# 125 gallon mbuna stocking critique / suggestions



## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

I'm in the middle of a fishless cycling of my new 125 gallon tank, and plan on stocking it (all at once, if I can get away with it) with mbunas, probably in the range of 30-40 juveniles. I have extensive sandstone rockwork (about 300 lbs), with lots of caves and hiding places, and eco-complete cichlid substrate. I'm new to this, so would appreciate thoughts on my planned stocking. The objectives are color variation and, to the greatest extent possible, co-existing species (oxymoron?). Here are some initial ideas:

- Electric yellow
- Red zebra
- Kenyi
- Snow white 
- Socolofi
- Maingano
- Rusty

Thoughts? Other suggestions?


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

Lots of crossbreeding potentials but also the Kenyi is a nasty little fish lol ....... Someone else can correct me but I am not entirely sure I would mix the Kenyi and the Socolofi..... pretty close in blue even though the S has no barring.... plus the yellow labs and the male Kenyi look alot alike too....

Personally I would lose the Kenyi and keep the rest.....


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## eagl97 (Dec 26, 2006)

Kenyi are very mean and I think Rusty and yellow labs will cross breed. My tank set up is Acei, Yellow Labs (electric yellow) and maingano. The Acei seem to bring the fish out of hiding because they like to stay at the top of the tank.


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

grommeckdr said:


> I'm in the middle of a fishless cycling of my new 125 gallon tank, and plan on stocking it (all at once, if I can get away with it) with mbunas, probably in the range of 30-40 juveniles. I have extensive sandstone rockwork (about 300 lbs), with lots of caves and hiding places, and eco-complete cichlid substrate. I'm new to this, so would appreciate thoughts on my planned stocking. The objectives are color variation and, to the greatest extent possible, co-existing species (oxymoron?). Here are some initial ideas:
> 
> - Electric yellow
> - Red zebra
> ...


snow whites are albino socolofi, so pick one or the other. Red Zebra and Yellow Labs crossbreed, so one or the other. Kenyi are uber aggressive, and there are prettier fish out there. The others are fine...I'd say do this:

Yellow Labs or Red Zebra... Pick one
Snow Whites or regular socolofi...Pick one...(Id say albino, but im biased, lol)
Maingano...Perfect and colorful
Rusty...again, pretty and active...

Right there you have 4 species... You have many different colors there. (Purple, blue, black, etc) You can add others. Prob another 2 different species. Maybe a cyno species? Any other species you like otff the top of your head?


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks - sounds like I definitely have some more thinking and research to do...

The suggestions so far make a lot of sense to me.

Revised list for additional comments:

- Red Zebra (or maybe Yellow Lab, which I like better, but want to avoid cross breeding)
- Snow white
- Maingano
- Rusty 
- Acei
- Cynotilapia afra?

Other ideas? I'm definitely interested in color variation - suggestions? I could definitely use the help :thumb:


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I liked having 5 species in my 125G when I had the mbuna in there for 2 years. If you want more variety than 5 species, consider an all male hap/peacock tank and get one of each.

You might find your Cyno's don't color up well with aggressive species like socolofi in the tank. I am finding that with my Demasoni and Cynotilapia sp. hara.


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

grommeckdr said:


> Revised list for additional comments:
> 
> - Red Zebra (or maybe Yellow Lab, which I like better, but want to avoid cross breeding)
> - Snow white
> ...


I too would keep it to five species.

A possible stock list:
1. Labidochromis caeruleus (Yellow Lab)
2. Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Maingano)
3. Iodotropheus sprengerae (Rusty)
4. Pseudotropheus sp. "acei" (I would go with the "Msuli" variant)
and for the coup de grace, an OB (orange blotch) morph of one of the following:
Labeotropheus fuelleborni
Labeotropheus trewavasae
Metriaclima fainzilberi
Tropheops tropheops (Makokola) a pretty aggressive fish

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

I've thought about going the all male hap/peacock route, but wonder about the cost to do it. Doesn't that require buying larger, more mature fish (i.e., ones old enough to be sexed). Could they be stocked over a longer period of time (as opposed to mbuna, which I understand should be stocked all together, or at least over a short period of time)? I could swing the cost of larger fish if I could buy them over a year instead of a week or month...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Read the all male article in the library. The ideal tank is 75G and the ideal stocking is juvies all at once. Then you remove females as you can identify them.

