Howtragic
New member
So I'm new to this I've been researching a ton the past few months. Here is a list I put together for a 90 gallon setup. Hopefully this is a good size tank for what I'm looking to do any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. I have not purchased anything yet. I am open to other brands etc. if there are better please let me know if you think I should change anything. Also listed below I put the type of cichlids I want and how I'll be introducing them to the tank if you see anything out of the ordinary please inform me. As everything below is self research over the past few months.
Equipment and Accessories:
- 90-Gallon Aquarium and Stand which I will build
- Tank: Aqueon Standard Glass Aquarium, 90-Gallon
- Filtration System
- Canister Filter: (1) Fluval FX6 High Performance Canister Filter (Should I get 2?)
- Filter Media: Fluval BioMax Rings, Activated Carbon, Foam Pads
- Heater
- Heater: (2) Eheim Jager TruTemp Aquarium Heater, 150W ; One for each side of the tank
- Lighting
- Lighting: NICREW ClassicLED Plus Planted Aquarium Light, 48-Inch
- Substrate
- Substrate: CaribSea African Cichlid Mix Aragonite Sand, 80 lbs
- Rocks and Decorations
- Rocks: CaribSea South Seas Base Rock (20-30 lbs)
- Caves/Structures: MagNaturals Magnetic Cichlid Caves
- Water Conditioners and Additives
- Water Conditioner: Seachem Prime, 500mL
- Cichlid Buffer: Seachem Malawi/Victoria Buffer, 250g
- Bacterial Supplement: Seachem Stability, 500mL
- Test Kit
- Test Kit: API Freshwater Master Test Kit
- Aeration
- Air Pump: Tetra Whisper Air Pump for 100-Gallon Aquariums
- Air Stones & Tubing: Pawfly Aquarium Air Stone Kit with Tubing
- Maintenance Tools
- Gravel Vacuum: Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System
- Algae Scraper: Mag-Float Glass Aquarium Cleaner
- Net: Penn Plax Quick Net for Aquariums, 8-Inch
- Siphon Hose: Marina Easy Clean Water Change Siphon Kit
African Cichlids (Mbuna and Peacocks from Lake Malawi)
- Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus) 4-5 fish
- Red Zebra (Metriaclima estherae) 4-5 fish
- Electric Blue Ahli (Sciaenochromis fryeri) 2-3 fish
- Peacock Cichlids (Aulonocara species) 4-5 fish
- Acei (Pseudotropheus acei) 3-4 fish
- Johanni (Melanochromis johannii) 2-3 fish
- Demasoni (Pseudotropheus demasoni) 5-6 fish
Week 1-3 (Cycling the Tank)
- I will begin cycling the tank using Seachem Stability or another bacterial supplement if you guys suggest something else.
- Then I plan on monitoring the water parameters using the test kit (pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates).
- Week 4 (Initial Stocking)
- Once the tank is fully cycled and parameters are stable:
- I'll introduce the Yellow Labs and Red Zebras (starting with 5-6 fish).
- Week 6-7 (Additional Stocking)
- Slowly introducing more species as the tank stabilizes:
- Adding Peacock Cichlids, Electric Blue Ahli, and Acei (5-7 fish).
- Week 8-9 (Final Additions)
- Introduce the more aggressive or delicate species after the tank matures:
- Adding in the Johanni and Demasoni (4-6 fish).
- Feeding:
- Staple Diet: High-quality cichlid pellets or flakes, such as Hikari Cichlid Gold or Northfin Cichlid Formula. Unless you guys suggest other food brands/types
- Supplemental Food: Frozen foods like bloodworms or brine shrimp once or twice per week to enhance color and provide variety.
