Some high-protein food choices that will help many cichlids color up: - Xtreme Krill Flakes - geni.us/iTAWsN - Xtreme Big Fella Pellets - geni.us/9Cra - Xtreme Nice Pellets - geni.us/6ADcc
Used to have a cichlid tank back in the day when i had the space, large tank with green terror, jack dempsey, firemouth and a lost venustus, the only african in the tank.... never had problems with coloration or stress even tough it was not a very large tank (about 100 Ltrs.). The setup was a undregravel filter with deep subtrate (natural uncolored river gravel) 10 cms in the back sloping to 7-8 cm at the front, large river rocks for hiding spots and some elodea (anacharis), partial water changes (20%) once every 3-4 months and large water changes once a year... feeding with pellets and have a separate tank for breeding goupies (they breed pretty easily) to use as feeder fish, cichlids likes to hunt. Overall it was not expensive or time consuming.
Great video as always, very well explained, the great thing is that you and yr brothers are not interested in selling any type of products, just showing what you use in yr tanks. This is the reason that I follow yr channel.
Thank you so much for your channel. Informative and aspirational. I've primarily focused on planted tanks in the past (Angelfish or gourami as the central fish) and have always been Cichlid-curious! I'm shortly going to convert my former marine fish-focused system into a Cichlid aquarium (5 x 2.5 x 2.5ft) as I have another reef system planned for an in-wall display and this feels like a better balance than maintaining two reef tanks. It's a coin-toss between a Mbuna and a Jack Dempsey/Oscar system. In your American Cichlid tanks, what keeps the fine hair algae at bay? Clearly not snails or shrimp, so does one of the fish species there keep on top of it? Huge thanks again for your content! ❤
New to the channel since starting my own cichlid tank and feel after watching both my breeding pair of Jack Dempsey, my albino Oscar and my apologies for not knowing it's proper name but the big Oscar in this video coloured black and the beautiful red..... Anyway... after watching these fish and our tank evolve I have to ask would a lot of the colours also have to do with mood? I've noticed at feeding time and when the pair of Dempsey go into "parenting mode" as my wife puts it, the colours throughout the tank are incredible.
another way to colour up your cichlids are to buy more of those kind. I had a Rare Turkana Jewel who barely made it darker than reddish pink. After that, I purchased some more cichlids around the same size of her and voila! she is deep red in colour now
ive been having bad luck with most of my chiclids , i had a ram die (petco) i had a peacock die on me , two mbunas a hour apart , and i think its cause my tanks been unheated , they been sitting around 72-78 with the weather , but i think the unstability if the temps killed them, i have two oscars and ob mbuna left , and a male hap with two yellow labs
Ok if I can I have a few questions? I have 2 rusty/lavender Cichlids that i have to keep alone. Would they be ok in a 20L with about 6 dither fish of should they just be alone?? #2 I have a kennyi that really can be a huge jerk. What can I do the calm him even if it's just a little bit? Last what's the lowest temps i could go with a mixed Cichlids tank w 2 synodontis n 1 raf cat? Mostly Mbuna w a few odds n ends. I'm working on more tanks to separate some of them as i really want to start keeping them with fish from the same areas or at least same temperament. Thanks for any advice y'all have..
Hi silly question but ive never been able to give my fish frozen food without one fish getting sick so i never give them frozen food. Could you advise which brand you go for, and how to prepare it please?
Depends on the mood but one of my females she looks camouflage in pattern. Like a green silver tone as the main color with dark green camo patterns. Not sure which species. Anywho i look over at the tank and shes one solid color like the green silvery tone then instantly her patterns return like a squid or an octopus. Freaked me out the first time I saw it. Thought I was seeing things. 😂. It happens often now, and mainly when she chases the other cichlids around the tank
Thanks for the video! Love your channel. You mentioned that you like to keep nitrates below 20 ppm. I recently set up a 125g aquarium and just finished cycling it, and was planning to put American cichlids in it. But I discovered that my tap water has about 40 ppm nitrates. Unless I have a heavily planted tank, 40 ppm will be the minimum my nitrates will ever be... Likely higher as nitrates rise from fish waste. Do you think this is acceptable? I really wanted fish, but this high nitrate tap water is worrying me.
My Chocolate cichlid has amazing colour when he is relaxed, but when stressed while performing water changes, he goes pale. My blue and green Severums really colour up at feed time.
@@sharvilb2420 I have the back painted black, although it is mainly about the Chocolate being relaxed. His tank mates are all peaceful and that makes all the difference.
