# 75G Stocking Suggestions - African Cichlids?



## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Good day folks!

New user here looking for some advice/opinions from the experienced members on the forum. Currently working on rehoming/trading my current fish (bosemani rainbows, black phatom tetras, keyhole chichlids, corydoras) and am considering trying an African Cichlid setup this time around. I also have a nearly full grown Red Tail Black Shark and a 4.5" BN Pleco, two of which I would like to keep if possible. Little bit of background is probably in order to give you a better idea of what I'm working with:

- 75G tank (standard dimensions, believe 48x18x20 or thereabouts)
- 300W Heater
- Sicce 500 Whale External Canister Filter (Fluval FX6 ordered and on the way to replace the Sicce)
- Mature tank, almost 2 years old, no issues with ammonia/nitrites, weekly water changes performed to keep nitrates low
- PH ~7.6-7.7, rock stable in that range straight from the tap (water source is a artesian well)
- KH and GH levels, can't honestly remember, believe KH was somewhere around 10-11 maybe, have to retest to confirm for sure
- Non-planted (not brave enough for real plants yet)

But anywho, I know that when I tested the waters over the course of so many weeks, that the water parameters remained rock solid, and that they were essentially in the "middle" of the spectrum, such that I could keep most types of African Cichlids or South American Cichlids, as well as many other fish without issue. I know the parameters may not be "perfectly ideal" but I feel it is safer long term for the fish to be given the same water rather messing about either trying to increase/decrease PH levels and KH/GH levels.

Thereforeee, I know that with my water conditions as they are, that the RTBS and BN Pleco could thrive in the same water that I am considering introducing Africans too. My first question to you fine folks would be regarding the sanity of this decision? haha I've read countless posts online, with opinions varying greatly on the subject area. My RTBS is a bit of a typical bully and I feel he should be fine with the typical aggressiveness of Mbuna. I love the BN Pleco and would hate to seem her go, but if the Cichlids would harass her, I will rehome her as well.

My next question would be in regards to how suitable Africans would be for my chosen aquascape. I know that I will be well covered in regards to filtering needs, but I am unsure of whether the aquascaping I have done will be a suitable home for African Cichlids. I had it originally mapped out with sort of a jungle theme, with 3 significant sized fake driftwood ornaments, 1 medium sized fake driftwood hollow log, as well as a significant number of fake plants that I thought were attractive. I'll try to upload a picture, but it seems like there is no way to directly do so. I know that most African themed tanks have tons of rock and caves and the like, but I really can't justify taking out several hundred dollars worth of ornaments, so hoping to make it work if possible. My current setup has tons of hiding places and with the plants/driftwood dozens of places where the "line of sight" is broken, so I am hoping this may be a suitable home that the fish will be comfortable in.

In regards to the stocking, I've looked at the "cookie cutter" suggestions on this website and am wondering how suitable some of these suggestions would be given the info I've provided above. I do love the look of Yellow labs, and have access to those as well as Acei, Cobalt Blue, Red Zebra, etc. locally. Along with quite a few others in some of the smaller stores that I couldn't name, and not because they are weird hybrids, but because I am just not familiar with many of the Cichlid species.

Any suggestions in regards to the types of African Cichlids that I could look at stocking that would work with my given setup? Would like to stick with fish that reach a max of 6", as any larger than that and they will look out of place IMO in relation to the tank size and plants, etc.

Appreciate any and all advice! :fish:

Justin

Hopefully this works for the pictrure: http://s809.photobucket.com/user/J_Maher_AMG/media/IMG_3211_zpsnxoh8vud.jpg.html?sort=4&o=23

That is an older pic, bit of green algae on the driftwood pieces now, but the location of all of the decorations are largely unchanged. Thanks!


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

If you like the aquascaping, it should work out just fine for your fish. You could easily keep Labs, acei and Cobalts in the same tank, with some nice colour variation there. The only challenge would be that acei are likely to get bigger than the 6" max that you are looking for. Personally I'd be looking for one fish with some bars or stripes, just to break things up a little. Maybe a Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Maingano johanni), or one of the Cynotilapia with bars.

