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When pursing an interest in Cichlids first you must decide
on the size of the tank. It’s only common sense that the bigger the better in
this case. Having a larger tank affords you more choices in the cichlids
variety and nature as well. It's a natural evolutionary trait for Cichlids to
be aggressive when it comes to their territory, food and mates. Keeping that in
mind, it's imperative you give them a resemblance of their natural habitat to
flourish in.
The most important aspect for a peaceful Cichlids tank is to
provide them with enough rock work, arranged so there are nooks, crannies and
caves for each fish to make a home in. It’s actually fun designing a layout
that is functional for the fish and pleasing to they eye. I do my set up dry on
the table first so I can get some ideas before I start building. They never end
up exactly alike but it gives me a good foundation to start with.
Because Cichlids like to renovate their homes/territories,
it's important to make sure the rocks and other housing materials are secure. I
have read that some people glue their rocks together so they don't shift or topple
over, perhaps injuring the fish. The rocks I am using are too big to glue but
just their size gives them a measure of security. By following these simple suggestions,
you can avoid a significant amount of aggression within the tank.
In my 55 gallon tank above, there's still lots of room to add more rocks which I will do soon. I just need to get more. There's really no point having all that empty space up top that the fish could be using. My Cichlids are doing great, seem to get along, with very little aggressive displays.
