# Tank mates for haps and peacocks?



## Beenzsouflee (Aug 1, 2016)

How many Haps and peacocks do you think could live comfortably in a 72 inch 200 gallon tank? I'm sure it's quite alot....so instead of just haps and peas what would be some suitable tank mates to fill out all the levels of the aquarium? Also which specific species of hap/peas will be fine with just males? I'm really not super interested in breeding...would this even be possible? As far as just having males?


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## Beenzsouflee (Aug 1, 2016)

These are the guys I was hoping to house together what are your thoughts?
Yellow peacock-aulonocara Stuartgranti sp maleri.
Red top-aulonocara lwanda 
Haplochromis similis type lethrinops lethrinus 
Blue orchid-alonocara kandeense
Firefish-aulonocara dragons blood
Lemon jake-aulonocara mnmelela
White top-aulonocara huseri
Eureka red-aulonocara jacobfreibergi


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I like about 12 individuals in a 72" tank as long as they don't mature >= 6".

Usually one jake/tank seems to work best for people so choose among the lwanda, lemon jake and eureka.

The red/pink/orange fish seem to compete...so maybe skip the eureka if you are keeping the dragon blood.

Lethrinops and kandeense are usually too timid to color up in a mixed tank but do well as a single species.

Try reading the All-Male Article in the Cichlid-forum Library for more information. Groups of yellow labs and acei also do well with haps and peacocks.


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## mbargas (Apr 19, 2009)

I personally like to add Victorians. when healthy they add some nice intense red coloration. Like the 'All Red' AKA Kyoga Flameback:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy ... n16K1iSb14

There are numerous other Victorians with nice red coloration, but I would be careful with the Pundamilias, since they tend to be more aggressive.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I did not have good luck with the flameback in a hap/peacock tank...he was washed out in color. His color came right back in a species tank though.


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## mbargas (Apr 19, 2009)

I don't have any flamebacks at present, but when I did, they colored up nicely along with the Haps and Peacocks. There were also drab female victorians present which may have been the stimulus. They were also fed with Cyclop-Eeze which contained high levels of astaxanthin.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

My wife and I have about 60 fish total in our 6' tank. Haps, peacocks and a few mbuna. There are about 10 females and the rest are males.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes my tank was all male.


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

Holy cow... 60 fish in your 6' ? That sounds like a lot. 12 sounds like a fairly light stock though.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I mis-spoke...I like 18 in a 72" tank. I've tried it with more and it starts to look like a goldfish feeder tank with too many fish (to me). This would be for an all-male tank. A mixed gender tank I would go considerably higher, but still not as high as 60 individuals.


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## The Dude315 (May 19, 2015)

DJRansome said:


> I mis-spoke...I like 18 in a 72" tank. I've tried it with more and it starts to look like a goldfish feeder tank with too many fish (to me). This would be for an all-male tank. A mixed gender tank I would go considerably higher, but still not as high as 60 individuals.


But you are saying 18 full grown fish? 
Also my Sunshine despite being the largest fish in the tank didn't last long when I added the Dragons Blood and Lwanda. I don't know who is responsible but only a couple weeks after adding those two the Sunshine Peacock, a Full grown Rusty, and a 3" Gold Head Compressiseps were dead... all on the same day. A much smaller Lemon Jake has proved to be more resilient.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I like to start with the fish I end with. For all male I buy fairly large fish, but for compatible fish, size does not matter much. Dude, you have a crazy mix anyway...so who knows what is going on. The peacock hybrids and jakes are more aggressive than the sunshine.


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## mbargas (Apr 19, 2009)

DJRansome said:


> Yes my tank was all male.


Here is one of my All Reds (kyoga flameback) in a tank with mostly peacocks and other victorians. It is maybe 2 -2.5 inches and coloring up nicely. My nyerereis also colored up, but other Vic's have not (Uganda fire and hippo point salmon)


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

My Victorians did color up with haps and peacocks in my all-male tank...but nothing compared to the color they display in a species tank...at least for me. I'm trying some Astatotilapia latifasciata with my haps and peacocks now. Before he was too aggressive, but this tank is mixed gender and the borleyi will stand up to a little more aggression than some of the haps I had before.


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