# 75G Hap/Peacock Tank



## chinds78

Is a 75G tank large enough for an all mall hap/peacock tank? How many fish could I keep in this size tank? What would be a good ratio or haps and peacocks?

Sorry for all the questions. This would be my first hap/peacock tank.


----------



## B&amp;K

You can get some great information in the library. You can pull it off in a 75. Personally, I would'nt recommend it. All male set-ups require a lot of patience and attentive care. The more real estate a available, the better your chances. If you decide to proceed, I would suggest a dense population of juveniles.


----------



## PfunMo

Unless fish have changed a lot in the last 25-30 years there seems to be a lot of really flawed thinking about haps and peacocks. My first run in African cichlids was a 55 stocked with peacocks. Turns out over time they are no longer peacocks but now they are deepwater haps but that doesn't change the fact that they worked quite well in 55. I kept them and they bred me out of tank space when I reached 8 tanks. I had to move anyway! Do not take the standard answers that they need space and crowding to stop fighting. The crowding is what I class as another myth. Some fish, especially mbuna expect to be crowded but if you look at the open water swimming group, they like a bit of space.

Look at the tables of the various agression levels that are in the library articles here on the forum. Choose carefully and don't overstock. Give them room and a 75 can be a very nice setup for haps or peacocks. Placidochromis electra would be a nice one. A half dozen juvies to grow together would be my starting point.


----------



## chinds78

*PfunMo*,

Thanks for the tip. I will take that inot consideration. Would a 5 or even 6 t tank be better for haps/peacocks?


----------



## 13razorbackfan

My 75g is stocked with 5 peacocks, 2 haps and some others. I have 10 total. It does take some time but I can tell you over the last 3 weeks have been **** trying to find the right combination. I would recommend putting them all in at once or in large groups and make sure to get them big enough to sex. If I had to do it all over again I would order online(from a sponsor of this site of course) and get as many as I could get in one shot. Many online stores vent their fish as to know what sex you are buying. I have had to return several fish to my LFS that appeared to be male by coloration, fins, etc...but in fact were females. Nightmare!


----------



## B&amp;K

Note, I didn't say that they couldn't be kept in a 75, or even a 55. However, my experience keeping an all-male Hap/Peacock tank in a fifty-five was nothing short of trying. There were constant trips to the lfs for returns and exchanges. Every time I thought I had struck a "balance", a new bully would emerge. At first, it seemed worth the money and trouble, but after some time it burned me out. I learned as I went, but in the end, I was convinced that I would want another two feet of length if I were ever to attempt it again. If you have the option, improve your chances for success and go for a six foot tank.


----------



## chinds78

Since I live in a smaller apt I would really like to stick with a four foot tank. Even that is pushing it, but it will be fine. I'll make it fit. I was thinking of either getting a 55G to move my mbuna to or a 75G for the haps/peacocks.

[*13razorbackfan*,
What species do you have in your tank? Is the mix working ok now?


----------



## 13razorbackfan

chinds78 said:


> Since I live in a smaller apt I would really like to stick with a four foot tank. Even that is pushing it, but it will be fine. I'll make it fit. I was thinking of either getting a 55G to move my mbuna to or a 75G for the haps/peacocks.
> 
> [*13razorbackfan*,
> What species do you have in your tank? Is the mix working ok now?


Just finished stocking it yesterday as a matter of fact and it is working perfectly. No females that I know of and they are getting along quite well. I have:

3.5" fusco
3.25" red fin borleyi
2.25" sunshine peacock
2" baenschi peacock
1.25" sunburst peacock
1.75" eureka/ruby red peacock
2.5" albino eureka red peacock
2.25" electric blue ahli
2.25" yellow rock kribensis
2.75" Copadichromis azureus

Plus my pleco.

Finally have the tank the way I want with everybody...for the most part...getting along. There is a bit of chasing here or there but nothing like before I got rid of the females and my mean as **** blue moori. He was the smallest fish in the tank but virtually impossible to add new fish because he would attack right away. Almost like having a kenyi or auratus.


----------



## PfunMo

There is another item that I had not mentioned but seems likely to me. Back in the days when I had my peacocks, there was much discussion of the hazards of breeding fish for special colors or even feeding foods with chemicals to enhance the colors. It was considered highly unethical to breed and sell the "unnatural" result but it was done anyway. The thinking was that it tended to create fish that were much more aggressive than the natural fish. Now that we have moved 25 or so years and really gotten into a spot where getting the hot new color is what the whole game is about, I see some of the results. The fish in the market today are much more colorful but also much more aggresive. Sometimes the human race is just not very smart!!


