# Keepin a GT and peacocks/haps in a 90 or 125



## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

Hi Cichlid forum. I was wondering if i could keep a lone male GT in a tank full of large haps and peacocks. I will be buying this tank in a few months. Its probably going to be a 90 or 130g.

I wanted to know if this will work out. I know about the different PH of the species but i thought Gt can survive in hard water as well. Also since they've been in the hobby for so long, if acclimated properly, they will survive.(right? :-? )

I want this tank to be an all male, and i've all ready thought of some species to add:

Otopharynx lithobates (Zimbawe)
Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"
Cyrtocara moorii
Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (Taiwan Reef)

Any advice would be great thanks

Also if anybody here lives in Ontario, Canada could you tell me where to buy these cichlids or tell me where i could get some thanks Mark


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

OK I'll bite. What is a GT? I'm sure I'll kick myself when you tell me. :lol:


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

GT equals a Green terror


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## gverde (Mar 3, 2010)

I have a mixed CA and African cichlid tank. I have a male 8" Green Terror wth a couple 7-8" haps and a several 3.5-4" peacocks together. The water parameters are geared more towards the africans but I have had no issues with the CA fish. I also have a pair of Red Devils that are breeding and doing fine. The GT chases the haps every now and then but there really is no aggressiveness. The tank is a 220 gallon so it may be different in a smaller tank.


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

Awesome based on what you've said gver its definitely possible to keep a green terror with haps and peacocks together in relative harmony. 

But... will it be possible in a 130g or 90g? Any advice now would be great.

Also what kind of signs should i watch out for with the fish. Like aggresion wise?


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## nauTik (Mar 18, 2009)

The bigger the tank the better your chances of making it work will be IMO

Just watch for normal things, if you have fish showing severe signs of stress then there's something not working. With an all male setup you aren't just going to have to worry about the GT's aggression, your other males could also pose problems. It's just how all male tanks are.


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

I see your point, thanks for the advice. So what i have to watch out for is the growing aggression of the males when they get older. And watch the domianat males.

Now i have a few other questions. Im planning to get the tank when i start my new grade in high school(grade 11  ) So i was thinking should i buy a group of my haps or green terrors and see who turns into a male or start to show male color?

Or should i buy a nice colored up 3-4inch proven male? Any help would be great! Sorry for all the questions. Need to get this right or im gonna regret it later :lol:


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## nauTik (Mar 18, 2009)

Markoi said:


> I see your point, thanks for the advice. So what i have to watch out for is the growing aggression of the males when they get older. And watch the domianat males.
> 
> Now i have a few other questions. Im planning to get the tank when i start my new grade in high school(grade 11  ) So i was thinking should i buy a group of my haps or green terrors and see who turns into a male or start to show male color?
> 
> Or should i buy a nice colored up 3-4inch proven male? Any help would be great! Sorry for all the questions. Need to get this right or im gonna regret it later :lol:


You're better off buying a few young juvies and weeding out the dominant males from each group. This way they grow up together and you will have better chances of having it work. I'd suggest getting all of your fish to grow up together instead of growing them out one by one as well.

With an all male tank having a second smaller tank on standby is a big plus as well while you are building your stock. In case you need to remove any bullies or females, before you return them or find them new homes.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think I'd go with the more aggressive haps if I wanted to try it and avoid the lithobates and the moorii.


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

If i bought the moori and lithobates for the tank they would be picked on by the other fish? I thought they grew pretty big and could defend themselves to?

If i need larger more aggressive haps, could you guys give me some options on some large haps/peacocks.

I was thinking about a red empress hap but i need more suggestions. Also I've decided to buy the 130g instead of the 90g(more space )

How many fish could i keep in a 130g. I was thinking about 14-15fish all males.


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## nauTik (Mar 18, 2009)

Markoi said:


> If i bought the moori and lithobates for the tank they would be picked on by the other fish? I thought they grew pretty big and could defend themselves to?
> 
> If i need larger more aggressive haps, could you guys give me some options on some large haps/peacocks.
> 
> ...


What are the dimensions of the 130g? is it a 6foot tank? If so you will be able to keep pretty much any of the larger more aggressive haps available.

I think your litho could handle himself with a GT in the tank, especially in a 6foot tank. I'm not too sure about the moori though, I have no experience with them though I've heard they are very docile. I guess it all depends really on how much of a terror your GT is .

Like I said earlier though, any one of your male haps or peacocks could cause just as much if not more trouble than your GT. It's all about their individual personalities. For example at the moment my aulonocara baenschi is the most aggressive fish in a tank with haps that are considered to be much more aggressive.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

nauTik said:


> With an all male tank having a second smaller tank on standby is a MUST as well while you are building your stock. In case you need to remove any bullies or females, before you return them or find them new homes.