There is a lot of trial and error and you do need extra tanks for rotating out females and problem males.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Thoughts on Metriaclima sp. ''msobo"? Would they mix well with this evolving group? How about Pseudotropheus saulosi?


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

grommeckdr said:


> I've thought about going the all male hap/peacock route, but wonder about the cost to do it. Doesn't that require buying larger, more mature fish (i.e., ones old enough to be sexed). Could they be stocked over a longer period of time (as opposed to mbuna, which I understand should be stocked all together, or at least over a short period of time)? I could swing the cost of larger fish if I could buy them over a year instead of a week or month...


A FYI PM Sent...


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

grommeckdr said:


> Thoughts on Metriaclima sp. ''msobo"? Would they mix well with this evolving group? How about Pseudotropheus saulosi?





grommeckdr said:


> - Red Zebra (or maybe Yellow Lab, which I like better, but want to avoid cross breeding)
> - Snow white
> - Maingano
> - Rusty
> ...


Metriaclima sp. "msobo" and Ps. saulosi females are both yellow, although they are easy to tell apart. In both cases you'll want more females than males. 1/4 works for saulosi but some suggest 1/7 for msobo - and the msobo females are reputed to be quite aggressive. The point being that you get a lot of yellow and only a little blue - something to keep in mind if you go with the Yellow Labs. There could be a lot of yellow in this tank. You may want that, you may not.
Also, not sure how well a msobo male would get along with maingano males, as well as saulosi males and certain Cynotilapia males. Both groups are a bit similar looking.

But either species could work if you pick wisely with the other four.

I might suggest starting two new posts: one on stocking suggestions for a mbuna set up and one for a hap set up, since it sounds like you're torn at this point.

But better to make the decisions here than at a fish store!

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks so much for all the comments - this is VERY helpful. As Kevin mentioned, this sure beats trying to make decisions in a store.

Okay, here are my current thoughts:

Seems like five species is the way to go - try for 5 different genus as well? With a 125 gallon, maybe 6-8 of each?

1. Labidochromis caeruleus (Yellow Lab)
2. Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Maingano)
3. Iodotropheus sprengerae (Rusty)
4. Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
5. Can't decide...
- Cynotilapia afra (I like the light blue "White Top Afra" and the "White Blaze")
- Labeotropheus trewavasae or fuelleborni (I like the "blotched" look for some variety)
- Others I should consider????

Stay away from these:

- Metriaclima estherae (Red Zebra) - will cross breed with the Labs
- Metriaclima lombardoi (Kenyi) - too aggressive
- Pseudotropheus saulosi - too much yellow with the labs and males too similar to Afra 
- Metriaclima sp. ''msobo" - too much yellow with the labs and males too similar to Maingano
- Pseudotropheus socolofi - have lost interest, plus I already have a Pseudotropheus in the Acei, although I do like the Snow White

Am I getting close? The next question is how many of each and what M/F ratios?

Thanks again!


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

I have heard that as long as you have enough males and females of each species that the likelihood of hybridization is very low. How many do you need to prevent this? I don't know. How true is this really? I don't know but hopefully someone will be able to touch basis on this. That being said and if it is true, then keeping labs and rustys should not be too much of a problem and you will need more rustys and labs than any other species. opcorn:


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Your decision may come down to availability. If you're getting the fish all at once (which is always a good idea as long as your tank is cycled to handle the bioload) then you may find that your LFS doesn't have some. Going to an Online retailer can sometimes be better in these instances. With the amount you could be ordering you may get a discount at some places.

1. Labidochromis caeruleus (Yellow Lab) 5-6 - m/f shouldn't be too important.
2. Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Maingano) 1m/4f
3. Iodotropheus sprengerae (Rusty) 5-6 - m/f shouldn't be too important.
4. Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" 5-6 - m/f shouldn't be too important.
5. Can't decide...
- Cynotilapia afra (I like the light blue "White Top Afra" and the "White Blaze") 1m/4f
- Labeotropheus trewavasae or fuelleborni (I like the "blotched" look for some variety) 1m/4f

This is assuming you can buy them sexed, which means slightly older fish. If you're buying unsexed juveniles you need to play the odds. Again, not such a big deal with Labs and Rusties, but with the others you need to buy at least 8 and hope that 4 of them are female. The more you buy, the better your odds. My original 12 saulosi were 7m/5f. Sell the extra males to an LFS or on this site's Trading Post.