The BN pleco should be fine in with these fish... the RT Shark can be problematic, fighting with the cichlids... try it and see.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> If you like the aquascaping, it should work out just fine for your fish. You could easily keep Labs, acei and Cobalts in the same tank, with some nice colour variation there. The only challenge would be that acei are likely to get bigger than the 6" max that you are looking for. Personally I'd be looking for one fish with some bars or stripes, just to break things up a little. Maybe a Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Maingano johanni), or one of the Cynotilapia with bars.
> 
> The BN pleco should be fine in with these fish... the RT Shark can be problematic, fighting with the cichlids... try it and see.


So you think the current outlay of the tank would work in regards to territories/hiding spots for the cichlids?? I was under the impression that Acei topped out around 6" or maybe a hair larger, or am I mistaken?

There are quite a few striped cichlids that I love the look of as well, particularly the Demasoni. Would the demasoni be too aggressive though for the others? And with the striped variety, is it true that you should not keep multiple species with striping patterns, such as Demasoni with Kenyi for example?

Thanks for the advice on the RTBS, will probably try it out and see how it goes. Like I said, he's near full grown now, so I'm not worried about him. But if he starts getting picked on once the Cichlids grow up I'll definitely rehome him.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> If you like the aquascaping, it should work out just fine for your fish. You could easily keep Labs, acei and Cobalts in the same tank, with some nice colour variation there. The only challenge would be that acei are likely to get bigger than the 6" max that you are looking for. Personally I'd be looking for one fish with some bars or stripes, just to break things up a little. Maybe a Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Maingano johanni), or one of the Cynotilapia with bars.
> 
> The BN pleco should be fine in with these fish... the RT Shark can be problematic, fighting with the cichlids... try it and see.


With Yellow Labs and Acei, would Demasoni's work with that group? If so, and I were to go with those 3 species, how many of each would you recommend and how many juveniles to start to get the right m:f ratio?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

acei grow to about 4" in the wild... and I've seen 8" in the aquarium. You could always breed them, and once they got to 6", sell them and keep a group that you've bred that are small to replace them. Ps. demasoni are not typically aggressive to other species, but pretty hard on themselves. You'd want a group of 15-20, removing aggressive extra males as necessary.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Fogelhund said:


> acei grow to about 4" in the wild... and I've seen 8" in the aquarium. You could always breed them, and once they got to 6", sell them and keep a group that you've bred that are small to replace them. Ps. demasoni are not typically aggressive to other species, but pretty hard on themselves. You'd want a group of 15-20, removing aggressive extra males as necessary.


Would it be possible for Justin to use dolphin manda in place of the demasoni? Not sure if they will stay under 6" max.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> acei grow to about 4" in the wild... and I've seen 8" in the aquarium. You could always breed them, and once they got to 6", sell them and keep a group that you've bred that are small to replace them. Ps. demasoni are not typically aggressive to other species, but pretty hard on themselves. You'd want a group of 15-20, removing aggressive extra males as necessary.


They can get that big? Wow haha had no idea. The fiancee really wants a purple fish however, so I think the Acei is going to have to happen. Some pictures I see of them look blue though, have you kept any and are they a deep purple when they mature?

Yellow labs and acei are pretty much set in stone, and need a 3rd or possibly a 3rd and 4th species. Looking for suggestions in regards to what I could go with, if 4 species total, would prefer to keep numbers around 5-6 of each if possible, or if I go with 3 species, I'd like to tier the quantities, such as like 4-6 Acei, 6-8 Labs, and then possibly 8-10 of a smaller 3rd species. Any suggestions?

Potential 4 species group:

- Acei (5)
- Yellow Labs (5)
- Pseudotropheus sp. "Elongatus Chewere (5)
- Pseudotropheus socolofi albino (5)

Potential 3 species group:

- Acei (4-6)
- Yellow Labs (6-8)
with
- Demasoni (10) <-- Would 10 be enough to curb aggression or this a bad idea?
OR
- Pseudotropheus sp. "Elongatus Chailosi" (8-10)
OR
- Cynotilapia axelrodi (8-10)
OR
- Pseudotropheus sp. "polit" (8-10)

Trying to come up with a 3rd/4th options that are visually different from the Acei's blueish/purple coloration. Any suggestions regarding any of those I have listed? I'm simply choosing based on species listed in the "cookie-cutter" sheet as I am unaware of other species or their names. Love how vibrant the labs and acei appear to be, so trying to come up with some other fairly bright/visually appealing options!


