Controlled Crowding -

Finally, this may sound weird, but actually overcrowding your tank can reduce the risk of deaths. Provided your filtration can handle the amount of waste produced and oxygen consumed in this situation, it is almost always recommended. Simply put, "Controlled Crowding" is a gift to the Cichlids enthusiast. When these fish are kept in a crowded environment, attackers tend to "lose their victims in the crowd". African Cichlids easily tolerate this situation, as they can be found in densities as high as 12-18 fish per square meter in nature. Water quality must be kept high. The benefit of keeping Cichlids this way is you can have a tank "chock-full" of bright, active, colorful fish (many more than you could ever keep in a saltwater aquarium).

With feeding requirements and "Controlled Crowding" kept in mind, we will repeat a statement made earlier in this "handbook". It's usually a good idea to "over filter" a Cichlid tank. We hope now you can see why. Your only other option is to perform laborious and copious water changes, which can also be stressful to the fish. It's much easier to put enough filtration on the tank to start with.