Point of interest: the genus Pseudotropheus has always been a bit of a holding tank for species that will eventually be reclassified. It houses some species that really have very little in common. M. estherae was a Pseudotropheus once upon a time. So don't let that dissuade you from the albino socolofi if you like them.

I am envious that you have such a big tank to stock!

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks again, Kevin (and others) - you've been very helpful.

I will most likely go the mail order route to keep the cost down. I will also likely buy juvies to save some cash, and weed some males out later. Do you think I'd be safe with 40-50 juvies to start, with the objective of weeding down to 30-35 once I can sex them?

I'll try to post some pictures once I'm done. Probably a couple more weeks before I'm ready for fish (I'm cycling now - fishless).


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

grommeckdr said:


> I will most likely go the mail order route to keep the cost down. I will also likely buy juvies to save some cash, and weed some males out later. Do you think I'd be safe with 40-50 juvies to start, with the objective of weeding down to 30-35 once I can sex them?


Certainly. Good luck and can't wait to see the pictures!

kevin


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

Buying them unsexed.

Looking at the cumulative binomial probabilities for getting at least 4 girls out of a group of random juvies:

6 Juvies - odds of getting at least 4 girls 34.4% 
8 Juvies - odds of getting at least 4 girls 63.7% 
10 Juvies - odds of getting at least 4 girls 82.8% 
12 Juvies - odds of getting at least 4 girls 92.7%

So it depends on what odds you are comfortable with.


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

FYI, I have had a 5.5 inch male msobo and 4 inch maingano in the same tank with no in fighting at all...That being said, I would go with the albino socolofi. They are gorgeous.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

This could get expensive....


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

very true. I got mine online a few different orders. I have gotten away with a few less females, and have them breeding to up the numbers. My mbamba is a machine. She is almost always holding. I have 1:2 ratio at the moment. Dems I need more of, but I have them growing out as well. If money is tight, get what u can and wait for some breeding. Or get what u can afford right now. maybe 2 species at a time. its not ideal, but money is the determining factor in what u can do.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Here are a few pictures of the future home of my fish. I was originally planning to do some driftwood in the center, but may add more rock instead to increase the number of hiding places. I understand that the plants won't survive with cichlids - they're just there for now the help with the cycling (if that even helps?).

Let me know your thoughts/impressions...

UPDATE: Never mind - I can't seem to get the pictures to link up correctly...


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Try uploading them to Photobucket.com first.

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

grommeckdr said:


> Here are a few pictures of the future home of my fish. I was originally planning to do some driftwood in the center, but may add more rock instead to increase the number of hiding places. I understand that the plants won't survive with cichlids - they're just there for now the help with the cycling (if that even helps?).
> 
> Let me know your thoughts/impressions...
> 
> UPDATE: Never mind - I can't seem to get the pictures to link up correctly...


Let's try this again....

Full tank shot...









Left side rockwork view #1....









Left side rockwork view #2....









Right side rockwork view #1....









Right side rockwork view #2....









Sorry for the poor quality pictures. I haven't mastered the art of aquarium photography yet.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

:thumb:


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

It looks *really *nice. A great mix of natural-looking piles and useful caves.

If you do end up stocking five species you may find that your two toughest males each claim a pile. Down the road you may need to ditch the open space in the middle in favour of another pile of rocks.

Unless you're going to mix mbuna and haps...

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

ridley25 said:


> Down the road you may need to ditch the open space in the middle in favour of another pile of rocks.


Yea, as I mentioned, I was planning to put some driftwood in that center space (I actually have some on order from eBay), but I will likely leave that out and add more rocks, basically turning it into one big pile. I'm a little worried about the weight, though - I already have over 300 lbs of rock in there (plus 120 lbs of gravel). Is there a limit to what the glass bottom will hold?


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

You need to pay more attention to the weight your floor can handle than the weight your tank bottom can handle - the tank bottom will be fine.

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

So now I'm second guessing my decision to go with mbuna. Two sellers that I recently saw (one a local breeder and one a reputable LFS specializing in cichlids) strongly suggested that I go the hap/peacock route given the aggressiveness of mbuna, that I have no experience with keeping fish, that I don't have extra tanks to move difficult fish to, etc., etc...

