Aquarium and Pond Care and EcoBio-Block

African Cichlid

If you are ready for something a little different and enjoy keeping freshwater fish, an African Cichlid aquarium could be for you. These beautifully patterned and colored finned friends have many admirers. Their distinctive personalities and innate intelligence have a way of endearing these fish to their owners. However, if you have never kept this variety of fish, you owe it to yourself to learn about their habits and needs while planning your African Cichlid aquarium.

Many things make this species of fish very special. African Cichlids are usually a very hardy fish that grow very fast, especially when compared to the growth rate of other fish species. However, the very thing that makes the African Cichlid special is what causes the need for would-be owners to plan carefully before purchasing their fish. A fish that grows as large as fast as an Oscar or a Jack Dempsey deserves a home that it will not outgrow!

You should definitely plan to buy the largest aquarium you can afford if you are planning to keep Cichlids. If the aquarium that you can see in your mind’s eye is a heavily planted one, you should probably rethink the desire you have to own this type of fish. Cichlids were probably archeologists in another life! They really enjoy digging in any kind of substrate you give them, and can make a big mess out of a carefully planted tank.

An African Cichlid aquarium should instead be outfitted with rock formations, overturned clay pots, and other places where the fish can hide and feel safe. Most African Cichlids are territorial around other fish to a certain extent. Some of these fish can co-exist in the same aquarium with other Cichlids, while some cannot. Other types of fish should not be housed in the same tank, as the Cichlid can be aggressive with them. It is most common for those who keep Cichlids to have a species-specific aquarium because of this aggressive and territorial nature.

Feeding your African Cichlid can be a bit more complicated than just shaking a few dried fish food flakes into the tank daily. In the wild, these fish are vegetarian as a rule. They will eat brine shrimp and daphnia as part of their staple diet, and will also nibble at bloodworms, though the latter are a little too rich for them.

A good Cichlid pellet along with a flaked vegetable-based food containing spirulina and kelp will keep your fish active and healthy. You can also feed African Cichlids human foods such as cooked peas minus their shell, spinach, zucchini, and dark green leaf lettuces like romaine.

You will definitely want to pay attention to the water quality in your African Cichlid aquarium. Cichlids prefer a hard, alkaline water pH of around 7, but a higher pH is well tolerated by these sturdy and colorful fish.

An easy way of keeping the aquarium water clean and clear (and your fish healthy!) without having to do frequent water changes and test the water on a regular basis, is with the use of an EcoBio-Stone, or Block. Your choice of product will depend upon the size of your aquarium. All the products in the EcoBio-Block family quickly establish a colony of beneficial bacteria, which break down the toxins which develop with organic waste, into safer by-products. These bacterial and mineral benefits of EcoBio Block products will help make your established African Cichlid aquarium a breeze to maintain.

African Cichlid

Planted Nano Aquarium

For the fish-lover, there is nothing as beautiful and peaceful as an aquarium. It brightens up any room in which it is placed, as well as giving the owner a low-maintenance pet. However, not everyone has the space for a large tank. For these people, there is the option of purchasing a smaller aquarium, anywhere from 1 to 15 gallons. Although this size of tank, otherwise known as a “nano aquarium”, is harder to maintain, it is still a good choice for many people. They just need to remember a few simple things. The most important thing to keep in mind about a small aquarium is not to let it get overcrowded. Keep the fish small and don’t put too many in the tank. Otherwise, it will be difficult to maintain the water quality. Also, take into account the fact that smaller amounts of water change temperature more quickly, which can be stressful for fish. Therefore, try to place your nano aquarium somewhere that keeps a constant temperature year round. And remember that even a small tank can weigh a lot when full, so put it somewhere where it won’t need to be moved. In a small tank, water quality can decrease very quickly. It is therefore important to test it every day and change 10-20% of the water as often as twice a week. While doing these changes, vacuum a section of the gravel. If you are busy or just don’t want the hassle of changing your water so often, you could try EcoBio-Stone S. Simply place the stone in the water and it will keep your water clear and healthy for years with beneficial bacteria, which keep the water in the aquarium perfectly balanced by breaking down the toxic ammonia and nitrite from fish waste and uneaten food, and re-supplying trace minerals from the stone. Additionally, be sure to change your filter regularly or else it may leak toxins into the water. If you do notice an issue, attend to it quickly. In a nano aquarium, small problems multiply rapidly. If you wait even one day to take care of them, you may find that your entire system has crashed Another important factor to be considered with a small tank is the oxygen level. One way to keep it high is to agitate the surface of the water with a small filter. For even more oxygen, put live plants in your tank instead of artificial ones. However, be sure to choose ones that don’t require a lot of light or you may find your water temperature increasing too much. Finally, do not overfeed the fish in your nano aquarium. This can cause poor water quality and place stress on your fish. If you remember to do all of these things and use a time-released water maintenance product such as EcoBio-Stone you will be able to enjoy keeping fish even if you have limited space.