discussing african cichlids and general care

[floriks]

I'm seriously rethinking my 37-gallon tank setup. It's been neglected, and my female convict's been wreaking havoc. The hood's broken, so I'll replace it and probably get a new light too. Figured it's the perfect time to rehome some fish and start fresh.

I'm about 80% set on trying old world cichlids, since I've never kept them before and want to learn more about their care.

I know the 37-gallon limit will restrict my options, but I'd love to know what's still possible.

Here are the tank specs:

- 37 US Gallons
- 30"x12"x24"
- 75-gallon filter
- pH 7.6 from the tap

Now, some questions:

- What are some stocking ideas for this tank? I'm open to a species-only tank with a decent group size. Not really interested in breeding, though. Any suggestions with numbers would be great.
- What kind of decorations should I use? Just rocks? Should I add something under the sand for cushioning if I want to stack rocks high?
- What type of rocks work best?
- How much water can I change at a time without shocking the fish? How quickly does the pH level adjust?
- Are there any plants that can handle the high pH and hardness? Are plants even a good idea for African tanks?
- Can I fit any catfish species in this tank? I love catfish.
- Does aragonite or cichlid sand ever lose its ability to buffer the pH?
- Any other tips for converting a standard freshwater tank to an African community tank?

Thanks for any info or advice.

[stevio]

I'm in a similar boat, researching for my own 46-gallon project, so I can only offer some insights I've gathered so far. Since you mentioned Tanganyikans, I've been looking into them, and I think you were the one who suggested I check them out. They do have some smaller species that might work for our tank sizes.

For your tank, a community of shellies, sand-dwellers, and a couple of rock-dwellers could be a great setup. I've found some interesting species, like Paracyprichromis Nigripinnis, a rock-dweller, and Neoplamprologus Leleupi, also a rock-dweller. There are dozens of shellies under the "Lamprologus" genus, and some nice sand-dwellers under "Xenotilapia". For catfish, I came across some cool Synodontis species that stay around 3-4 inches.

As for water parameters, I'm lucky my tap water is close to what I need, so I don't have much experience with that. I've read that people use a synthetic pad under their tanks and under the rocks to support the weight. For rocks, I think it's mostly a matter of personal preference, but I'm planning to use rounded river stones, similar to what I've seen in pictures from Lake Tanganyika.

Some plants that seem to thrive in these tanks are crypts, vals, and java ferns. I'm planning to include some, even though a true biotope would just be sand and rocks – I need some color to make it visually appealing.

I know I'm not much help, but I hope this gives you a starting point for your research. Getting a good direction for this project has been my biggest challenge so far. Good luck!

[floriks]

I'm in a similar boat, researching for my own 46-gallon project, so I can only offer some insights I've gathered so far. Since you mentioned Tanganyikans, I've been looking into them, and I think you were the one who suggested I check them out. They do have some smaller species that might work for our tank sizes.

For your tank, a community of shellies, sand-dwellers, and a couple of rock-dwellers could be a great setup. I've found some interesting species, like Paracyprichromis Nigripinnis, a rock-dweller, and Neoplamprologus Leleupi, also a rock-dweller. There are dozens of shellies under the "Lamprologus" genus, and some nice sand-dwellers under "Xenotilapia". For catfish, I came across some cool Synodontis species that stay around 3-4 inches.

As for water parameters, I'm lucky my tap water is close to what I need, so I don't have much experience with that. I've read that people use a synthetic pad under their tanks and under the rocks to support the weight. For rocks, I think it's mostly a matter of personal preference, but I'm planning to use rounded river stones, similar to what I've seen in pictures from Lake Tanganyika.

Some plants that seem to thrive in these tanks are crypts, vals, and java ferns. I'm planning to include some, even though a true biotope would just be sand and rocks – I need some color to make it visually appealing.

I know I'm not much help, but I hope this gives you a starting point for your research. Getting a good direction for this project has been my biggest challenge so far. Good luck!

I was thinking about just brichardis or generic masked julies, but from what I've read, it seems like I'd only be able to keep a pair in a 37-gallon tank. Having just a pair of 3-inch fish in there with nothing else would feel kinda empty to me. Plus, I'm not really into breeding, and I'd probably end up with a bunch of unwanted fry. I'd rather not deal with that, and I'd probably just end up adding a catfish to control the population, to be honest.

I might look into synodontis nigriventris again, but my first choice would be synodontis petricola if my tank is big enough for them. I feel like nigriventris would really thrive in a larger group, and I don't think I could provide that in my tank. I'd love to find a species that doesn't just hang out on the rocks or the bottom of the tank, though - something that swims around a bit more.

[stevio]

I'm running into the same issues as you, my friend. I've been searching for some open water schooling fish, but they all seem to require at least 48" of length and need to be kept in groups. I was really interested in Neolamprologus Tret's, but they get too big for my tank, growing up to 6" in length. It's tough finding the right fit, but I'll definitely let you know if I stumble upon anything that might work for us. If you find anything in the meantime, please do the same.