Is what my LFS tells me about setting up a 20 gallon african cichlid aquarium true?

[Jane Smith]

I just set up my first 20 gallon african cichlid aquarium with the
assistance of my LFS owner. I have a 20 gal that has cycled for 3
months and has had 4 tablespoons of aquarium salt added. The
substrate is natural, pebble-size stones and I've added sevel pieces
of resin driftwood creating many hiding places. I have a Marineland
hang-on back filter with biowheel and the temperature is set at 78 F.

The LFS suggested starting with the following fish, then adding
perhaps another half dozen in a week or two. He mentioned that they
are relatively small cichlids and should remain stunted - never
achieving their full size potential - in my size tank. He also said
overcrowding was prefered to limit aggression, although I'm concerned
that any additional fish will push the limits of my tank's bioload.
BTW, I purchased these fish (all quite beautiful) and they are
currently in my tank:

2 neolamp. leleupi
2 pseudo. demaisoni
2 labido. caeruleus

Here are my questions ... are the above fish good tankmates and can
(should) additional fish be added?

Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

PS; How often should partial water changes be conducted (he mentioned
once every 2-4 weeks) ... is this too few for a cichlid tank?

Jane S.

[Eric Schreiber]

(Jane Smith) wrote:

>I have a 20 gal that has cycled for 3 months

When you say 'cycled', do you mean 'run'? Merely running a tank isn't
enough to cycle a tank (though it's a good idea, regardless). Forgive
me if I'm repeating information you already know, but 'cycling' refers
to the ammonia cycle, wherein a healthy bacteria population has been
built up to process fish wastes.

>The LFS suggested starting with the following fish, then adding
>perhaps another half dozen in a week or two. He mentioned that they
>are relatively small cichlids and should remain stunted - never
>achieving their full size potential - in my size tank.

Tank size is not directly a limiting factor in fish size, and keeping
a fish in a small tank won't cause the fish to remain small.

Fish produce waste, and in a small tank these wastes tend to build up
faster and affect the health of the fish. This, in turn, stunts the
fish's growth. Larger fish, naturally, produce more waste than small
ones, so the effect *seems* like the tank size is affecting fish size.

>PS; How often should partial water changes be conducted (he mentioned
>once every 2-4 weeks) ... is this too few for a cichlid tank?

Probably. I personally try for 10% weekly in a well-established tank
with lots of plants and (too many) small fish.

--
www.ericschreiber.com

[Jane Smith]

I should have mentioned that part of what I mentioned as "cycling" my
tank included having several freshwater fish live in it which I moved
out to another tank aboout one week ago. I did purchase a water
testing kit, testing all parameters including PH, alkalinity,
nitrites/nitrates, etc. and everything came up as being well within
the healthy "ranges" as defined by the kit's literature.

BTW, thanks for your reply.

Eric Schreiber > wrote in message >...
> (Jane Smith) wrote:
>
> >I have a 20 gal that has cycled for 3 months
>
> When you say 'cycled', do you mean 'run'? Merely running a tank isn't
> enough to cycle a tank (though it's a good idea, regardless). Forgive
> me if I'm repeating information you already know, but 'cycling' refers
> to the ammonia cycle, wherein a healthy bacteria population has been
> built up to process fish wastes.
>
> >The LFS suggested starting with the following fish, then adding
> >perhaps another half dozen in a week or two. He mentioned that they
> >are relatively small cichlids and should remain stunted - never
> >achieving their full size potential - in my size tank.
>
> Tank size is not directly a limiting factor in fish size, and keeping
> a fish in a small tank won't cause the fish to remain small.
>
> Fish produce waste, and in a small tank these wastes tend to build up
> faster and affect the health of the fish. This, in turn, stunts the
> fish's growth. Larger fish, naturally, produce more waste than small
> ones, so the effect *seems* like the tank size is affecting fish size.
>
> >PS; How often should partial water changes be conducted (he mentioned
> >once every 2-4 weeks) ... is this too few for a cichlid tank?
>
> Probably. I personally try for 10% weekly in a well-established tank
> with lots of plants and (too many) small fish.

[Rick]

"Jane Smith" > wrote in message
om...
> I just set up my first 20 gallon african cichlid aquarium with the
> assistance of my LFS owner. I have a 20 gal that has cycled for 3
> months and has had 4 tablespoons of aquarium salt added. The
> substrate is natural, pebble-size stones and I've added sevel pieces
> of resin driftwood creating many hiding places. I have a Marineland
> hang-on back filter with biowheel and the temperature is set at 78 F.
>
> The LFS suggested starting with the following fish, then adding
> perhaps another half dozen in a week or two. He mentioned that they
> are relatively small cichlids and should remain stunted - never
> achieving their full size potential - in my size tank. He also said
> overcrowding was prefered to limit aggression, although I'm concerned
> that any additional fish will push the limits of my tank's bioload.
> BTW, I purchased these fish (all quite beautiful) and they are
> currently in my tank:
>
> 2 neolamp. leleupi
> 2 pseudo. demaisoni
> 2 labido. caeruleus
>
> Here are my questions ... are the above fish good tankmates and can
> (should) additional fish be added?
>
> Thanks in advance for any and all advice.
>
> PS; How often should partial water changes be conducted (he mentioned
> once every 2-4 weeks) ... is this too few for a cichlid tank?
>
> Jane S.


Those fish will grow and certainly be enough for a 20g tank. You could add
extra filtration and perhaps put a couple more in. I would get your LFS to
check your PH and hardness levels and if necessary buffer the water with
some baking soda to bring the PH up to around 8.0 if required.

Rick