# Can these fish be together? Hap/peacock/yellow lab stocking



## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

I will be getting either a 75 gal or 72 gal bowfront soon.

I want a couple haps, some peacocks and yellow labs.

Let's start with yellow labs- would it be ok to have 2 or 3 females and 1 male?

Now peacocks- I'm not sure which cOlors the store with have but like chitande, yellow blue red orange albino etc

Haps- I found a few that I've seen online and also in other peoples tank off YouTube.

3 blue dolphins- or 3 venustus

Aristocromis red top

Placidochromis electra- Common Name Deep Water Hap

NyassachromisÃ‚Â SÃ‚Â

OtopharynxÃ‚Â S

What do you think of this

I don't want to overstock this tank. So I want it to look like each fish has its own space they need when the get to there full size.

So about 5 or 6 male peacock cichlids- all different colors

2 venustus(or more or less) OR 2 blue dolphins (or more or less)

Then I I could have any of the other haps I listed
Then like 3-5 yellow labs.

Then I was wondering if I could have any of these fish in with these guys...
Albino brichardi cichlid,
1 or 2 turquoise jewel cichlids
And here's some more peacocks- which idk if I would be able to find in stores
,blue orchird peacock sulfur head peacock, midnight peacock


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## marvo (Nov 24, 2010)

that may be 2 many.. rule of thumb is one inch per gal. trying to keep it simple =D> my experance is red tops can be aggressive.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The electra would be a good choice. You can fit more fish in a 75G rectangle than you can in a 72G bowfront. The 72G bowfront is stocked like a 55G.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

How many fish would you recamend in this tnk? Or how many inches even tho that's not the proper way to do it


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Forget about inches per gallon, it's a good way to stock a tank with neon tetras, but not much else.

In a 4ft tank, forget about fish that grow over 8", such as venestus.

If you are keeping all males, stick to one fish per species.

Aulonocara such as chitande, sulfur heads, blue orchid and midnight peacocks are not very aggressive, and unless you stock accordingly, will not show at their best.

Other non-jacobfriebergi types of Aulonocara should be ok.

The Cyrtocara moori will probably be ok even though they grow big, it takes a long time for them to get to their maximum size, and typically they aren't too aggressive.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I like about a dozen fish that mature at 6" or under in an all-male 75G rectangle.

If you choose larger fish, stock fewer of them.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

so i just bought the tank. its a 78 gallon!. ill be a while for me to set it up but i want to get my stoking down!

i like peacocks so mainly them.. 
so about 5 or 6 peacock males,
4yellow labs (1m3F)
maybe 1 venustus OR blue dolphin cichlid
and then maybe a
1 albino brischardi cichlid
1 red empress cichlid
1 or 2 turquoise jewel cichlid...?

adn then 1 albino rainbow shark whicch i have with my cichlid right now, and 1 red tailed shark

that may be to much fish so i could take some out


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## quentin8 (Sep 30, 2011)

What are the dementions of the tank?


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

48 18 21. I believe


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

As said already... venestus is too big.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

even one venustus would be to big? for a 75 gal....

i have seen them in youtube videos many times.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

jsmeesterr said:


> even one venustus would be to big? for a 75 gal....
> 
> i have seen them in youtube videos many times.


Yes, just because other's have made mistakes, you should too?


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

The videos had updates after updates and it was going great for them


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

jsmeesterr said:


> The videos had updates after updates and it was going great for them


Well then, why ask? Go ahead, put a male in, have fun.


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## Jammos (Nov 25, 2010)

Listen to fogelhound. I have a 6 inch male venustus who bounced around in my old 4 foot tank. I felt bad for him, 55 gallns and the length jst way too small. Now he is in my new. 6 foot 125 g and that would be the min. I would have him in. Its just cruel imo.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Well I guess your right.
So I don't just want peacocks and labs. And haps if I can find any,

So can I have like 5 or 6 male peacocks,
3 or 4 yellow labs(1m2-3f)
Maybe 1 or 2 small gaps if I can find any,
1 albino brichardi cichlid
1 or 2 turquoise jewel cichlid?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

I would skip the brichardi and jewels - they both can be down right mean. If you want a couple more haps, what about Tramitichromis "Intermedius" or Lethrinops "Red Cap"? They are on the smaller side at 4-6", and have been really mellow IME. Don't limit yourself to what you can find locally - ordering from online sources is easy these days, so there's no reason not to get exactly what you want. The Red Empress is a nice fish, too, but may get too big (and they grow fast). So what about this - 
The 5 or 6 Aulonocara (peacocks)
1M:3F yellow labs
3 or 4 yellow tailed Ps. acei 
2 or 3 C. moorii (Blue Dolphins)
1 Tramitichromis "Intermedius" male 
1 Lethrinops "Red Cap" male
1 Placidochromis electra "Deep Water Hap"

That would put you at 16-20 fish, which would probably end up being about 12-14 after you remove a few that don't work out (which almost always happens). It would make for a very colorful, relatively peaceful tank that would be fun to have. Just some options for you to consider.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Yea! That stocking sounds great! I can't wait to set up my tank! Thank you


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

What about moorii kaiser ii cichlid? Can I fit 1 in hEre?

