I have been keeping and breeding cichlids a long time. In fact, I’ve done this for more than 20 years. It is true that pristine water conditions in your tank vastly increase your chances of success – both in fish survival and breeding probability. However, the appearance of the tank itself does not have to mirror the quality of the water in it.
As a beginner all those years ago, I for some reason believed that tanks had to look flawless to be successful. I was very meticulous in the early days about not having one speck of algae or one small patch of diatoms anywhere. The glass, the rocks, the equipment all had to be nearly spotless.
As the years went by, I was exposed to more photos, videos, and in person views of natural water sources. I began to see tanks maintained by the real cichlid pros. I also, through experience, began to learn about what is important to the fish and what isn’t. So trust me when I tell you that your tank doesn’t have to look like you’re about to enter it into a photo contest.
The photo at the top is a snapshot of my 75g community Tanganyikan tank taken a couple of days ago. It houses Julidochromis regani, in addition to some other species including a 7-year old N. tretocephalus, a 7-year old T. temporalis, and an A. calvus that is at least 5-years old. You can see the calvus facing the front in between the two ceramic rectangular tubes. Not sure how many juvenile and young adult regani are in there, maybe 20.
Many cichlid keepers would feel ashamed of having a tank that looks like that. I’m not. Exposed egg crate? Check. Algae? Yep, at least two kinds. Diatoms? Of course. Dirty glass? Pretty much, except for the front. I need to at least see what’s going on.
For the record, most of my tanks aren’t quite that “unkempt” looking, only the ones that contain breeders. I disturb those little very little and don’t fuss over them. That has proven successful for me.