African cichlids are popular among both beginner and advanced fish enthusiasts due to their vibrant tropical colors and relatively easy care. While African cichlids are also found in Asia and South America, the most popular varieties come from the African Rift freshwater lakes, such as Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Victoria.
There are hundreds of cichlid species that are native to Africa. However, the term "African Cichlids" is typically used to describe cichlid fish found in Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria, in East Africa's Great Rift Valley. Most Rift Lake cichlid species are endemic to one specific lake, however, they have been introduced to many parts of the world including the southern United States.
These fish are known for their vibrant colors, which rival those of marine fish. They are easier to keep and usually less expensive, sometimes being described as "poor man's saltwater fish". Their body length averages 5” and they can live from 4 to 10 years. These cichlids can be territorial, predatory, and aggressive. They live in groups, and in a group, the brightest colored fish is the most dominant.
It’s good to be patient and research before purchasing your fish, as keeping African cichlids is a worthy investment. Proper care is not as complicated as you may think. Having a tank full of happy and vibrantly-colored cichlids is achievable with the right products and information. Cichlids care starts with a foundational understanding of these dynamic freshwater beauties.
African cichlids have one thing in common-they’re all beautiful. Where they can differ is in their diet, temperament, size at full maturity, and longevity. These are all considerations that will help determine the size of tank that you select as well as the type of cichlid that you choose to keep.
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If you feel some important information on proper care of African cichlids is missing, feel free to leave a comment to inform of what changes should be made.
How to Setup an AFRICAN CICHLID Aquarium
Natural Habitat
Map of the African Great Lakes, home to many cichlid species.
Rift Lake cichlids occupy virtually every niche known to freshwater fish. They can be found in open water, boulder fields, sand flats and weed beds. A number of species from Lake Tanganyika even occupy and breed in empty snail shells and are referred to as shell-dwellers. It is important to know the natural habitat of each species you intend to buy when designing a Rift Lake cichlid aquarium layout.
Aquarium Setup
Place the tank near a power source in a low-traffic area, away from direct sunlight and drafts. Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. Pick a very sturdy, stable base for your aquarium, then fill the tank with water.
Substrate and Decoration
Layer about 3 inches of gravel or sand on the bottom of the tank. (That works out to 1½ pounds of gravel per gallon of water.) Rinse the gravel before putting it in the aquarium.
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The aquarium should have lots of rocks and caves because they live and breed under them, hence the nicknames “African shell-dwellers” and “shellies”. This fish also likes to dig and rearrange the gravel. These fish can kill any plants by digging and eating them; plants are not recommended in the tank.
Fill the tank about halfway up with dechlorinated water. Add a beneficial bacteria supplement to the water to promote biological waste breakdown.
Time to decorate! Add plants, rocks and décor. Because cichlids are territorial, provide enough hiding areas that each fish can establish its own territory. Cichlids also like to hide, so put several cave structures in the tank. Rinse all décor before adding it to the tank.
Finish by filling the tank the rest of the way with water then add the hood with lights.
Tank Size
An aquarium of at least 55 gallons is recommended because most Rift Lake cichlids tend to grow larger and males become territorial. Aquariums with wider footprints are better than tall, narrow tanks because they offer more bottom area for fish to occupy. Dwarf species from Lake Tanganyika can be kept as communities in 30 to 50 gallon aquaria or in species tanks of 15 to 20 gallons. If you plan to keep your fish long term, you may want to consider starting with a tank size that will accommodate for their full growth potential.
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Filtration
Good filtration is a must, the more the better. An external filter is better than an under-gravel filter, due to the fish’s digging. Maintain good filtration. An aquarium filter should be able to process all of the water in the tank 5 times an hour. For example, the filter in a 20-gallon tank would need to push through at least 100 gallons of water each hour. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for choosing and setting up the filter.
Just be sure to choose a filter size that will process all of the water (gallons per hour) in your tank around five times each hour. With a heavily stocked tank, it is absolutely necessary to maintain a good cleaning regime to keep your tank free of bacteria overgrowth.
Heating and Lighting
Check the temperature your African cichlids will need before you bring them home. A stable water temperature in the range of 76°F - 82° is best for cichlids. Tropical fish need warm water that’s between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit (23-28 Celsius).
Choose an aquarium heater with 5 watts of power for each gallon of water in the aquarium. A large aquarium may need a heater at each end. Wait 15 minutes after filling the tank before turning on the heater. Place the heater close enough to the filter to distribute the warmed water. Run the tank’s filter and the tank’s hood light for 24 hours, then check the water temperature and adjust the heater if necessary.
