What do cichlids need to survive?

Do I need a strong filter for my cichlids?

If your aquarium is overstocked and undersized, then you’ll need a much stronger filter. Additionally, while many types of cichlids share similar habitat conditions, there are a few differences between them such as water movement.

What temperature do African cichlids live in?

African Cichlid Temperature During the winter months, Cichlids usually live in water temperatures ranging from 20 to 23 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, during the summer, the water can be as warm as 28 to 30 degrees Celsius.

Can you put shrimp with cichlids?

Introducing shrimp in a tank containing cichlids will ultimately translate into buying some extremely expensive fish food for the cichlids. Cichlids show hostile behavior to other types of fish as well and fare best when they are bred separately.

Do I need a chemical filter for my fish tank?

Generally, in my experience, chemical filtration is not necessary. If you have a piece of driftwood (sometimes known as bog wood) in your fish tank leaching tannins and thereby turning the water brown, then chemical filtration can help you—activated carbon will “capture” the tannins and help keep the water clear looking.

What is the best hardness for African cichlids?

GH (General Hardness) Proper African Cichlid water parameters will make them appear vibrant in aquariums with a general hardness ranging from 160 – 320 ppm (parts per million) or 9° – 18° DH. GH levels naturally drop over time because minerals do not stay suspended in water very long therefore regular partial water changes are best.

What do shrimps eat in an aquarium?

You can include fresh and frozen meaty foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, and daphnia in your shrimps’ diet. If you have fish in your aquarium as well as shrimp, you could try feeding live blackworms and tubifex if you can get some from a reliable supplier.

Do aquarium filters reduce ammonia?

The nitrate and nitrites are less harmful to your fish. Besides, live plants also consume nitrate and nitrates in the aquarium. So overall, the filter helps to reduce ammonia levels in the aquarium which helps to keep your live plants and fish healthy and alive in your tank.

Is RO/DI water good for African cichlids?

The reason why many people think that using RO/DI water would be a good idea is that it is pure. However, this is exactly the problem with it. It’s just too pure, although RO/DI water can be a great base if you want to mix the perfect minerals into it for your precious African cichlids.

What is the hardness of African cichlid water?

Proper African Cichlid water parameters will make them appear vibrant in aquariums with a general hardness ranging from 160 – 320 ppm (parts per million) or 9° – 18° DH .

What is the best tank for African cichlids?

The following is the average parameters for African Cichlids: pH: 6.5 to 8.5 Water Flow: a strong current like a river; use a filter, air and/or water pump African Cichlids love open water or rocky spaces. Since most tank mates for Cichlids are bottom feeders, they like soft substrates.

Do a shrimp eat plankton?

A shrimp will eat both plants and animals, but especially love plankton, and they don’t care if they’re dead or alive which means a lot of waste will be devoured by them in the tank. Anything that falls to the bottom of the tank they’ll enjoy, and it means less effort for you trying to feed them and clean up after them as well.

Can shrimp kill fish?

That said, there are some species of large freshwater shrimp and prawns that have big claws and heavy bodies, which could, in theory, catch and kill an unwary fish. Generally, these creatures belong to the Asian macrobrachium genus that can grow to reach between four to eight inches long.

Can shrimp clean fish eggs to prevent fungus?

I have heard that if you want to prevent fish eggs from getting fungus on them, you can put them in a tank with neocaridina heteropoda (cherry shrimp as example) that they will clean the eggs and prevent fungus. I really don’t know if this is true or not. I have personally never seen any of my shrimp eat eggs.

What is a box filter for an aquarium?

Many box filters are compact units that stick to the glass inside an aquarium, making them suitable for small aquariums of 20 gallons or less. Corner filters are often used for hospital tanks used to treat sick fish because fish owners don’t wish to invest a lot of money setting up a tank that is used infrequently.

How does aquarium water get filtered?

Technically, there are three means of filtering aquarium water: Biological filtration refers to the process by which beneficial bacteria break down ammonia and nitrite and transform them into compound nitrate, which is much less toxic. Chemical filtration is a process by which chemical additives remove dissolved wastes from the water.

What are the different stages of an aquarium filter?

Mechanical Filtration is the first stage of any good quality aquarium filter. In this stage, all the solid waste of your aquarium is trapped, like fish poop, uneaten foods, dead plant matters and so on. Chemical Filtration is the second stage in an aquarium filter.

How to reduce ammonia in a fish tank?

Reducing Ammonia in a Fish Tank Step-By-Step. One of the first things you should do when you notice that your ammonia levels are high is to perform a 50% water change. The water change won’t remove all the ammonia, but it reduces the amount by adding clean water which will allow your biological filter to catch up.

Does filter media remove ammonia from a tank?

That said, your filter media is not removing the ammonia but converting it into less harmful nitrates. Nitrifying Bacteria called Nitrosomonas found not only in your filter media but everywhere in your tank consume ammonia and convert it into Nitrites.

How do you know when your aquarium filter needs replacing?

The best indicator that your filter is starting to lose efficiency is an increase in the ammonia level. If you add a lot more fish then you need to monitor the ammonia levels again. If you sniff the water of an aquarium and can detect even the slightest sharpness you can bet the ammonia level is too high.

Why does my Aquarium have high ammonia?

This is also the most common reason aquarium has a high ammonia level. Beneficial bacteria is the bacteria that helps to remove ammonia from the aquarium. And obviously, if you have less beneficial bacteria in your aquarium then the ammonia level will rise. High water PH. High water pH can also cause a high ammonia level in your aquarium.

Can you use RO water in a tropical fish tank?

Using RO Water in Freshwater Tropical Aquaria. RO (Reverse Osmosis) water has been used for a long time in Marine Fishkeeping, but in recent times has also become increasingly popular among fresh water tropical fish enthusiasts.

What is the alkaline range for African cichlids?

African Cichlid water parameters should be kept at the following alkaline ranges: Malawi species: 7.4 – 8.6 Tanganyika species: 7.8 – 9.0 Victoria species: 7.2 – 8. Cichlids are sensitive to pH changes. Therefore, avoid changes in pH greater than .3 units per day. GH (General Hardness)

Why is carbonate hardness important in cichlids?

Carbonate hardness is an important Cichlid water parameter, also known as “buffering capacity” or “total alkalinity,” Without adequate buffering, the pH in your aquarium will eventually drop because the end result of the nitrogen cycle is nitrate (nitric- acid ), which slowly builds up between water changes.

Do shrimps eat phytoplankton?

Yes, shrimps eat phytoplankton. It is an excellent additive in your shrimp food intake, and it is the best source for their development and nourishment. This type of food is more attractive for your shrimps and increases the appetite in them. Their growth rate becomes faster with the help of phytoplankton in their nutritional diet.

Do ghost shrimp kill fish?

There is a species of ghost shrimp that kill fish, they have red antennae and red front legs (not totally red but a little part of it) They probably don’t kill most fish, though. Hope this helped! That’s really interesting, especially since predatory ghost shrimp are now being sold by at least some pet shops.

Why are my shrimp killing my fish?

Most likely something else is affecting the fish and the shrimp are just taking advantage of it. Do you have any idea what it may be water checks out fine fed properly the fish that died was active 30 min to an hr ago not sure what’s going on with the little cats in the tank.