The best are Tetra Bits with daily frozen food like Beef Heart and Liver and Discus Dinner. We always use ammonia remover as a safeguard. Of course you can use one of the Amazon or Cichlid mansion backgrounds that will create a stunning base for you to expand on.We find it best to start with small to medium sizes of fishes of several species in groups of four. A lot of the Tanganyikan species form lifetime pair bonds and protect their young, while others are also mouth brooders. Discus are usually happy in low nitrate water with pH slightly acidic and soft water which is very warm 29-32 Degrees Celcius. Plastic plants attached to small crevice rock will provide a splash of color. Position your heater in a back corner at a 45 degree angle so that heat does not rise directly onto the thermostat. African cichlids are quite aggressive and fast moving and should be kept in tanks set up for a community of African cichlids. To establish your tanks bacteria populations can take several weeks but is accelerated greatly by adding supplements. Heating If you want to keep Cichlids you will need to heat them. People using these products simply do not encounter the same problems as people who take a minimalist approach (don't use a filter supplement) and end up constantly reacting to problems. Not only provide an anti-bacterial effect, but help fishes produce body slime to protect themselves from infection and create an essential osmotic barrier so they do not dehydrate.Adding African Rift Lake CichlidsTry to crowd your African cichlids without taxing your filtration and water change management.Selecting and Positioning Your TankAlways try to choose a tank with the largest possible surface area and volume as most cichlids grow quite large. Chemical filtration is also important. The major problem with Discus is their susceptibility to parasites like gill flakes as well as intestinal worms and flagellates. Remember to rinse loose particles out before adding to your filter.