----------



## brinkles

Pfunmo, I've been thinking the same thing. The most colorful fish is normally the most aggressive, if we keep choosing him...


----------



## PfunMo

Another reason 13 razor might be having trouble with a hap/peacock tank is that some of those are neither! While ahli are still known in the trade as hap ahli, they are really mbuna at heart and action. I see their profile is still under haps but to me they are mbuna! Same with Copadichromis azureus . They may technically be haps but they are mbuna in action. Choosing aggressive fish to stock with peacocks is trouble. I advise looking very carefully at a number of sources before choosing which fish.


----------



## 13razorbackfan

PfunMo said:


> Another reason 13 razor might be having trouble with a hap/peacock tank is that some of those are neither! While ahli are still known in the trade as hap ahli, they are really mbuna at heart and action. I see their profile is still under haps but to me they are mbuna! Same with Copadichromis azureus . They may technically be haps but they are mbuna in action. Choosing aggressive fish to stock with peacocks is trouble. I advise looking very carefully at a number of sources before choosing which fish.


They all seem to be doing fine now. They may change as they start to mature but I hope not. The blue moori I had was the real trouble maker and I think the females I had in the tank were also causing problems. So far so good.


----------



## DrgRcr

I've got 10 Peacocks and Haps in a 72g bowfront. No issues whatsoever, not even a nipped fin. There are a few chases here and there, but never sustained. Stock with the smaller Haps and Peacocks under 6", and try to keep no two that look alike. This alone will give you a good jumpstart(but no guarantee on harmony). Have a few places for hiding as well. Then just observe and adjust stock as needed.


----------



## chinds78

Ten is what I was thinking of going with.


----------



## des

I've been running my 75 gallon peacock/hap tank since April of this year and I've had no problems (knock on wood). I would say minimum 75 gallon would be a good start. Depending on the amount of rock and decoration, 8-12 fish would be okay. I have more but I don't mind doing frequent water changes.

*Filtration*
I'm using Eheim 2075 and a Fluval U4 (helps greatly with water movement on the surface).
I do weekly 25% water changes.

*Stock*
Aulonocara Baenschi 'sunshine peacock' 
Aulonocara German Red 
Aulonocara 'eureka red' 
Aulonocara Maulana 'bi-colour' 
Aulonocara sp. 'Lwanda' - recently added
dragonblood peacock
albino peacock 
Copadichromis Borleyi 'red fin' 
Protomelas Steveni Taiwan Reef 
Protomelas Taeniolatus 'red empress' 
Sciaenochromis Fryeri 'electric blue hap' 
5x Synodontis Multipunctatus
Plecostromus

Feel free to see my video below for ideas and let me know if you have any questions.


----------



## gverde

3.5 Inch Fusco

This hap will grow from 8-10" .The N. fusco will eventually outgrow the 75 gal. They are also pretty
aggressive and could be too aggressive for your stock. I would keep an eye on him or her.


----------



## 13razorbackfan

gverde said:


> 3.5 Inch Fusco
> 
> This hap will grow from 8-10" .The N. fusco will eventually outgrow the 75 gal. They are also pretty
> aggressive and could be too aggressive for your stock. I would keep an eye on him or her.


He seems to be doing ok but does do alot of swimming back and forth. I hope to upgrade to a longer 125 sometime hopefully a year or less and will move him over there along with the borleyi. I agree.....they both need a larger tank.


----------



## jerry11

DrgRcr said:


> I've got 10 Peacocks and Haps in a 72g bowfront. No issues whatsoever, not even a nipped fin. There are a few chases here and there, but never sustained. Stock with the smaller Haps and Peacocks under 6", and try to keep no two that look alike. This alone will give you a good jumpstart(but no guarantee on harmony). Have a few places for hiding as well. Then just observe and adjust stock as needed.


I would love to see your stock list!


----------



## 13razorbackfan

gverde said:


> 3.5 Inch Fusco
> 
> This hap will grow from 8-10" .The N. fusco will eventually outgrow the 75 gal. They are also pretty
> aggressive and could be too aggressive for your stock. I would keep an eye on him or her.


My fusco has been super passive UNTIL today. I pulled all my rock structure out monday and put in different rocks. He likes the new rocks better because they are round and smooth versus rough and jagged. He/she was digging out a large tunnel in one of the structures and had ALL my fish either at the top of the tank or the opposite side of the tunnel he/she dug. He/she was hitting my fish pretty hard and that was the first time I seen him/her do that. I re-arranged the rocks again just a little while ago so he/she could not get in them. Hopefully this will curb the aggressiveness. If not then I will have to find him/her a new home.


----------