Great video! What do you think about food containing spirulina? I've read it helps fish color up. I feed a variety of foods just like you do, including the same Xtreme foods brand and also the cichlid excel from hikari. On a different subject... I'm beginning to fall in love with your Svenis, they are growing up beautifully!
@Cichlid Bros I'm conflicted! About tank sizes, my wife would rather run the 72 bow front than the 75 that we also have, I would be curious if you could point me in the right direction for central to South american cichlids. A lot has to do with foot print. I see a lot of people to point towards 55 gallon type options. Would love to hear feed back on this. For I don't wanna get to large of fish when the 75 would be better. Thank you for all your advice!
Need your help. I have a bumblebee that’s extremely aggressive. More than ones I’ve had in last. Who’s a good choice that can handle his temperament??? He’s killed Oscar’s, barbs, terrors, etc. So as of now he’s got a 30 gallon to himself which is annoying. I’m only putting three to four in that tank. But need a good mate for him. He’s a brute.
Hello sir .please reply me I need cichlid fish best color food but i am from sudia arabia. Which fish food you recommend for best fish colour ?I have Molly and guppy fishes so what would be good for them ?
Two things you overlooked: live food and vitamins. Live brine shrimp and live fruit fly larva will help make those colors pop. Try marinating that frozen food you're feeding with some Vita-Chem. That also will enhance their coloration. Works for me.
Why is it that every fish fanatic say to aquascape your tank like their natural habitat?? Your fishes natural habitat is a breeder tank!!!! It was farm raised in non aquascaped tanks then sold to a fish store in a bare glass tank. Your fish have absolutely no clue what its natural habitat looks like because they never seen it. These fools decorating their tank like an African lake when their fish have never seen the outside of a bare tank when it was born and sold to a fish store. Your fish were not plucked directly out of an African lake and into your tank. This goes for water parameters as well, they were born and raised at a fish farm, that is what they are use to. Thats what their bodies acclimated to when being raised. You changing the water parameters to a African lake, in which they never been in could actually kill them.
For 1) never said to chase parameters. In fact, we specifically recommend not to do that. And 2) cichlids have instincts and diet requirements that don’t just go away with farm breeding. They can survive in a breeder tank but wouldn’t consider that thriving.
Fish eating fish is cruel?😂😂😂 What do you think they eat in the lakes. Live food, plants, frogs, insects, bacteria, ect... Never had an issue when feeding live food for yrs. Did it sparringly though since its not cheap.
Pretty cruel when those feeders are kept in terrible conditions, but primary reason I won’t feed live is 1) Less nutritional value than prepared foods and 2) Unnecessary risk of introducing parasites to your tank
Some high-protein food choices that will help many cichlids color up:
- Xtreme Krill Flakes - geni.us/iTAWsN
- Xtreme Big Fella Pellets - geni.us/9Cra
- Xtreme Nice Pellets - geni.us/6ADcc
I have regular blue acaras that took about a year to really color up, but my male has awesome coloration now. Kinda wish they were more popular
Underrated for sure
I have one already got 2 more being shipped over they are stunning fish
Very much needed this. Thank you so much! 💜 🐟
Glad it was helpful!
Wow... Def a great video, amazing tips!!! Will definitely be following these to a T!!! Thank you!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome tips! Thanks
Thanks for watching!
I go to my fish market every Sunday and get a fresh piece of Salmon skin and scales. They love it and look great 👍
Used to have a cichlid tank back in the day when i had the space, large tank with green terror, jack dempsey, firemouth and a lost venustus, the only african in the tank.... never had problems with coloration or stress even tough it was not a very large tank (about 100 Ltrs.). The setup was a undregravel filter with deep subtrate (natural uncolored river gravel) 10 cms in the back sloping to 7-8 cm at the front, large river rocks for hiding spots and some elodea (anacharis), partial water changes (20%) once every 3-4 months and large water changes once a year... feeding with pellets and have a separate tank for breeding goupies (they breed pretty easily) to use as feeder fish, cichlids likes to hunt. Overall it was not expensive or time consuming.
Great video as always, very well explained, the great thing is that you and yr brothers are not interested in selling any type of products, just showing what you use in yr tanks. This is the reason that I follow yr channel.
I appreciate that!
really good tips! love your videos ;)
Thank you!
Love the colors,I got my 55 to clear getting a canister filter soon
Thank you so much for your channel. Informative and aspirational. I've primarily focused on planted tanks in the past (Angelfish or gourami as the central fish) and have always been Cichlid-curious!
I'm shortly going to convert my former marine fish-focused system into a Cichlid aquarium (5 x 2.5 x 2.5ft) as I have another reef system planned for an in-wall display and this feels like a better balance than maintaining two reef tanks. It's a coin-toss between a Mbuna and a Jack Dempsey/Oscar system.