So now I'm wondering if I should re-consider doing an all-male hap/peacock tank. Are mbuna (specically, the ones that I'm considering) really going to give me problems with 5 species groups in a 125?


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

grommeckdr said:


> So now I'm second guessing my decision to go with mbuna.  Two sellers that I recently saw (one a local breeder and one a reputable LFS specializing in cichlids) strongly suggested that I go the hap/peacock route given the aggressiveness of mbuna, that I have no experience with keeping fish, that I don't have extra tanks to move difficult fish to, etc., etc...
> 
> So now I'm wondering if I should re-consider doing an all-male hap/peacock tank. Are mbuna (specically, the ones that I'm considering) really going to give me problems with 5 species groups in a 125?


If you are not too lazy you will be fine!

Best thing you can do for fish is keep the water quality very high and close to their natural parameters and you will be fine. The rest can be learned here, the most important you already have (fish compatibility), we have recommended what may work best, maybe not 100% but better than what you started with. Your size of tank is good and you have already provided a good habitat for them. As soon as something goes wrong start a thread and read what people post, after all even experts refer to books and READ to learn new issues and such. Even when you think you know it all, more things will come up, new things will need to be looked at and you will be inexperienced again.

If you want Mbuna, get Mbuna, the same will happen if you get Tangs. As a matter of fact I have had better experiences with Mbunas than I have had with Haps... Mbuna are hardier IMO.

I would recommend having a refugium/hospital tank for sick fish so that you may treat appropriately.


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

grommeckdr said:


> I don't have extra tanks to move difficult fish to, etc., etc...
> 
> So now I'm wondering if I should re-consider doing an all-male hap/peacock tank. Are mbuna (specically, the ones that I'm considering) really going to give me problems with 5 species groups in a 125?


Once you've set up a 125, what's an additional small aquarium with just a heater and a sponge filter? It will come in handy with either set up as a quarantine, hospital or fry tank - in fact it's almost a necessity when putting together an all male hap tank.

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

ridley25 said:


> Once you've set up a 125, what's an additional small aquarium with just a heater and a sponge filter? It will come in handy with either set up as a quarantine, hospital or fry tank - in fact it's almost a necessity when putting together an all male hap tank.


Good point. What's the best way to keep such a tank cycled? Constantly add ammonia?


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

You can actually leave it empty until you need it. With mine (which also has a sponge filter) I just keep the sponge jammed behind some rocks in my main tank where I can't see it.

Then when my 10 gallon is pressed into service the sponge has all the biomedia I need.

Give this a read: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/t ... t_tips.php

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Okay, I've tweaked my list a little again based on what I can find all from the same mail order seller.

Here goes:

Labidochromis caeruleus, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yellow LabÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

grommeckdr said:


> Okay, I've tweaked my list a little again based on what I can find all from the same mail order seller.
> 
> Here goes:
> 
> Labidochromis caeruleus, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yellow LabÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

I had Maingano on my list, but I've read some horror stories here about them... I want action, but not a blood bath. I guess with 125 gallons and lots of rock, maybe it'd be okay?


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

grommeckdr said:


> I had Maingano on my list, but I've read some horror stories here about them... I want action, but not a blood bath. I guess with 125 gallons and lots of rock, maybe it'd be okay?


It may have been my thread about them, lol...I am on the fence about them right now being terrors. But, in a 125, I think you would be more than fine  Like i said, dems are great as well. They are aggressive, but only to themselves. Its a little more of a balancing act, but they are beautiful... if you order where u were talking about, you get a monster discount if you get 12....I would specifically ask for good barring. if you specify up front then u could assure yourself better looking specimens...

oh, and you could get Marmalade Fuelliborni instead of the ob zebra as well...


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

justinf67 said:


> It may have been my thread about them, lol


I think so...



justinf67 said:


> Like i said, dems are great as well. They are aggressive, but only to themselves. Its a little more of a balancing act, but they are beautiful... if you order where u were talking about, you get a monster discount if you get 12....


Need a monster discount...they're expensive...



justinf67 said:


> oh, and you could get Marmalade Fuelliborni instead of the ob zebra as well...


They only have big ones at $25 - won't work in my tank full of babies...