Quality lighting is important for the colorful display of your cichlids while also maintaining a healthy tank environment. We suggest using LED lights, for most applications, in a color spectrum intended to enhance the color of your fish. Just as the sun in their natural habitat warms the lake for 8-12 hours each day, we recommend giving your cichlids a break from the bright lights as your evening wraps up.
Water Requirements
Lake water in their natural environment is nutrient-rich and warm. The water in the African Rift Lakes has a pH between 8.0 and 9.0 and alkalinity from 10° to 25° dKH (180 ppm to 450 ppm). Temperatures range from 74° to 80° F. If the aquarium is kept in a room below 74° F, use an Aqueon Aquarium Heater to maintain the correct temperature.
Texas Holey Rock buffers the water pH levels naturally and provides some of the best water conditions for your cichlids. The optimal pH is alkaline (pH 8.5). Maintain good filtration and change 10% of the water every week or 25% every 2 weeks using an Aqueon Aquarium Water Changer or Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner. Don't forget to treat tap water with Aqueon Water Conditioner before refilling your aquarium!
The vast majority of Rift Lake cichlids sold today are commercially raised and tolerate a wide range of water parameters. Crushed coral gravel can be used to help maintain proper pH and alkalinity.
Maintaining Water Parameters
Plan for partial water changes at least weekly. That means have the gear needed to remove and add a lot of water from your tank. Have a means of vacuuming the substrate. Using a 5 gallon bucket and a simple vac takes about an hour per week for a 55 gallon tank. There are alternatives (e.g. a Python) but do your research and ask questions about those as well.
Look up what water parameters are acceptable for your fish, and prepare to make subtle adjustments as needed to your own tank, and make a plan for how to keep those levels consistent even through partial water changes. Have a good quality test kit, or a reputable pet store that is willing to do it for you and test frequently. Be sure to treat your water if needed, particularly for Chlorine/Chloromine, etc if you have city water. Aquarium water should be ammonia-free, so regular water changes of 25-40% are necessary.
To keep water conditions consistent and healthy, consider having a calendar reminder on your phone or keep a simple log of your water changes and filter cleaning under your tank stand.
Adjusting pH
There are several additional ways in which you can adjust the pH of a tank. If you're going with a sand substrate, you might consider using aragonite sand - available at Petsmart or other stores in large dry bags. The aragonite will slowly dissolve in freshwater, helping to maintain a higher pH. Domomite rock chips would be another good choice. A stable ph is more important then a perfect ph of 8.2. Most cichlids are farm raised and dont need exact rift lake specs.
Behavior and Compatibility
Rift Lake cichlids are territorial and males in particular can be aggressive towards each other. Crowding them a little often reduces aggression. Mixing cichlids from other parts of the world with Rift Lake cichlids is not recommended, as they may require different water chemistry and they "speak different languages", meaning they will try to communicate in ways the RLC's do not understand, often resulting in harm to one or both fish.
When building a Rift Lake cichlid community, start with juvenile fish and introduce less aggressive species first. When introducing new fish to an existing population, add a few more rocks and rearrange existing décor to create "new" territories. Avoid adding more than one male of the same species, especially if females are present. Unless you want an all male tank a good male/female ratio is 1/3 or 4.
If you want to try adding non-cichlid fish to your RLC aquarium, select hardy, fast moving species like giant danios, tinfoil barbs, redtail, rainbow, and #545557 sharks, or Synodontis catfish. New purchases should be at least the same size as the largest or most aggressive fish in the aquarium. Always consult an aquarium expert before buying any new fish for your aquarium.
Introducing New Cichlids to Your Aquarium
Acclimating New Fish to an Aquarium.
Bring your cichlids home right away after you buy them and ensure you only buy cichlid varieties that are compatible with each other in diet and temperament. Place them in your aquarium - inside their bag - for 15 minutes so they can get used to the new water temperature. Next, use a net to transfer the cichlids into your aquarium. Do not add any bag water to your aquarium. Agreed. Make sure to properly acclimate new additions to your water parameters. I always put new additions in a clean bucket with the water they came in and by degrees add small amounts of tank water to the bucket.
Add only 1 to 3 cichlids at a time to make sure the filter can handle all the new action in the neighborhood. The chemical balance in your aquarium will change with every new fish you introduce, so check the tank’s pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels regularly. Change 25-30% of the water weekly.
PetSmart offers free aquarium water testing. Bring in a sample and we can test its quality within minutes.
Diet
These are omnivorous fish, and they’ll eat a wide range of food. This includes algae, brine shrimp, insect larvae and blood worms. Live, frozen, flakes and pellets are appropriate foods. Feed the fish small amounts two to three times daily. Don’t feed more than they can consume in 30 minutes. Feed them good quality food. I feed NLS Thera A pellets, I feed my crew once a day.