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

BlueSunshine said:


> Fogelhund said:
> 
> 
> > acei grow to about 4" in the wild... and I've seen 8" in the aquarium. You could always breed them, and once they got to 6", sell them and keep a group that you've bred that are small to replace them. Ps. demasoni are not typically aggressive to other species, but pretty hard on themselves. You'd want a group of 15-20, removing aggressive extra males as necessary.
> ...


Gorgeous fish as well! Biggest thing I liked about the Demasoni was it's relatively small size. As I mentioned in the post above, I'm trying to do a tiered affect, with a smaller number of the largest species, and greater number of the smallest species if possible, OR a roughly equal smaller number of 4 species that are all of similar size.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Are there any options other than the Demasoni when it comes to smaller Mbuna that are monomorphic??


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Not quite monomorphic, but Cynotilapia sp. Hara might be a decent option for you. There aren't really any other small monomorphic fish.

10 isn't enough demasoni. 15 minimum.

Ps. acei are purple/blue depends on the mood.. more dominant, more blue.

Your mix of four would work.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> Not quite monomorphic, but Cynotilapia sp. Hara might be a decent option for you. There aren't really any other small monomorphic fish.
> 
> 10 isn't enough demasoni. 15 minimum.
> 
> ...


Alright I'll take Demasoni's off the list for now then, don't really want to have to buy upwards of 30 of them just to ensure I get enough females for 1-2 males haha

That Cyno is gorgeous! Not fully mono like you said, but at least the females are very nicely colored as well which is a huge plus. I haven't had a cichlid setup like this before, so it is a little hard to try and picture what the colors will all look like when they are in the tank together. So I know this is a very subjective question, but of the 4 I listed, along with the Cyno you suggested, what combination would you suggest and how many of each? What number of juveniles would I order to obtain the correct m:f ratios?

I primarily picked the albino socolofi due to the fact that it is very different (obviously haha) in color compared to the others and would be a nice bright addition to the tank, but it is also my least favourite of the 4 species I had listed together. But I feel with the Acei, Chewere, and Cyno you listed, maybe they would all "blend" in too much together in the tank? Edit: Do albino cichlids remain that true bright white as they mature? I have an "albino" BN pleco now, and it is more orange/yellow than anything.

Haven't seen any of these fish in person besides a single Acei that looked purple to me, and the Yellow labs. The others will all be special ordered, so hard to picture like I said how they will look.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I would prefer to ask those on here with hands on experience any day over a pet store employee haha

COULD I go with the 4 setup I mentioned above, and ADD the Cyno Hara as well? Have 5 groups of 4 with only 1 male per group? Would 1:3 m:f work with these species?


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

You always CAN reduce the ratios it is just a riskier proposition. I would suggest to you that larger groups are easier to take care of and ensure that the beating's happen equally.

Regarding some of your comments about acei... There really are no "purple" mbuna, so I hope that isn't the final requirement that makes your wife satisfied with the tank. Acei are probably as close as you will get to purple though. I had an acei once and she changed colors constantly- definitely one of the most active color changing fish I have had. When pissed off she looked almost black (really it was a dark navy blue) with yellow fins. When stressed like during water changes she would change to silver colored. Normally she sat in a dark blue color. I really enjoyed her color changes, but I found the color palette to not be what I liked. I wanted the colors on the fish to be really bold relative to each other. What I mean by that is exemplified in fish like yellow labs or maingano where you get a nice color contrast on the fish.

The only other fish that comes to mind when someone said "purple" is a rusty (iodotropheus springerae or something like that). The male has a portion of his body that really has a more true purple and has a really beautiful color to him. The downside is the females look nothing like the males and are supposedly quite drab; but I have not had females personally.