In your American Cichlid tanks, what keeps the fine hair algae at bay? Clearly not snails or shrimp, so does one of the fish species there keep on top of it?
Huge thanks again for your content! ❤
This was very helpful and one of the best videos so far. 👏👏
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome video my Jacks have benefited from your advice ty!
Love to hear it
I use to fead my oscar and cichlids minnows i caught in the creek. They loved them. I got a bit of a hydra problem though.
Love your videos 😊
Good information ❤
great video
Always love your videos. Keep up the good work 👏
Thank you, Shane!
New to the channel since starting my own cichlid tank and feel after watching both my breeding pair of Jack Dempsey, my albino Oscar and my apologies for not knowing it's proper name but the big Oscar in this video coloured black and the beautiful red..... Anyway... after watching these fish and our tank evolve I have to ask would a lot of the colours also have to do with mood?
I've noticed at feeding time and when the pair of Dempsey go into "parenting mode" as my wife puts it, the colours throughout the tank are incredible.
another way to colour up your cichlids are to buy more of those kind. I had a Rare Turkana Jewel who barely made it darker than reddish pink. After that, I purchased some more cichlids around the same size of her and voila! she is deep red in colour now
Great video as always, what are the plants name you have used?
Thank you 🙏
I use vitamins from sea chem. Helps with the coler 🐠. 👋
Question have you ever use Fritz Aquatics Rift Lake Cichlid Salt or Cichlid Lake Salt for the african cichlids?
Nope
Can someone tell me, what is that fish to the left of the oscar, the blue one? @0:31s
Turquoise severum
@@CichlidBros thanks! Will look up!
Such good 👍 content 😊
Thank you!
What would be a good fluval aquasky 2.0 setup?
Just the vid i needed
Awesome
The washed out look is to not get eaten from predators above. Iv heard they darken or wash out to blend in.
ive been having bad luck with most of my chiclids , i had a ram die (petco) i had a peacock die on me , two mbunas a hour apart , and i think its cause my tanks been unheated , they been sitting around 72-78 with the weather , but i think the unstability if the temps killed them, i have two oscars and ob mbuna left , and a male hap with two yellow labs
Ok if I can I have a few questions? I have 2 rusty/lavender Cichlids that i have to keep alone. Would they be ok in a 20L with about 6 dither fish of should they just be alone?? #2 I have a kennyi that really can be a huge jerk. What can I do the calm him even if it's just a little bit? Last what's the lowest temps i could go with a mixed Cichlids tank w 2 synodontis n 1 raf cat? Mostly Mbuna w a few odds n ends. I'm working on more tanks to separate some of them as i really want to start keeping them with fish from the same areas or at least same temperament. Thanks for any advice y'all have..
Hi silly question but ive never been able to give my fish frozen food without one fish getting sick so i never give them frozen food. Could you advise which brand you go for, and how to prepare it please?
Jack Dempsey’s Rocks!!!!
Agreed!
Where do I find large sinking driftwood?
Depends on the mood but one of my females she looks camouflage in pattern. Like a green silver tone as the main color with dark green camo patterns. Not sure which species. Anywho i look over at the tank and shes one solid color like the green silvery tone then instantly her patterns return like a squid or an octopus. Freaked me out the first time I saw it. Thought I was seeing things. 😂. It happens often now, and mainly when she chases the other cichlids around the tank
Wery interesting 👍💪
Thanks for the video! Love your channel. You mentioned that you like to keep nitrates below 20 ppm. I recently set up a 125g aquarium and just finished cycling it, and was planning to put American cichlids in it. But I discovered that my tap water has about 40 ppm nitrates. Unless I have a heavily planted tank, 40 ppm will be the minimum my nitrates will ever be... Likely higher as nitrates rise from fish waste. Do you think this is acceptable? I really wanted fish, but this high nitrate tap water is worrying me.
You should be fine. Use Prime with every water change and consider buying a rodi system.
What xtreme food would you recommend for my African cichlids they are about 3 inches or so ?
Spirulina flakes for mbuna, krill flakes for peacocks/haps
How can I differentiate between males and females geophagus?
My Chocolate cichlid has amazing colour when he is relaxed, but when stressed while performing water changes, he goes pale. My blue and green Severums really colour up at feed time.
U have background? Or its transparent all the side!?
