard to maintain?? Harder than gravel?

[xxbluezxx]

Not at all. It's easier in my opinion. The silica sand I'm using isn't too fine so it doesn't get caught by the filters.

[kame25]

This tank rocks!!! I have a question, can african cichlid be mixed with south american cichlid?

[xxbluezxx]

Thanks! It's not recommended by most aquarist to mix African cichlids and SA cichlids because they require different pH parameters.

[Cirux321]

You can, depends on fish though. I chose a Jack Dempsey to add with my malawi cichlids. Jacks tolerate a wide range of water conditions making them a beautiful addition to almost any cichlid tank.

[gioantono]

how much litre is this tank?

[xxbluezxx]

208 liters.

[salvadorbarrios]

nice, it would look cool with a backround on the back and some plants. but its cool

[xxbluezxx]

Check out the most current video.

[DR117]

saltwater or freswater?

[xxbluezxx]

Fresh water.

[chrisappear]

good choice with the bublebee!

[xxbluezxx]

Correction on the bumblebee cichlid. It is actually a Tropheops.

[s15240drifter]

i love the look of a sand substrate. i just made the change myself a few days ago. you sad dont use play sand tho, i wonder why. thats what i used. i only used it cuz pool filter sand i cant find around my house.

[researchologist]

you need to ad some driftwood that will reech into uper levels of aquarium (if it will not affect pH or hardnes)or maybe tall rock like texes holey rock look ebay you will find some excellent one's

[xxbluezxx]

Check out our new videos!

[creatine6star2]

can you keep these in a 20 gallon tank? i have a spare one in my basement that i dont use because i have bigger tank with turtles.

[xxbluezxx]

I would not recommend keeping african cichlids in a 20g. You may be able to use a 20g as a grown out tank for a few juveniles. 20g long will work better than a 20g tall.

[meklo361]

Is that co2 bubbles?

[xxbluezxx]

It's oxygen driven by a dual air pump with a Marineland bubble wand.

[bamboo742]

is sand hard to maintain and clean, or is rock better to use?

[xxbluezxx]

A finer sand would be harder to maintain simply because when it is stirred up it can get into your filters and make the water cloudy. Of course you should turn your filters off during cleaning to prevent this but some don't. If you go with sand I would recommend a larger grain - not play sand. If you don't want to worry with it then go with a regular rock substrate. I had rocks for 5 years before I switched to sand. So far maintenance has been the same for me. Good luck!

[scorpion150984]

You should try roman gravel. It looks nice, n easy to clean.

[RC786]

how much galan?

[xxbluezxx]

55 gallons.

[g465777]

what sand is that?

im thinking about getting some play sand from home depot or somthing.

ima rince it alot and alot and alot more than alot

[xxbluezxx]

This is silica sand. I found it at my local fish store and it was pretty cheap. I really liked this sand because it isn't as fine as other sands I found. Good luck!

[jonerez]

A backdrop would be nice, then your tank would be perfect!

[xxbluezxx]

Agreed. A background was added shortly after the tank was setup. Check out some of my new vids of this setup to see changes (and how much these guys have grown!) Thanks! :)

[austind05]

how did you get your water so clear?

[xxbluezxx]

If you are doing a new setup make sure you wash your gravel thoroughly. If you are working with an already established tank then your water should clear up after doing a water change. Having good filtration depending on amount of fish is also important. I don't use any chemicals other than basic dechlorinator and sometimes a bit of stress coat. Hope this helps! Thanks :)

[22175]

is sand better in cichlid tanks??

[xxbluezxx]

It doesn't really matter what you use. I prefer sand personally because it looks more natural. This particular sand is not as fine as some sand used in aquariums so I find it ideal. Thanks!

[Swiftt5389]

For African Cichlids, there is a couple types of sand made particularly for african cichlids. It is made to naturally raise the pH. Sand is awesome =].

[xxbluezxx]

This is correct. The most commonly used sand for this is Eco Complete. The only thing with using this type of substrate are the possible fluctuations in your PH. Luckily my tap water has a naturally medium-high PH so using regular sand substrate and sticking with normal water changes is sufficient. Thanks for posting! :)

[romelian35]

Nice tank,nice fish,sox setup...

[JeffsFishroom]

Nice tank but you need to put a background on it. It will make the fish more secure as well as add visual appeal.

[xxbluezxx]

Check out my newer videos!  Thanks :)

[cichlidtank]

i paint the backs of my tanks

[xxbluezxx]

I considered painting the back of my tank but opted for a background instead. Check out my new vids! Thanks!

