TANK SETUP GUIDE (malawi)

Ok so its your first time setting up a malawi cichlid tank....heres what you wanna do.

-Buy your tank
(depending on the ammount of cichlids you plan on keeping and the particular species, the larger the tank you will need. Keep in mind, the larger the tank, the bigger filtration system)

-Filtration
( In my opionion filtration is an essential aspect of all tanks and you definately should not be cheap in this part of your budget because it will hurt you in the long run...GO EHEIM)

My guidelines by Gallon

10-65 Gallon
HOB Filter


65-100
Canister


110+
Sump


-Substrate
Many people fill up their tanks before adding their substrate which is not always the best way to do it...The absolute best way to add your substrate is place your rocks and add your gravel or sand around the rocks in order to keep proper stability then later fill the tank with water

Before placing your substrate in your tank an initial step in which many people forget is to place eggcrate on the surface area of your aqarium. The main reason for doing this is to keep your rock walls from creating an avalanche and cracking the bottom of your tank. Eggcrate not only keeps your rocks standing but it also provides a cushion on the exposed bottom areas of your tank. Even If you're not planning on stacking rocks, eggcrate helps to spread the pressure from the heavy pieces out over a larger surface, preventing cracks.


SAND/ARAGONITE
Although sand does look amazing in a malawi cichlid tank it does seem to be a pain when cleaning and may be reccomended for only the advanced enthousiast. Although there are many different sized grains in sand usually the thicker is easier to clean but the thinner looks nicer. When cleaning a very fine sand grain you would only pass your gravel cleaner over the detritus and pick up what is on the surface. With a larger grain sand you can put your gravel cleaner in the substrate, be ready to pinch the hose in order for the sand to fall to the bottom once again.


GRAVEL
Gravel may not look as attractive as sand but it is much easier to take care of therefore keeping a much healthier tank. Gravel is easier to clean and doesnt take as much care to clean it but many cichlids will prefer a sand base or aragonite substrate. It is preferred to use a finer type of gravel for the malawi species because of their reputation for digging their own territories.


-Aquascape
In my opinion you could use any type of rock you wanted in a malawi tank as long as there are many caves for hiding and it looks good. My number one choice for rock in a malawi tank is lace rock because of the many caves, shapes and colours it shows. Usually in many lfs it is less expensive compared to the nicer looking rock but looks much more natural in an aquarium.

When aquascaping your malawi cichlid tank you want to create as many caves as possible throughout the tank with the rock covering the whole backside of the tank to somewhat replicate their natural habitat.

Many people appreciate the addition of live plants in their aquariums but with the malawi species it is best to stay away. Malawi cichlids are notorious for eating every single plant in a aquarium and uprooting them beforehand. The only live plant that i can reccomend for a malawi cichlid tank is Java Fern. The main reasons why cichlids stay away from this plant is because of its bitter taste.


-Lighting
Many people seem to brush away the fact that their lighting is one of the most important ways to show the natural colours in your cichlids. There are three main types of lighting i can reccomend. T-5, Flo and Compact Flo. Personnally i do not reccoment metal halide lighting unless you have an extremely deep tank and only use a 6700k bulb. T-5 lighting is cheaper and newer technology with a good reputation for showing the best colours in your fish. Another plus to T-5 lighting is that it doesnt give off any heat. Power compact lighting and normal flo lighting is sufficient but may not show enough colour in your cichlids without proper bulbs.