Fixed - if you are going with larger aggressive haps.

Personally, I would get young sex able males and not juvie groups.

I had 3 groups of haps I grew from 1in fry in my tank and when I decided to go all male I added sexable males to the dominant males I already had.

Having kind of done both - I'd pick the sex able male route to do an all male tank.

You will not want to add females once you have mature males in the tank - I put what I though was a young male P. electra in my tank and all [email protected]!! broke loose until I removed *her* (I later found out).

I agree with the not knowing who is going to be a problem - For 6months I _had_ a Flametail peacock and an A. Walteri living happily together then one day the Flametail simply wanted to kill the A. Walteri causing WWIII each time they were in the tank together - and I seperated and reintroduced them numerous times - last time was after 2 months apart. The Flametail ended up also try to pick fights with everyone else if the A. Walteri was not in the tank.

Another happier case, my big Liuli wanted to take out a Taiwan Reef the first time I introduce the Taiwan Reef with a couple of other fish - waited a few months and tried again when introducing another fish and it worked just fine the second time.

So, IME you just don't know. A timeout/rehome tank is a must to me.

Good Luck.


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

Thanks for the advice guys. The tank in question is a 130g which is a 6foot tank. I also have a 55g and a 15g that ill getting from my friend. Ill prob use these tanks as temporary homes if some of the fish get too aggressive.

I've already thought about a few fish that 'could' in the 130g. Some of the fish i want could be a frontosa and a red empress. I front isn't really that aggressive so i think he'll be a nice fit but im concerned about his future adult size? Any help would be great 

Also i want to have at least 15-20 fish in the tank to reduce aggression. Do you guys think this is a good number or should i add or remove some of the fish?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Fronts are usually kept in groups (even a single species tank) because they are flustered by more boisterous fish and may fail to thrive.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

Markoi said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. The tank in question is a 130g which is a 6foot tank. I also have a 55g and a 15g that ill getting from my friend. Ill prob use these tanks as temporary homes if some of the fish get too aggressive.
> 
> I've already thought about a few fish that 'could' in the 130g. Some of the fish i want could be a frontosa and a red empress. I front isn't really that aggressive so i think he'll be a nice fit but im concerned about his future adult size? Any help would be great
> 
> Also i want to have at least 15-20 fish in the tank to reduce aggression. Do you guys think this is a good number or should i add or remove some of the fish?


I concur with DJRansome as to the front not being the best idea.

It is always easier to pull a couple of males once they are full grown than add a few later and you need to assume a couple will be problematic - your favorites of course :roll:.

A few things I have picked up and fish thoughts:

If you want peacocks to show their best color then Copadichromis, Lethrinops, Otopharynx, Placidochromis, and some Protomelas are the most compatible. Some of the larger predatory haps can be a bit too dominate.

Placidochromis is my favorite hap species group - size and temprament are great. Have had fantastic luck with them over the years.

If you haven't kept Malawi cichlids before - I would error on the side of going more peaceful at first. The Hap V. Mbuna article here has an aggression scale which is quite useful.

Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Tanzania" (Liuli) is a very under-rated and peaceful fish.

Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania" is a must have in any 6ft all male tank.

Never add a single fish once things are established- try to add 3-4 at a time.

Go with #20 silica sand as your substrate - just wash the heck out of it.

Placidochromis milomo, Dimidiochromis compressiceps, Copadichromis borleyi (Kadango), Sciaenochromis fryeri (Maleri Is.) & Cyrtocara moorii would(will) be my adds if(when) I upgrade to a 6ft tank (Wife doesn't think it should happen for a while).

Good Luck.


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

Alright guys after careful thinking, i've come up with a list of potential fish i want to keep. Well here goes nothing: 

Labidochromis caeruleus (Kakusa)
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Msuli)
Aulonocara (Rubescens)
Aristochromis christyi
Copadichromis borleyi (Kadango)
Cyrtocara moorii
Dimidiochromis compressiceps
Nimbochromis venustus
Otopharynx lithobates (Zimbawe)
Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Likoma Is.)
Protomelas spilonotus (Mara Rocks)
Tyrannochromis nigriventer (Northern)

I have some mbuna in there but there relatively peaceful. Now anyone see any future problems with this stock. I know that fish have individual personalities but do you guys see any problems with a certain fish? Any criticism will help me make this tank complete.

P.S I have about 12 fish in there, so is that enough to reduce aggresion or should i add another 2-3 males?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What happened to the GT? And are we talking only about the 72" tank now? You've got some 11" fish on your list.


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

Yeah i forgot to add the GT. So if i remove all the 11 inch fish from the list excluding the GT, will the setup work? Like would they all live together in relative happiness?


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