The Cichlid Room Tour

The Cichlid Room Tour presents:

Room spec.

Owner:
Jim Lynch, Tucson, Arizona USA

Amount of tanks and tank sizes:
20 tanks as follows: 1-180 gallon, 1-125 gallon, 1- 120 gallon, 1-110 gallon, 1-55 gallon, 1-46 gallon, 8-40 gallon, 2-10 gallon and 1 3.5 gallon. Total 993.5 gallons tanks in house. 2500-gallon outdoor pond just outside French door in fish room.

Racks:
All racks in fish room are lumber and home made. Living room 110 gallon high is on a commercial cabinet and the 125 gallon in home office is on a reinforced credenza that happily was a perfect fit.

Storage:
The Armoire in the fish room, the cabinet space under the 125 gallon in office and the 110 gallon cabinet in living room offer enough storage space for all the “fish stuff”.

Heating:
Eheim submersible heaters in all tanks. Not needed much in Tucson, Arizona but, do get a little use in winter to keep tanks at 78 degrees F and prevent day to night swings in temperature.

Lighting:
Triton fluorescent tubes. 120-gallon corner tank and 180-gallon tank have dual 48” tubes. 125 gallon has dual 36” tubes. All others have single tubes. All lights are on timers.

Filtration:
All tanks have their own filtration systems. Various combinations of Eheim 2028 canisters, AquaClear power filters, HydroSponge filters, FBF filters, wet/dry sumps and under sand filters are to be found in my fish room. The Eheim canisters and HydroSponge filters are by far the easiest and most effective.

Electric installation:
Fish room is broken up into electrical 4 zones. Each zone has it’s own power strips, ground fault breakers and timers.

Flooring:
Carpet. A little extra care is needed at water changes but I like the look and comfort when I am lying on the floor looking at fry in the bottom thanks.

Substrate:
Sand. I use 60 to 65mm red flint filter sand mixed with bright white sand for a neutral color I like. If you don’t use sand I believe you miss a lot of interesting behavior.

Interiors, (plants rock work):
Zebra granite from nearby mountain in the 120-gallon corner tank and limestone lace rock in all other tanks. Cypress roots in the 110 gallon Angelfish tank. Only So. American cichlid tank I have.

What could have been done better?
I should have built a larger room than 13 ft by 22 ft to accommodate more tanks and an indoor 500 to 500 gallon tank to pre-condition water for weekly water changes. In Arizona, tap water temperatures vary from the 60s in the winter to 90s in the summer. An in fish room storage tank would be great.

Do you have a show tank in your livingroom?
Yes, a 110-gallon high that has been my only non-African cichlid tank for the past couple of years. It will be converted to the new home for my growing Cyphotilapia frontosa Kilipi fry in September of 2003.

Fish

What cichlids do you keep?
Cyrtocara moorii , Cyphotilapia frontosa Kilipi,
Aulonocara sp. baenschi, maleri, nagara flametail, red shoulder, saulosi, rubescens & ruby red OB morph, Sciaenochromis ahli, Otopharynx lithobates Zimbawe Rock, Protomelas steveni Taiwan Reef, Protomelas taeniolatus (Red Empress), Melanochromis johanni, Labeotropheus fuelleborni Marmalade Cats, Labidochromis cauruleus, Pseudotropheus saulosi, Pseudotropheus socolofi Snow White, Pseudotropheus zebra Ruby Red, Pseudotropheus polit Lion’s Cove, Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, Neolamprologus pulcher Daffodil, Neolamprologus leleupi, Neolamprologus cylindricus, Altolamprologus calvus Black, Altolamprologus calvus White, Chalinochromis brichardi, Neolamprologus helanthius Sunflower, Lamprologus ocellatus, Lamprologus brevis Nagara, Lamprologus melegaris, Pterophyllum scalare, Synodontis multipunctatus, Synodontis petricola, Loricariidae sp. albino brushy mouth plecos, Loricariidae sp. vail-fin plecos, Loricariidae sp. adonis lyre-tail pleco

Your favourite fish in the room and why? (only one individual)
Protomelas steveni Tiawan Reef 5” male, best I have seen.

Last fish purchased:
Otopharynx litobates Zimbawe Rock – spectacular wide, deep yellow blaze from lips to end of dorsal fin.

Nr. 1. on your wish list:
Cynotilapia afra “Jalo” or “Kanjindo”

Maintanace

Waterchange frequency:
50% to 30% weekly water changes. Fry brooder tanks get 50% water changes twice a week

Method of waterchanges:
1500 gallon per hour pump and ¾” hose. Water is pumped onto outside landscaping and garden so it is not wasted. Plants love it! Refill with ¾” garden hose with diffuser on end. Dechlorniator and pre-dissolved salts added as tank is filled from garden hose.

Smart gadgets to help working the room:
I had aluminum framed, fabric screens made up to divide 40 gallon tanks when I must separate fry or adult fish. Use of 1500 gph pump with on/off switch to change water at very fast speeds. I can do about 40% water changes, clean glass, add salts and do minor maintenance on all 20 tanks in a little over 1 ½ hours.

Foods for fry and grown fish:
I feed fry live micro worms, live and frozen baby brine shrimp, powdered flake food and frozen daphnia.
Frozen adult food: mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, daphnia, plankton, glass worms & krill
Dry adult food: spirulina plus flake, super flake mix, Cichlid Deluxe pellets
Fresh adult food: home raised baby guppies, lettuce, spinach, zucchini and baby peas

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