@@sharvilb2420 I have the back painted black, although it is mainly about the Chocolate being relaxed. His tank mates are all peaceful and that makes all the difference.
so i got a 250 L nearly ready for some lethrinops red cap should i go with 1 M - 3 F or 2 M - 4 F. M= Male F= Female
Great video! What do you think about food containing spirulina? I've read it helps fish color up. I feed a variety of foods just like you do, including the same Xtreme foods brand and also the cichlid excel from hikari. On a different subject... I'm beginning to fall in love with your Svenis, they are growing up beautifully!
Thank you, appreciate that! Most cichlids will benefit from it. I actually mix in spirulina flakes often!
What lights are you using on both tanks!!?
Fluval aquasky and Ai prime 16s
@@CichlidBros one fluval aqua sky works on that 150 by itself!!? Looking to get that light on the tank that your albino heckeli is in!
Tetra color is the only food that actually helps enhance the colors of my fish. I only feed it once a week.
What kind of sand are you using?
This is one of our favorites: Carib Sea Sand Substrate: amzn.to/37p2Kzf
@Cichlid Bros I'm conflicted! About tank sizes, my wife would rather run the 72 bow front than the 75 that we also have, I would be curious if you could point me in the right direction for central to South american cichlids. A lot has to do with foot print. I see a lot of people to point towards 55 gallon type options. Would love to hear feed back on this. For I don't wanna get to large of fish when the 75 would be better. Thank you for all your advice!
Need your help. I have a bumblebee that’s extremely aggressive. More than ones I’ve had in last. Who’s a good choice that can handle his temperament??? He’s killed Oscar’s, barbs, terrors, etc. So as of now he’s got a 30 gallon to himself which is annoying. I’m only putting three to four in that tank. But need a good mate for him. He’s a brute.
Anyone know a good website to buy those artificial rocks from?
Aqua decor backgrounds
What fish is the on video thumbnail?
Jack Dempsey
@@CichlidBros thanks
Where do you buy your fish online.?
Why You Need to Order Aquarium Fish Online
ua-cam.com/video/6WpT3GIvwk0/v-deo.html
What website do you use to buy your fish?
Why You Need to Order Aquarium Fish Online
ua-cam.com/video/6WpT3GIvwk0/v-deo.html
i have found my cichlids color up extremally well keeping them at 74-76 degrees and they seem healthier.
👍👍👍
how big is that Oscar tank?
180 gallons
Was that a Bala Shark in the tank with the Oscar? Mine keep dying.
Female salvini female Nicaraguan also are stunning for cichlid female's
Yep
💯
Hello sir .please reply me
I need cichlid fish best color food but i am from sudia arabia.
Which fish food you recommend for best fish colour ?I have Molly and guppy fishes so what would be good for them ?
Two things you overlooked: live food and vitamins. Live brine shrimp and live fruit fly larva will help make those colors pop. Try marinating that frozen food you're feeding with some Vita-Chem. That also will enhance their coloration. Works for me.
Live fish direct sent me a hybrid yellow lab 😕
Sorry to hear, we haven’t ordered from them
🥰
How come my cichlids keep dying I change the water once a week 😢
Is it possible for cichlids to breed from different continents and if so would they be called African Americans or Americans Africans🤔
Why is it that every fish fanatic say to aquascape your tank like their natural habitat?? Your fishes natural habitat is a breeder tank!!!! It was farm raised in non aquascaped tanks then sold to a fish store in a bare glass tank. Your fish have absolutely no clue what its natural habitat looks like because they never seen it. These fools decorating their tank like an African lake when their fish have never seen the outside of a bare tank when it was born and sold to a fish store. Your fish were not plucked directly out of an African lake and into your tank. This goes for water parameters as well, they were born and raised at a fish farm, that is what they are use to. Thats what their bodies acclimated to when being raised. You changing the water parameters to a African lake, in which they never been in could actually kill them.
For 1) never said to chase parameters. In fact, we specifically recommend not to do that. And 2) cichlids have instincts and diet requirements that don’t just go away with farm breeding. They can survive in a breeder tank but wouldn’t consider that thriving.
Fish eating fish is cruel?😂😂😂 What do you think they eat in the lakes. Live food, plants, frogs, insects, bacteria, ect... Never had an issue when feeding live food for yrs. Did it sparringly though since its not cheap.
Pretty cruel when those feeders are kept in terrible conditions, but primary reason I won’t feed live is 1) Less nutritional value than prepared foods and 2) Unnecessary risk of introducing parasites to your tank
Your comment is answered and made it in this video: ua-cam.com/video/izkLa9SkL0Y/v-deo.html
Cichlids are from Africa. Americans 🤣
You might want to look that one up bud …
being so wrong yet so confident is honestly impressive
That one stupidly a bit funny