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Rustys are a nice choice, but they are more of a "Red-Purple", then a purple. The males and females are both nicely colored.

Haras, Yellow Labs, and Rustys would make a very nice combo.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Aaron S said:


> You always CAN reduce the ratios it is just a riskier proposition. I would suggest to you that larger groups are easier to take care of and ensure that the beating's happen equally.
> 
> Regarding some of your comments about acei... There really are no "purple" mbuna, so I hope that isn't the final requirement that makes your wife satisfied with the tank. Acei are probably as close as you will get to purple though. I had an acei once and she changed colors constantly- definitely one of the most active color changing fish I have had. When pissed off she looked almost black (really it was a dark navy blue) with yellow fins. When stressed like during water changes she would change to silver colored. Normally she sat in a dark blue color. I really enjoyed her color changes, but I found the color palette to not be what I liked. I wanted the colors on the fish to be really bold relative to each other. What I mean by that is exemplified in fish like yellow labs or maingano where you get a nice color contrast on the fish.
> 
> The only other fish that comes to mind when someone said "purple" is a rusty (iodotropheus springerae or something like that). The male has a portion of his body that really has a more true purple and has a really beautiful color to him. The downside is the females look nothing like the males and are supposedly quite drab; but I have not had females personally.


No no, she was just really hoping to get a purple species as its her favorite color haha honestly not a huge fan of Rusty's, just not uniform enough for me!

In regards to the stocking quantities, I don't really want more than 20 full grown 5-6" cichlids in my 75, so my choice is to either go with 5 of 4 species, or reduce the number to 4 each of 5 species. Would a single extra female make a significant difference? I know from reading the Yellow Lab's don't seem to be as hectic when the m:f ratio isn't as ideal as it should be. But with others like the Demasoni for example, any more than 1 male with like 8+ females and you are looking at a slaughter. Of the 5 species I am considering, are any of them particularly sensitive to the m:f ratios? It is my understanding that the labs and the acei are not such a big deal (i.e 1:3 would work fine with them) but I don't know about the others, and would hate to get them only to find out the male hara for example killed the 3 females because there wasn't enough haha


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

OR I could always choose 3 of the 5 species listed and up the numbers to maybe 6 or 7 of each if that would work significantly better in your folks' opinions? Was just trying to get as much variety/bright colors as possible without risking Too much


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

I am really the wrong person to comment as my first tank was a mash of big box pet shop cichlids and although it was interesting to have that many different fish, I found myself drawn to my favorites always and ignored the others. Because of that along with aggression issues, I decided to go the smarter route when I upgraded my tank and sold all of the fish I had. I restarted with a 125gallon and I only have yellow labs (10) and star sapphires (14) [syno's too which my wife loves]. I only have the two species because I knew I would only look at the two even if I had more. It turns out that I really enjoy some of the interactions between the same species fish.

That diatribe is to say that I would suggest you do 3 of the species listed before and get the larger groups. If you really wanted to go crazy, you could do even less and get dimorphic fish. For example you could get pseudotropheus saulosi (2 fish groups worth) and acei. The male saulosi look like demasoni and they stay decently small. The females are a fairly bright yellow like the yellow labs but without the black coloration. Then you have 2 groups of fish that look like 3. You could even try to add a third species with horizontal bars if you had the space... say 1:4 acei, 1:5 saulosi, 1:7 maingano

In case you haven't figured it out, there are an insane number of combinations of fish you can have and significantly more that you can have that will not work well.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I may have lost track of which 5 you are asking about, but I would not combine hara and elongatus.

Also note acei is more blue than purple IME. After I combined acei and hara in my tank I decided the contrast between the two colors was not enough for me and I got rid of the acei.

Elongatus is 1m:7f anyway so three species would work if you want 10 or less.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> I may have lost track of which 5 you are asking about, but I would not combine hara and elongatus.
> 
> Also note acei is more blue than purple IME. After I combined acei and hara in my tank I decided the contrast between the two colors was not enough for me and I got rid of the acei.
> 
> Elongatus is 1m:7f anyway so three species would work if you want 10 or less.