[Daproblem187]

ur aquarium is beautiful by the way

[Daproblem187]

i wanna start my own little aquarium but i dont kno what kinda fish to have in there and no im not new to fish in the past i had 1 tiger barb 2 fighting fishes and 1 frog i forgot wat kind i kno it was only a inch big and it had african in its name and numerous of goldfish so what kinda fish should i put in my 3 gallon tank

[khaki91]

3 gallon? i used that for feeders. lol. 3 gallon maybe a guppy or two

[tannable75]

nice setup, I like the varied gravel depth

[gordonputfile]

lol @ the powerhead and other stupid comments. I like your tank, nice, simple, clean. I have a simple large setup also: putfile DOT com/gordon/images/38976

[xxbluezxx]

Thanks! Yes, that is limestone. Check out my newer vids. :)

[flyinrhino]

lol look at the tini one at 50 secs

[shirokhorshid21]

HEy ima kindda new to Chilids and i wana know wats the name of the fishes that react to the coulur ur tank put into it.

thx nice tank ver nice

[SkateboardBoy9]

Nice Set up :)

[MugenRac1ng]

Wow, there is a huge difference between tetra and chiclides... Malawi are the coolest chiclids ever...

[chieftx]

I like cichlids but I always liked tetras better.

great setup.

[andrewtheguitarist]

nice! i have a south american setup. Are african ones harder or easier to care for than south americans?

[maynardwix]

I have both and just from my experience they are about the same, just the ph is different.

[rangerover46hse]

malawi cichlids are very easy to keep and breed. give them lots of caves and rock faces to hide in. keep larger numbers as this stops fighting and territories becoming a nuisance. Great colours, 3rd water change each week and a good vac. feed on veggy flakes no protein.hard water.

[g465777]

does the sand get sucked up in the filter?? im goning to get cichlid sin my 45 gallon and i want sand but i dont know if the sand will get sucked up or not

[xxbluezxx]

I have no problems with sand getting sucked into the filter. I went with a larger grain of sand so I wouldn't have those issues. Also make sure to turn your filter off anytime you plan on moving the sand around a lot and this will prevent it from getting sucked up and possibly killing your filter.

[rangerover46hse]

you dont have to have sand. small gravel will be fine. only keep malawi cichlids on there own they will ruin any other species even much larger fish will have a hard time with a young labichromi for example.

[TooDamnManyAnimals]

you did a awsome job there! We have several cichlid tanks as well...They are probably the most FUN fish to own!!

[xxbluezxx]

I would have to agree - cichlids are great fish to keep! Check out our new videos - there have been a lot of updates. Thanks & Happy fish keeping! :)

[joey19911981]

Heat rises why do u have your heater at the top of your tank?

[xxbluezxx]

It is moonlighting - not a heater.

[Rocky06fx4]

How do you get the fish to change colors at the beginning. I assume its a light thats changes different colors, but does this work on any cichlid or only on certain fish.. If so what fish?

[xxbluezxx]

I used a color spectrum effect with the movie maker software to make the colors change at the beginning. No special lights or fish required. :) Thanks!

[aquamono]

very beautiful and nice setup :)

[Rocky06fx4]

At the beginning of the movie the fish were changing colors, how did you do that?

[Storminofthegoats]

Our Dempsey died recently, I do believe your tank has inspired me! great job

[krumbalu]

niiiiiice

[foxygirl696969]

why is the heater at the top of the tank?- the heat wont distribute properly and when it comes time to do water changes-the water level will expose the heater to air! CRACK!

[xxbluezxx]

That isn't a heater at the top - it is a moonlighting strip.  DOINK!

[foxygirl696969]

where is the heater then? burried in gravel? id never have a moonlighting strip thing- looks crap.

[xxbluezxx]

Buried? haha.. Not quite. If you look in the left corner you will see the heater in this video. However the heater has been removed completely since this video was taken. Everyone has their own opinions on aquarium setups - so to each their own. Thanks for your unknowledgeable comments though!

[foxygirl696969]

ummm you im unknowledgeable? lol - that tank is very amateur looking. could do with some more rocks and less gadgets!- For a start you dont need powerheads in a tank that size. Do you actually know what they are for?

[xxbluezxx]

This video was taken a few days after the original setup. The powerhead was put in w/ a sponge filter during that time for the biological filtration from an already established tank. Go ahead and educate me on powerheads though. I'd love to hear what you learned in Powerheads 101.

[HildeIII]

Well, tell tell, how do you keep your tank so clean?