# my new 60 gallon mbuna tank



## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

hello all im new here.
found this deal on a 60 gal (48x17x15) tank with hood/light. (was looking for a 40 gal.) i wanted to know what my stocking would be if i wanted labs (currently have 1 in a 10g), aceis, afra cobue and maybe other genuses. will be adding in play sand. i would like to have a very colorful array of cichilds in my tank so if anyone has any opinions please let me know. *** been reading around and i know i need a 1m 3f ratio and i would like to stock as much cichlids as i can. iim plannin putting 2 emperor 400 filters or 2 penguin 350s. im debating on either holey rock or limestone. thanks


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## SLIGHTLY STOOPID (Dec 23, 2004)

Maybe try some of the more peaceful mbuna. Cynotilipia are known for being aggressive which is what the Afra Cobue is.

If it was me I would add around 10-12 young mbuna to the tank size you have. Of course you need plenty of rocks for caves and etc. If you go with peaceful mbuna the male to female ratio is not that big of a deal. It's nice to have pairs but it's hard to do that when buying young fish.

You can go with more than twelve but your rock scape needs to be ideal for that many fish in a 48x17x15.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

It looks like your 60 gallon has the footprint of a standard 75 gallon. That's good :thumb:

If you want to do breeding groups, then I would suggest a max of 4 species for that size tank. You seem to be bent on having many fish in that tank, so in that case you might consider one or more "dwarf" mbuna species. Because they are smaller, you can have more of them! A very popular dwarf mbuna is Ps. demasoni and they look great with yellow labs. In this scenario you could have 15 demasoni, 5-6 yellow labs, 4-6 Ps. Acei, and 4-5 other species X. That's 28-31 fish and it would likely be a very active tank. I'm not sure if the demasoni and the afra cobue would be a friendly mix, though.

If you go non-dwarf mbuna you should probably shoot for 3-4 breeding groups and about 16-20 fish. Catfish and plecos don't count, so you could also get a few synodontis for diversity.

Do you like peaceful or more zesty mbuna? Any other species you like besides yellows, acei, and cobue?


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

Kanorin said:


> It looks like your 60 gallon has the footprint of a standard 75 gallon. That's good :thumb:
> 
> If you want to do breeding groups, then I would suggest a max of 4 species for that size tank. You seem to be bent on having many fish in that tank, so in that case you might consider one or more "dwarf" mbuna species. Because they are smaller, you can have more of them! A very popular dwarf mbuna is Ps. demasoni and they look great with yellow labs. In this scenario you could have 15 demasoni, 5-6 yellow labs, 4-6 Ps. Acei, and 4-5 other species X. That's 28-31 fish and it would likely be a very active tank. I'm not sure if the demasoni and the afra cobue would be a friendly mix, though.
> 
> ...


thank you both for your suggestions. i was looking around 20 fishes im set on the labs and aceis for sure. any other species would be great theres just so many i cant figure out what would be compatible with the labs and acei. so thats why i was looking for suggestions which would help me out more on deciding.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

You picked two very compatible species. If you want to salvage fry, I would stay away from Red Zebras and other Labidochromis species. Other than that, just about any other mbuna could go in there. Give us a better idea of what you are looking for - too many possibilities!


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

Kanorin said:


> You picked two very compatible species. If you want to salvage fry, I would stay away from Red Zebras and other Labidochromis species. Other than that, just about any other mbuna could go in there. Give us a better idea of what you are looking for - too many possibilities!


how is the compatibility of 
10 demasoni, 4 lab, 4 ps acei, 4 rusties.

would it be possible

5 demasoni, 4 labs, 4 ps acei, 4 rusties, and add haps 5 Placidochromis milomos


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## Super Turtleman (May 21, 2007)

If you want the dems, you're best bet is to commit to 12-15 of them to start with. If you go with any less, chances are you will start losing some to aggression.

A mix of 15 dems, 6 yellow labs and six acei would go great in your tank. You could probably squeeze in a group of rusties in there as well, just make sure you have plenty of rocks and hiding spaces for individual territories/getaways.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think the tank is too small for placidochromis. And I don't agree that afra cobue are aggressive. But the mixes that are being recommended are good ones.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos (maingano) is another I'd consider (like the fish in my avitar). They are cheaper than demasoni but have similar colors and you don't have to have so many of them, nor do they get very big (4"). I'd actually like to see them with demasoni in a tank. It would be alot of blue but with the stripes going horizontal on them and vertical on the dems, it would look neat, I think.


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

hows does this look.

6 labs, 5 aceis, 6 rusties, 6 afra cobue


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

knotty dreadlocks said:


> hows does this look.
> 
> 6 labs, 5 aceis, 6 rusties, 6 afra cobue


anyone?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Looks good.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

knotty dreadlocks said:


> hows does this look.
> 6 labs, 5 aceis, 6 rusties, 6 afra cobue


I think that will be a nice tank. Good luck!


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

Kanorin said:


> knotty dreadlocks said:
> 
> 
> > hows does this look.
> ...


thanks for those who helped me out. i cant wait to get my tank finished. i just found out my cousin gets texas holey rock at a lower price then *** seen on ebay. so i bought myself 100+lbs of it what i was kinda sketchy about was that i didnt get to pick the peices i wanted but every peice was well worth it. hopefully ill pics up soon


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Yep, that sounds like a nice mix. Can't wait to see pics :thumb: Good luck.


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

and as far as filtration it seems like aquaclear is the way to go. im pretty sure this will do but other opinions help.

ac110 @ $65 and an ac70 @ $40 from petsolutions but i think ill just get a price match or lowered at petsmart.


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

so i was thinking of changing my stocking list. i wanted to add some peacocks but im not too sure which ones to add. im definitely going to yellow labs and acei. what peacocks would look great


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