# Switching up!.....any suggestions!



## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

I've been keeping Mbuna for about 5 years now. I have a 120 gallon tank, well established and healthy. I was thinking of changing things up and keeping something different....maybe Peacock's....any suggestion on a new stocking list?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

What are your choices locally? Do you have a good selection of peacocks and some haps.


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## Nodalizer (Nov 7, 2011)

My favs haps are:

Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"

Sciaenochromis fryeri (Maleri Is.)

Cyrtocara moorii

Or peacocks:

Aulonocara "German Red"

Aulonocara sp. "Stuartgranti Maleri" (Chipoka)


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

Not sure....I would like to try some Peacocks and Haps, Malawi Butterfly's etc..... I want to try and stay with Lake Malawi as I am set up for that so the transition will be easier....There are some breeders around here as well, but i would have to search for them


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

thebigman65 said:


> Not sure....I would like to try some Peacocks and Haps, Malawi Butterfly's etc..... I want to try and stay with Lake Malawi as I am set up for that so the transition will be easier....There are some breeders around here as well, but i would have to search for them


You could go and take a quick inventory of what they have and them come back with a list of peacocks and haps and some of the good people on this forum should be able to help you pick out some suitable tankmaktes.


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## tim_s (Nov 27, 2011)

Perhaps!~ Experiment with the larger cichlids? I am trying to convince the wife for a 120G, she is telling me I am too obsessed with fish tanks and rather me get ride of the tank I currently have.


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

Ok so I went to the LFS today and her are some of the haps/peacocks they have. I tried to get the names as best I could.....Any suggestions?

- Red Rainbow Tropheus Moori
- Jacs
- Cherry Fine.
- Oto Lithobates yellow blaze
- Lamp Daffodil
- Lamp Leleupi
- Hap Venustus
- Icebergs ( I really like these!)
- Hap Steveni Taiwan Red.
- Cop Azureus Likoma
- Steveni tangerine tiger
- Hap Red Empress
- Red Top Lwanda Princess
- Red Eureka Peacock
- Mbenji Blue Redal Peacock (I can't read my own writing..LOL)
- Sunshine Peacock
- Hap Quadrimaculatus

Seems like a nice selection to me!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

These are not haps/peacocks, I'd avoid them:

- Red Rainbow Tropheus Moori
- Lamp Daffodil
- Lamp Leleupi

Can't think of what the Cherry Fine would be.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

thebigman65 said:


> Ok so I went to the LFS today and her are some of the haps/peacocks they have. I tried to get the names as best I could.....Any suggestions?
> 
> - Red Rainbow Tropheus Moori
> - Jacs
> ...


It is all a matter of taste but the blue regal peacock, red empress, taiwan, eureka, venustus,

Really you could go with most of the peacocks and haps..I have mixed the mooris as well. Those are some really nice fish. I would go with an all male tank and be careful in your selection.


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

LOL...I dont know what the cherry Fine was, that's all I had written down.

What are the Lamp's? It's too bad, I kinda lliked the Daffodil!


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

DJRansome said:


> These are not haps/peacocks, I'd avoid them:
> 
> - Red Rainbow Tropheus Moori
> - Lamp Daffodil
> ...


I had a moori that was labeled cherry. It was a nice fish. Had a red stipe and blue green black colored scales. It was very peaceful.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

thebigman65 said:


> LOL...I dont know what the cherry Fine was, that's all I had written down.
> 
> What are the Lamp's? It's too bad, I kinda lliked the Daffodil!


Neolamprologus daffodil..Tanganyikan.


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

13razorbackfan said:


> thebigman65 said:
> 
> 
> > LOL...I dont know what the cherry Fine was, that's all I had written down.
> ...


Ahh...got it. I have never had an issue with Males and Females with Mbuna....Is there a reason Haps or Peacocks would be different?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Is the 120G 72" long? Some of those fish are pretty big.

Female haps and peacocks are drab. Also peacocks crossbreed, so only one species per tank with mixed genders. And some haps crossbreed with each other AND with the peacocks...fryeri for example.

It can be done, you would just have to choose wisely. Did you want mixed genders?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

DJRansome said:


> Is the 120G 72" long? Some of those fish are pretty big.
> 
> Female haps and peacocks are drab. Also peacocks crossbreed, so only one species per tank with mixed genders. And some haps crossbreed with each other AND with the peacocks...fryeri for example.
> 
> It can be done, you would just have to choose wisely. Did you want mixed genders?


Totally agree....as usual. The fryeri loves breeding with peacocks and in the wild they imitate peacocks sifting through the sand so they can get close enough to the smaller ones and eat them. I saw that on a rift lake documentary the other day. Pretty interesting.

I would go all males if I were you...if you want color. If you do add males and females...like DJRansome mentioned you can usually only have one male with many females and in that case you would not want to add fryeri either.

I would do an all male peacock and hap tank and make sure to buy males...usually start to color up at about 2-3" and their anal/dorsal fins are more pointed versus round.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You could do mixed genders too. One hap, one peacock, yellow labs breeding groups would be risk free.


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

DJRansome said:


> Is the 120G 72" long? Some of those fish are pretty big.
> 
> Female haps and peacocks are drab. Also peacocks crossbreed, so only one species per tank with mixed genders. And some haps crossbreed with each other AND with the peacocks...fryeri for example.
> 
> It can be done, you would just have to choose wisely. Did you want mixed genders?


Nope...it 60 x 26 x 18...I don't need to have males and females, but with Mbuna it was quite interesting to see them mate and the females hold eggs etc. Over the past couple of years, I have had quite a few Socolofi fry survive and become full grown, so that was cool.....but i can see what you mean about the cross breeding and the guy at the LFS said the same thing to me. I like the idea of having a few Yellow Labs as well....I only have one now and that's because I could never introduce any other ones. As soon as I bought new ones and put them in the tank for some reason they were dead inside a week....


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