Need some stocking advice

[Jerm_the_werm]

i recently got a 75g tank and am waiting on my dad to get the essentials for it (hood, filters, gravel/sand...) i want malawi cichlids but dont know which one, i just know for sure about labs. BTW i am a beginner so the easier to take care of and less agressive the better. thanks

[jman]

go to liveaquaria.com and click on freshwater then click on african cichlids see if you like any and you can read general info

[Lab_Rat]

Honestly malawi cichlids are not the best fish if you are brand new to fishkeeping. They require great water quality and there can be a lot of aggression problems you need to spot before they escalate. Do some research about them and then decide if you should try keeping a less demanding type of fish first.

[rangur1]

i would go for less demanding fish to gain experiance with, but if you really want africans , 3 are great to start with.

yellow labs

pseudotropus acei

rusty cichlids

but PLEASE read up on the special requirements of this group of fish.

[gau]

I would say you start with Platys and Zebra danios..... Very adjusting, and cheaper if you make any mistakes :D

[mac]

Personally I would read this. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/ebook.html

Then study up on the fish you want. IMO Tanganyika Cichlids are far more easy to keep than Malawi's are.

mac

[Jerm_the_werm]

i have read countless articles on frican/malawi cichlids, i have a few people in my family that keep tanks, (dad, brother) my brpther has africansin his 75 and will be able to help me, i know this wont be a real easy fish to start out with but i am confident i can do this, i have read many articles about maintaining good water quality for africans, and it looks like i may need to put some kind of buffer in the water for the ph, but maybe not , its at 7.2 and everything i have read says to keep it around 8, i will be doing weekly waterchanges, possibly more, way more than the minimum filtration so i think my water should be fine, i am not going to breed any of these fish at least untill i am a bit more experienced, possibly never, only going to put 4 or 5 fish into begin with and possibly an algea eater of some kind when i need it, probably a month or two after i put my africans in it.
thanks for the help and concern,

[Amazon]

use a crushed oyster shell or some other calcium carbonate substrate to buffer your water. They also make special substrate for african rift lake cichlids but it gives your tank a salt and pepper look. I have it in my 100g african tank and I personally like it but a lot of people dont.