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

I forgot if I have asked, but do you have a lfs near you besides the major chains? If so, you can ask them to order certain fish for you. The lfs I go to I can ask him if he will get a certain fish in, and when they come in, I can pick the best ones. Usually its more expensive to go that route, but you do get to see the fish first. A lot of places will give u a discount if you buy multiple fish...


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

There are 3 or 4 decent places here in the Denver area. I haven't asked, but that's a good idea... I'll ask around.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

So now I'm back to considering Maingano. I've also developed a liking from Dems.... Can I do both, or are they too aggressive to combine?

Labs
Snow White
Acei
Rusty
Dems and/or Maingano?


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

I have had both in the tank, but only one maingano along with my 12 dems... maingano ended up being too much trouble and he is out right now... but he never fought with my dems. They do look very similar, so idk how they would look together. may be too much blue. Personally I would pick one or the other, but its ur decision. if you went with maingano, you would still leave yourself open for a blue barred species. I still say pick one of the two and get trewvase or fuelborni for ur last species. They would give a different look. they get larger as well...Also, I saw on the site u were looking at before, a red exasperatus. That would look great against all the other colors. I think they tend to be pretty mellow, so ur mix should work. u have some aggression, but nothing crazy...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Five species is a good number (worked for me for two years until I went planted Tang tank) and either Demasoni or Maingano will work. But they will be more aggressive than the fuelleborni if you worry about that sort of thing.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

I'd like to add some catfish as well... Is Synodontis petricola a good choice? If so, how many?

My current list (subject to change) is below. The plan is to start with a sizable group of each, and weed out some males as they mature...

- 8 Yellow Labs
- 8 Rustys
- 10 Snow White
- 10 Acei
- 10 Dems (maybe Dolphin (Ndonga), Ã¢â‚¬Å"Giant DemasoniÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The correct name for giant demasoni is Metriaclima sp. dolphin. The stocking is different for them, so if that's the one you decided on, then you probably don't want to refer to them as "Dems".

Synodontis Petricola is very rare, what we used to all know as Petricola a couple years ago were renamed as Synodontis Lucipinnis. Both are a good choice, but are not the best syno choice IME for fry control. I have Multipunctatus (the fry guys) and Lucipinnis and love them both. At least five individuals.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks for the info.



DJRansome said:


> The stocking is different for them


What do you mean by that? That they shouldn't be kept with these other species?


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

They are known to be really timid. scared of everything...


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

So should I stick with their smaller, meaner brothers? I like the idea of the "Giants" just because they're bigger and maybe won't be as much of a bully as the regular dems? Or will the giants get bullied too much by the others?


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

honestly, I dont know. I have not kept them, but a user named floridagirl has them I think. A few others as well...looked it up for you... heres a quote



Floridagirl said:


> I don't have and have never had Socolofi. But, My Giant Dems have ben with Saulosi, Red Zebra, Maingano, and Cyno Hara. They are not the most Dominant fish iin the tank, but they do color up nicely , for the most part.


and here is a thread with a pic of floridagirls giant... 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... t+demasoni


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks - very helpful. I think I might give it a shot - cool fish!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. Though it is true that the metriaclima sp. dolphin are skittish.

I meant, when I saw 10 Dems on your list I thought pseudotropheus and not metriaclima. I was about to say no you need more Dems.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

So if I go with the regular pseudotropheus dems (not the metriaclima), I should do more than 10????


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes absolutely. Pseudotropheus demasoni need to be kept in groups of 12 in a 55G and more in a larger tank. I would not go under 20 individuals in a 72" tank. Metriaclima dolphin are more in the one male four females category.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Huh - interesting... Makes the decision pretty easy with my objective of having variety.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

One group of 20 demasoni does not take up more than one species slot. So with demasoni you get more individuals but the same number of species. With the dolphins you get fewer individuals.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Okay, my tank is ALMOST ready, and I just placed an order to fill it up (for delivery next Friday)! Here's what I decided on:

- 8 Yellow Labs
- 8 Rusty
- 10 Snow White
- 10 Acei
- 10 Maingano
- 5 Synodontis multipunctatus (wild)

I got a 35% discount on everything, so it worked out to just over $300 delivered for the 51 fish, all of which are supposedly 2-3".

Two questions:
1) My intention is to weed out some males once they mature to get to the proper ratios and stocking level. Any suggestions on what I should shoot for in terms of total fish and/or total of each species in my 125 gallon?

