"Fred Bloggs" wrote in message
...
Hi Folks,

We recently moved and tore down our aquarium, and it is time to get it
starting again. It was a community tank with lots of plants, but I want to
do something a little different when I get going again.

I am thinking cichlids which I understand needs lots of hiding places and
rocks, but are they compatible with plants?

Any recommendations on good fish for a 55gal tank? I am looking for a lot
of
color and small to medium size fish that are not excessively aggressive or
require live food.

Is there anything special I need in the way of filtration or water
conditions?

Thanks



Typically the water needs to be very alkaline and the ph needs to be high.
You could use aragonite in a media chamber in a filter to raise the
alkalinity (or so I am told - when I did that my general hardness went up
but the carbonate hardness, otherwise know as alkaline, stayed almost rock
bottom and I used Bermuda pink carib sea substrate in my filter's media
chamber) or I guess you could leave the water soft, etc. but not expect any
breeding. Others here will be able to fill you in a lot better than me and
give you more details, good luck and later!