While many Rift Lake cichlids are omnivores and should be fed a variety of foods, Lake Malawi mbuna cichlids are largely herbivorous, feeding on algae mats and small shrimp that live amongst the algae. They do best on a combination of Aqueon Spirulina Flakes, Algae Rounds, Cichlid Pellets and Shrimp Pellets. Haplochromis, Copidochromis, Nimbochromis and related species, as well as dwarf Tanganyikan cichlids, are carnivores and will thrive on Aqueon Cichlid Pellets, Shrimp Pellets, Tropical Flakes and Tropical Granules. Some vegetable matter should also be included in their diet.
Avoid fatty foods like beef heart and bloodworms, as these may cause digestive problems for your Rift Lake cichlids. For best results, rotate your fishes' diet daily and feed only what they can consume in under 2 minutes, once or twice a day.
One secret to boost the saturation of color is to feed your cichlids krill. Food rich in krill will help enhance the color of most cichlids. Bloodworms are a favorite of African cichlids and an excellent natural protein supplement. What’s more, it’s truly entertaining to watch the fish devour bloodworms within seconds! It's fun entertainment for children and adults alike.
Not all African Cichlids need the same food. Research each species you purchase to ensure that they require the same types of food. It is not recommended to put cichlids that require a lot of protein with those that do not.
Breeding
Rift Lake cichlids can be prolific breeders and incidental spawning of many species in home aquariums is common. All cichlids practice some sort of parental care, and many species of RLC's are mouthbrooders, where the female incubates the eggs in a special pouch in her throat until they hatch and are able to fend for themselves. A separate breeding tank should be set up if you want to intentionally spawn a particular species of Rift Lake cichlid. The African cichlid is an easy fish to breed.
Males fertilize the eggs and the female fish incubates the eggs in her mouth for 3 to 4 weeks, until hatching. After mating, the male may harass the female.
Aquarium Plants
Aquarium Plants That Can Survive African Cichlids.
When you think of the stereotypical aquarium for African cichlids, it usually has a somewhat barren appearance consisting of sand, rockwork, and maybe fake decorations. The reason for the lack of live plants is because (1) many omnivorous and herbivorous cichlids like mbunas love to eat vegetation and (2) a lot of them enjoy digging to create spawning sites, which inadvertently uproots plants. Plants? Sure you can keep live plants like Anubias and Java Fern. I use both,make sure you have A LOT of hiding places for them such as rock caves etc... You can add driftwood too!
At Aquarium Co-Op, we’re all about aquarium plants because of their natural beauty and ability to absorb nitrogen waste, which constantly builds up in African cichlid tanks that are purposely overcrowded to reduce aggression. Therefore, we have spent years experimenting with and searching for the most “cichlid-proof” plants.
Aquatic plants that float at the surface are perfect because they do not grow in the ground and therefore cannot be uprooted by fish. Plus, they are known for being fast growers that suck up tons of nitrate and phosphate, helping to purify the tank water.
Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) is a floating plant we’ve had great success with our mbunas - the most notorious plant eaters among African cichlids. They look fluffy but their pine needle-like leaves are very tough and slightly serrated. While some African cichlids may try to nibble on them or tear off a chunk, hornwort grows so rapidly that the damage is hardly noticeable. The main thing to note is that if they run out of nutrients in the aquarium, this plant has the bad habit of shedding its fine needles, which can be a mess to clean up.
Cabomba (Cabomba spp.) is a stem plant that can also be grown by floating it at the surface. It has a feathery appearance and is a little more delicate than hornwort, but fish seem to dislike its taste all the same. When given high lighting, it can grow surprisingly quickly.
An epiphyte is another type of plant that does not need any substrate to grow and is often attached to rock, driftwood, or decorations to prevent them from being knocked around too much. You can fasten them to objects using fishing line, sewing thread, or even super glue gel. If your newly purchased epiphyte comes inside a plastic basket, you can place a root tab inside the rock wool and then slip the basket inside an Easy Planter rock decoration.
Anubias plants are very popular because they are beginner friendly, enjoy low light, and come in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes. Java ferns are similar to anubias because of their easy care, low light requirements, and durable leaves. Some of the most common varieties include regular java fern, Windelov (or lace) java fern, and narrow leaf java fern.
Bolbitis (Bolbitis heudelotii) is a gorgeous epiphyte with textured, vivid green leaves that can grow very large and serve as a background plant. Also known as the African water fern, it does well in waters with high pH and GH that African cichlids usually prefer.
Java moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri) is a slow-growing but hardy moss that looks beautiful when attached to rocks and driftwood. Some of them are sold already affixed to a wire mesh, which can be used to grow a fuzzy carpet or moss wall.