2) The retailer that I bought from suggested maybe adding one male hap/peacock as a "centerpiece" of the tank. He claims that, as long as it's bigger than the mbuna, there shouldn't be any issues. Anyone have experience with this? If so, any recommendations?

Thanks again to everyone for the help in getting to this point!


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

It might be possible to add a male hap as a centrepiece or one of the more aggressive peacocks, but in a tank with that many mbuna:
A) I'm not sure it would thrive.
B) You're going to have plenty of colour and action.

As for ratios and weeding out males, 1/4 is the best ratio to shoot for, but if you get lucky and have 5+ females in any of your groups, I'd keep most if not all of them. Especially with the Maingano, which _should _turn out to be your most aggressive species.

With all of these species being monomorphic, your males and females will generally look the same, so the only thing you lose is potential aggression by only having one male per. 
If you ever get the urge for more males, grab one of your holding females and put her in a 10 gallon maternity tank. Six months later you'll be able to introduce fresh males.

Sounds like a great tank! It's so much more fun commenting on the building of well researched tanks!

kevin


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks again, Kevin - helpful as always. I guess I'll see what I get (M/F) and play it by ear with respect to weeding any out. The seller is going to do his best to get me more females than males, knowing that that's difficult (if not impossible) with small fish.

Do you think I have much risk with putting this many fish in a newly-cycled tank all at once? I'm currently running 3-5 ppm of ammonia daily with zero ammonia or nitrites after 24 hours. Anything I can do/add to decrease the chances of problems? I'm just nervous that I'm going to figure out a way to kill 50 fish....


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

maybe go get 50 feeder fish for about 5-10 dollars?


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

mightyevil said:


> maybe go get 50 feeder fish for about 5-10 dollars?


Doesn't that come with a high probability of introducing disease into the tank since these aren't the best cared-for fish?


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

In my opinion the feeder fish are the best taken care of in the LFS, they usually have them in tanks with just water no decor, no plants, no substrate. Many times the substrate plays a big part in keeping parasites from being cleaned out.

That recommendation may not be the best but it works, I have done it before just not with that many fish.


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

grommeckdr said:


> Do you think I have much risk with putting this many fish in a newly-cycled tank all at once? I'm currently running 3-5 ppm of ammonia daily with zero ammonia or nitrites after 24 hours. Anything I can do/add to decrease the chances of problems? I'm just nervous that I'm going to figure out a way to kill 50 fish....


Post this in the "Tank Setups" forum.

*Prov356* is your man for that answer.

kevin


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

I think ull be fine. feeder carry disease, so try to avoid them... I am glad u figured it out... i really wanna see the tank now after all the advice, lol... did u end up using the direct source for fish? If so, I am curious to see how the quality on ur fish will be... still, for that many fish, the price cannot be beat...


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

You'll definitely see it - I'll post pictures as soon as I get the fish. I did buy direct (LFD) - I'll let you know how it goes.


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## gatorsaver (Jan 3, 2010)

it has been a few days we need pics..  :fish:


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

gatorsaver said:


> it has been a few days we need pics..  :fish:


Getting the fish on Friday, so I'll have pics and videos up next weekend....


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## justinf67 (Jul 19, 2009)

:fish: get ur fish today?


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Sure did... I'll post the details and some pictures this evening.


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## gatorsaver (Jan 3, 2010)

.....Curtains slowly pull back stage left and right
.....lights slowly fade up to highlight grommeckdr's beautiful 125 gallon fish tank mid stage
..... chanting in background VERY Softly
......"photos" "photos" "photos" "photos"
......chanting gets louder
......"photos" "photos" "photos" "photos"
......chanting gets louder
......"photos" "photos" "photos" "photos"
......chanting gets louder
......"photos" "photos" "photos" "photos"

opcorn: =D> =D> =D>


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## orquo (May 20, 2008)

if you put a handful of synodontis catfish in the tank you will 90% prevent any cross-breeds/fry. they will keep your big tank free of any uneaten food. they are also fun to watch if you turn the lights off. my 8" huge synodontis keeps the boxing matches to a minimum at times and keeps the bottom of my tank super clean of old food, but not poop.

i suggest some bushy nose plecos too. a nice addition.


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## grommeckdr (Jan 18, 2010)

Here you go....

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=208828

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who helped me in pulling this all together!


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