Yeah I've been jumping about a bit to try and determine what to go with. Going along with your and the post above yours suggestions, I'm going to stick with 3 species.

Thinking of the following numbers:

- 5 Acei (Ngara white tail) 1m:4f
- 7 Yellow labs 2m:5f
- 9 Cynotilapia sp. Hara 2m:7f

I've read that the labs and acei m:f ratios aren't as critical as other species, but would the suggested layout work in your opinions??


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Maybe but since female yellow labs are identical to males...why 2m?

You are usually better with 1 male or 3 but not 2. Two have no one to focus on but each other. For the hara I would do 3m:9f if you want to try to get multiple males coloring up...it has not worked for me. Total 22 fish.


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

I think you will enjoy those fish.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Have you considered pseudotropheus saulosi.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> Maybe but since female yellow labs are identical to males...why 2m?
> 
> You are usually better with 1 male or 3 but not 2. Two have no one to focus on but each other. For the hara I would do 3m:9f if you want to try to get multiple males coloring up...it has not worked for me. Total 22 fish.


Hmm I thought that the yellow lab males had more distinctive black markings on their fins? That was my only reasoning for getting a second male!

So you think it would be better to try and stick with a single male Hara? Would love to have 3 males as their vertical bar pattern is stunning. Think 24 full grown cichlids would betoo many for a 75g tank though?

And what would be the recommended number of juveniles to start with to achieve those numbers?


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Aaron S said:


> I think you will enjoy those fish.


I think so too! Problem is just getting them, and getting all the ones I need at roughly the same time :? My local guy who orders in fish weekly, his supplier didn't have the Ngara Acei or the Hara's... so it looks like I may be waiting a while before I can even get my hands on some 



BlueSunshine said:


> Have you considered pseudotropheus saulosi.


I did initially, but crossed them off shortly after, because if I went with the whole "larger group of a dimorphic species", I would still have to adhere to the m:f ratios, so it would end up looking like I have far more of one species (yellow females) than the other (blue striped males), and I don't think I would be happy with that big of a visual imbalance haha


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

24 can work. If you like symmetry do 7 of each (1m:6f) with three species and you are set.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> 24 can work. If you like symmetry do 7 of each (1m:6f) with three species and you are set.


My OCD knows no bounds... LOL I like symmetry, but I like the tiered idea of 3 species, seeing as the Acei are often 6-7" fish, Labs can get close to 6", and the Haras' are at 5" or so, Hence my thoughts on going 5/7/9 

So I guess 1 male hara would be all I can do there eh with 8 females?

If I go with those quantities, how many juvies should I start with to try and get those numbers??


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't think you are going to see that kind of size gradation for many years...they all start similar sizes and the larger fish tend to mature and grow bigger later. How are you at delayed gratification? :thumb:

I usually buy 2X the females I want to end up with, but as stated these fish might tolerate an extra male or two. If you don't mind adding juvies in a year (if necessary) I might just buy the final numbers plus on in this scenario.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> I don't think you are going to see that kind of size gradation for many years...they all start similar sizes and the larger fish tend to mature and grow bigger later. How are you at delayed gratification? :thumb:
> 
> I usually buy 2X the females I want to end up with, but as stated these fish might tolerate an extra male or two. If you don't mind adding juvies in a year (if necessary) I might just buy the final numbers plus on in this scenario.


Alright, I've bounced back to possibly doing just Yellow labs and demasoni haha

I'd like to have maybe 10 labs, but how many demasoni would I need to keep perhaps 2-3 males?? I'm thinking of ordering maybe 20, would that be enough you think? Supplier says they're ~2" in size, is that typical or is that a little big for demasoni in terms of buying new fish do you think?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You want to end up with at least 15 and 3 males usually work. I would buy 24 demasoni and the 10 yellow labs would be OK.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> You want to end up with at least 15 and 3 males usually work. I would buy 24 demasoni and the 10 yellow labs would be OK.


Thanks DJ, best part is that both of these are available locally as well, albeit in smaller quantities so I can mess with the ratios or buy more if need be. You think 10 yellow labs would be fine regardless of how many males show up? Or would the goal be to have 3m:7f for the labs??

