Cichlid Water Conditions

Water conditions can be greatly improved by fully planting a tank, as nitrite ammonia, and nitrate are some of the nutrients that plants consume. This helps balance the beneficial bacteria levels, so if there will always be a buffer to make sure things do not get too out of control. A fully planted tank will also induce spawning as it will replicate their natural environment and also allow for hiding and spawning locations.

If you do decide to keep plants I would start with an easy to keep low light plant such as Water Sprite, which grow like a weed pretty much regardless of your setup (it will literally grow out of my tank if I don't prune it). A stock fluorescent light fixture left on 8-12 hours a day should be enough to grow it in most setups, we'll be doing a whole guide on starting a planted aquarium in the coming weeks. Nonetheless, I suggest keeping it minimal and focus on Cichlid breeding foremost.

African Cichlids enjoy alkaline water conditions, South American Cichlids can be found in exceptionally soft and acidic blackwaters, while American Cichlids usually inhabit water ranging from neutral to alkaline. If your water isn't well suited for African Cichlid breeding you can get African Cichlid pH buffer, which will stabilize the aquarium pH to 8.5 as well as condition the water with elements found in their natural habitat. This can help, but usually isn't greatly needed. However, for South American Cichlid breeding it is a bit more essential, especially for very delicate fish such as Discus.

Peat moss is good way to organically lower your pH without using any powders or chemicals. Any garden shop should have some rather cheap, simply wash and put some in mesh bag or panty-hose and place it where the filter pad sits so the waterpasses through. If you don't want to use peat moss, blackwater extract works just as well, it contains natural humic and tannic acids that creates an environment with water conditions similar to the Amazon River. It makes for better water chemistry, encourages spawning, aids the hatching process and tints the water a light brownish yellow color just like the Amazon River, which is pretty cool looking.

Regular water changes are critical to maintaining a good water chemistry for Cichlid breeding. How often and how much water to change is quite debatable. For my fully planted tank I do 33% (1/3) water changes every two to three weeks; for a loosely or non-planted tank I would advise weekly water changes. Ultimately this differs for Cichlid breeding according to the species and each breeder has a different philosophy on water changes, so you can experiment with what works for both you and your fish. I am a huge advocate of the Python water siphon, years ago I had to lug around heavy buckets of water to change the water in my aquariums but this makes it incredibly easy and saves a lot of time as well, it is an amazing investment.

A heater to maintain consistent water temperature is essential for Cichlid breeding. I prefer Visi-Therm Deluxe heaters as you can set the desired temperature and forget about it. With older heaters it was trial and error until you got the correct setting, but that's no longer necessary. Quite amazing how aquarium equipment has evolved over the past decade.

For more information visit my Cichlid breeding guide.