Selecting A African Cichlid Fish Tank

---

     Deciding on a African cichlid tropical aquarium goes hand in hand with choosing your African cichlid fish. The size of the tropical tank depends upon, initially the size and quantity of the cichlids you prefer to keep in it. You should be aware that particular African cichlids can in due course develop to larger than 12" in length which enable it to survive for over 15 years. Meticulously researching your preference of African cichlid fish provides you with an idea of the size the various species can grow to and for how long they live. The tank itself might want to be big enough for the fully grown adult Cichlids you would like to keep whilst being an fitting size and shape for the space you might have intended for it.

Whilst deciding on a African cichlid aquarium you should also give deliberation to the thickness of the glass and how the aquarium is manufactured. It has to withstand the weight of the water and probably any rocks or substrate you select to position inside it. You might want to make certain that the freshwater cichlid aquarium is manufactured by a reputable brand name company. Makes along the lines of Fluval, Rena, Juwel or Oceanic are highly recommended. The general size of the tropical tank is a significant consideration and for Lake Malawi cichlids it must be no less than 75 US Gallons.

You should also allocate some planning to the overall height of tank and support since it will probably be hard if you can not reach the bottom of the aquarium with regards to maintaining it.

An added consideration of choosing a Malawi cichlid tropical tank may be the filtration you will be using. Does it have a built-in internal filtration system or does the aquarium come equipped with an under-gravel filtration system. Ideally the stand has space and facility to house and external filter or two in the cabinet beneath the freshwater aquarium. I'd continuously propose an exterior filter for any African cichlid tropical aqaurium as these are usually more impressive and African cichlids are very messy fish. This also means that you can clean the filtration system without causing too much disturbance in the aquarium. The cichlids will probably be happier as well as love you all the more for it.

Most recent cichlid fish tanks commonly have a purpose made exhibition cabinet and cover. The cover assists to dampen the noise of trickling water as well as keeps flying pests from the tank, while the cupboard is normally sturdy enough to hold the immense weight of water in addition to someplace to keep the external filters and additional accessories that you're going to no doubt accumulate. These stands or cabinets are in general obtainable in a selection of colors that can tone with with most decors and home furniture. This is important as you don't need your display sticking out like a sore thumb.

Finally just step back and take in the overall look of your selected aquarium. You must bear in mind all these practical considerations but do you like the design of it? One factor my wife observed when we were looking for aquariums was the sealant used to hold the tank together. Some were black, some were white and many were transparent. One tank had removed the necessity for sealant in the front altogether by employing bent aquarium glass to make the front and sides.