Switching from African setup to South American setup?

Question

Have had African cichlids for 10+ years and want to swich back to a South American "community" (55 gallon) tank. I'm assuming I have to switch gravel and fluval contents plus a significant (if not all) of my water. Any words of wisdom?

Answer 1

What gravel are you using now? Unless you're using a gravel with an effect on pH (such as crushed coral), there is no need to change the gravel. Same goes for the filter media.
I would just change most of the water, give it a day to settle, and start introducing fish.
If you change all the gravel and the fluval contents, you will have to re-cycle your tank. In that case, I would suggest you keep some of the gravel and some of the filter media to seed your bacterial populations. So, same diff.

My only concern in going from African to SA is the pH / hardness of the water. So as I say, give your water a few days to settle and see how the pH is. Most SA fish will adapt fine to a pH as high as 8, so don't mess around with it if it's a little too high (pH-down doesn't work.)

I'm also assuming that your africans didn't have any diseases or parasites that would warrant a gravel change.

Answer 2

You don't need to switch gravel or the filter cartridges. Most S/A fish should adapt well to the water you have, barring maybe discus or some types of angels. If you are doing discus, some hobbyists like a bare bottom tank to ensure pristine water conditions.

Answer 3

South American water is soft compared to African. I agree with Zoe with keeping your old water. You don't want to ruin an established tank. If you have Angel fish and you have hard well water, you might want to add store bought distilled water every time you do your water change.

Answer 4

Don't change everything all at once. Especially the water. You wil get rid of all the beneficial bacteria the fish need to survive. Change things very gradually over a couple of weeks for best results.