Also for the blue dolphins- does the sex matter? Could I get all males, all females, 1m2f 2m1 female...etc


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

The Tropheus moorii Kaiser would not be a good fit for your tank. Their diet is very demanding and different from the other fish, and they can be very aggressive if not kept in groups of 12 or more. As for the blue dolphins, you should try for 1 male and 1 or 2 females. They aren't all that aggressive, but it would be best to only have 1 male - that way you may even get some fry from them.

Try to stick with all Lake Malawi cichlids - that way the care requirements are going to be more similar than if you mix in fish from other lakes (Tanganyika or Victoria). It is possible to mix them, of course, but it will be better for the fish and easier for you if you don't.

I forgot to mention in the previous stock list to consider adding a group of Synodontis catfish - around 6 of a species like multipunctatus, lucipinnis or petricola. They will help keep the tank clean of any leftover food, and they are fun to watch.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

I think I remember seeing those in a YouTube video! I'll check em out!
Also I forgot to mention I have a albino rainbow shark that has no other place to go but in this tank. He is currently doing very well with the 3 cichlids I have now! Can I add him and a red tailed shark!?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

I've heard of people keeping the sharks with cichlids and not having any problems, but it could also turn out badly. If you put them in, just keep an eye on things to make sure they don't get picked on too bad. I think those rainbow sharks/red tailed sharks are actually a type of catfish, and cichlids mostly leave them alone. I'm just giving you advice on stuff that I'm confident will or will not work in the long run, and I don't have any experience with the various sharks. You can always try different combinations than we recommend, but other people's experiences can be a valuable tool. :thumb:


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Ok good!

Another quick question!

Is a eheim professtionel 2222 or 2224 filter good enough to keep this 75 gal clean?
+ a power head
+ like 4 littler hangon back filters I have


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

I don't know what the flow (gph) on those filters is, but if you cycle the entire volume of the tank between 8 and 10 times per hour, you will be good. So check the gph rating on your filters and use whatever combination you want that totals 600-750 gallons per hour and it should be great. The power head will be good for surface agitation if you angle it slightly up, and that helps keep the water oxygenated (which is good!). Sounds good.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Uh oh! I may have a big problem!
I've done some research on the gph of this filter, and only found 1 website where it says it so it. May not be correct but it say it has 185 gph! and rates for a tank 66 gal or less.
But the guy I bought it from had a Oscar in this tank and he said he was very happy with it!?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

I wouldn't be surprised if he was only using that filter if he only had 1 oscar in his tank. You must remember, though, that you are going to have many more fish in the tank, and those fish are messy! You will find that the tank needs to be cleaned almost daily if you only have 2 or 3X per hour filtration. Use that canister filter in combination with some of the hang on back filters to increase the GPH (ie: 185+200+175=560, or something like that). Just try to get as close to 600 gph as you can. And remember that if you need to, you can always add another filter later.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

I think I'm going to have to buy another filter!
I have a marineland bio wheel penguin 350 but it was going to be for a different tank but I get I'll use it for this tank!

Also, with all of these smaller hangon filters I have, is there's any way I can tell what there gph for these? Without knowing the name of them?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

I don't think they say on them anywhere how many gph they do, so without knowing the brand/model# it would be hard to tell. But I think if you use the canister and the penguin (185+350=535), you could try just those 2, or if you want it a little higher also use the largest HOB filter you have. Between the 3 of them you should be good. I also like to use multiple filters because then you can change the filter material cartridges out on one filter at a time - that way you run less risk of losing too much beneficial bacteria at once.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Yea I think I'll do that! Thanks


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Don't forget to post some pictures of the finished product - I'll be looking forward to see how it turns out. Good luck!


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Oh I will but it won't be for a while


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

I have a 30 gallon afrcan cichlid tank.
1 male red shoulder peacock
1 female yellow lab
1 female red eureka(I think) peacock
And 1 albino rainbow shark.
Both yellow lab and female peacock have carried eggs. Female peacocks first time was this week.
Don't worry! I am upgrading to a 75 gal very soon. Within the month.
But the thing is, the tank will be a all male peacock and hap tank.
I'm not worried about the female yellow lab A's I'm getting more for the 75 gal I think and she is the top dog in the tank even over the male.
But I'm very worried about my female peacock. She has bit fins, and like ya know, just getting beat up by just the male. And god knows what will happen to her in a tank full of horny males if I put her in my 75 gal.
So do you think I should rehome her now or do put her in my 75 gal and see what happens?

If I rehome her now, will the temperament of the tank stay the same or change if she's gone?


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## ChoxRox (Sep 8, 2011)

You want an all male hap and peacock tank.

Yes, get rid of the female peacock.


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## nudge (Aug 1, 2011)

Agreed, a female in an all male tank is trouble. 1 girl to 5-6 guys is gonna = a lot of fighting


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