Have you taken a look at the picture of my tank in the first post? What's your thoughts on how suitable the tank is for an African Cichlid setup in regards to the current aqua scape?? Don't really want to have to completely overhaul the tank after spending so much on that deco, but don't want my Cichlid setup to fail either so will change things up if necessary. Would appreciate your thoughts!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Be careful with a smaller number of demasoni for any length of time. Especially if the fish are already two inches. I started with 9 in my first tank and had a major bloat epidemic.

Also think about your bioload...you don't want to go too long without a full load to keep the beneficial bacteria population up.

Play it by ear with the labs...any number of males might work. I can only tell the females by those who hold and if I get too many males the females can start to look harassed.

I did see the pic...not a biotope but tank is pretty full of hiding places so I don't see why it would not work. Curious why are are OK with tearing down the tank to net problem demasoni but not with changing the décor for a mbuna biotope? The reason I ask is it looks like a lot of work to me to replace everything just right.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> Be careful with a smaller number of demasoni for any length of time. Especially if the fish are already two inches. I started with 9 in my first tank and had a major bloat epidemic.
> 
> Also think about your bioload...you don't want to go too long without a full load to keep the beneficial bacteria population up.
> 
> ...


No no I'll be ordering 20 or more demasoni, my point was only that if I get troublesome males I can source some locally to replace quickly if need be.

Agreed it is not a biotope in its current state that is ideal for African cichlids. Honestly it's more of a monetary issue than anything else, spent several hundred on all the plants and ornaments to begin with and would hate to just remove it all and store it, on top of having to buy all the rock to redo the aquascaping. Not only that but I just bought an FX6 and the cichlids are going to be almost $400 as well haha

I also don't know the first thing about setting up an appropriate rock works for cichlids, feel like I'd do a terrible job setting up territories. And how the **** do you clean out all the nooks and crannies of all the poop!? Haha

If the aquascaping should be redone, I'll bite the bullet and do it. Was honestly just trying to save some money and not have all my current decorations go to waste


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think they will be fine. Just start thinking about how you will remove/replace all with the choice of demasoni as a species. :thumb:


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Rocks shouldn't cost much money. Go to a landscape store..... I've purchased rocks from some places, and filled an entire 90 gallon, and I mean fill, for $30.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> Rocks shouldn't cost much money. Go to a landscape store..... I've purchased rocks from some places, and filled an entire 90 gallon, and I mean fill, for $30.


Hmm really? Have to look at it then if it can be done fairly cheaply. I don't have the first clue about aquascaping rock work though haha

Would you leave any plants or anything in there if I were to redo the tank with rocks??

Edit: would you leave in any of the "driftwood" pieces or have only rocks??


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

PM me your email, and I will send you a picture of my mbuna tank.


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> PM me your email, and I will send you a picture of my mbuna tank.


Thanks for the pictures man, your setup looks great!

Will look into the cost of replicating a similar setup. Going to need to get creative I think haha to leave the plants in there with the rock or no!?


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## Justin_350R (Dec 13, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> I think they will be fine. Just start thinking about how you will remove/replace all with the choice of demasoni as a species. :thumb:





Fogelhund said:


> PM me your email, and I will send you a picture of my mbuna tank.


Alright, so quick update, the supplier whom I would be ordering the fish from don't have Demasoni in stock at the moment.. would it be ok to do the Yellow Labs now and add the demasoni later?? Said they should have demasoni in within the next 30 days; these are the 2" sized one.

Or, I can source a handful of yellow labs locally that are maybe an 1" or so in length, and my local pet store has 8-9 demasoni in the 1-1.5" range as well.

Assuming that if the demasoni are larger than the labs the labs are going to end up dead? Should I hold off until I can add the full stocking of both at the same time (ie wait for the supplier)? Or should I just buy locally, and wait until they get some more demasoni in to add?

Advice needed ASAP!!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You can add them in groups...the demasoni are mostly focused on each other. I would go with the 2" fish because assuming 50% are females, they will be mature and ready to keep the males distracted.


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