# help stocking all male peacocks



## westbanksfinest (Nov 6, 2008)

i want to do an all male peacock (i want to try all blue) and maybe 3 yellow labs fish tank. i am getting a 4' 55g tank. how many peacocks should i go with and will they be to agressive if they resemble each other?


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## jdgambler111 (Apr 1, 2008)

I'm trying to do the same in a 125.I started with electric blue.He seems to be very peaceful.You might not be able to do all blue with a variety of species.I also have a lemon jake that seems to mind his own.The yellow fish are good I also have them.The mloto i have is followed by the full grown tinfoil barb who just is trying to school,otherwise he would be more agg towards other fish that I have ,but he thinks hes being chased so that helps.I think.I have a number of non blue fish in the tank as well.catfish,strawberry peacock,ruby barbs,pleco.hope i could help


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

you wouldn't want all the males to look the same. not really sure what you mean by "all blue"?


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## westbanksfinest (Nov 6, 2008)

sorry, by all blue i mean like a lemon jake, a flavescent, a flametail ngara, and a A stuarganti mbowe island.. they all kind of look alike with small differences i have seen videos of peacocks that look alike in the same tank so i figure that this combination would work and i just want to get some opinions before going through with it


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If they look alike they will fight to the death. When you do an all male tank you go out of your way to choose fish that look* nothing *alike.


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

This is a good start for an all male peacock tank

Red shoulder
Ngara flame tail
Sunshine
Copadichromis mloto ivory head
German/ruby red
Yellow jake

A bi-color would work, too, although I don't have direct experience. I have all of the others in one tank and they do not bother each other.

If you want to add blue, add some p. acei, which work fine with the peacocks.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

For a successful all male tank you want to keep males that do not look similar, especially in this tank. Personally, I think a 55 is pushing the limits for an all male tank, but it has been done. I also would not add any of the more aggressive peaocks, which would include Jakes and Lwanda. If you branch out from peacocks, S. fryeri can be a bit nippy for a 55 gallon too. Sticking to fish that stay on the small side, and keeping to the more docile specimens, can help to increase your chances for success.

One thing you must be willing to do is be flexible. You have to be willing to swap out fish until you get a nice balance. Once you achieve that balance you will have to resist the urge to add additional fish. Unfortunately, there is no magic number of male peacocks, this is a trial and error type of process.


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## westbanksfinest (Nov 6, 2008)

thank you very much for the suggestions.... is there any particular trick to making them less agressive like more or less... also my friend has a flavescent and a mbowe peacock which look pretty similar and he doesnt have problems but they are both about 3 to four inches... are they not going after each other b/c there not fully mature yet or did he get lucky. he has an all male peacock tank with i think a 50 gallon tank.


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## morningsky (Apr 22, 2008)

I am trying for an all male peacock/hap tank in a 125. My lwanda fights with everyone. I dont have any peacocks that resemble him he hates all fish equally.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

westbanksfinest said:


> thank you very much for the suggestions.... is there any particular trick to making them less agressive like more or less... also my friend has a flavescent and a mbowe peacock which look pretty similar and he doesnt have problems but they are both about 3 to four inches... are they not going after each other b/c there not fully mature yet or did he get lucky. he has an all male peacock tank with i think a 50 gallon tank.


You can't realy make an aggressive fish less aggressive. You can help spread aggression out by over stocking. Peacocks, however, do not always do well with over stocking. Why your friend is able to keep two similar peacocks together could be due to age, maturity, or even display. Often some males will color down to avoid aggression. These may just be two mild-mannered specimens. Like I said, this is a trial and error process.



morningsky said:


> I am trying for an all male peacock/hap tank in a 125. My lwanda fights with everyone. I dont have any peacocks that resemble him he hates all fish equally.


Which is why they are on my "not in a small tank list".


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## itsalmosteasy (Jan 8, 2009)

All you can do is try and if one gets aggressive take it out. I was told I couldn't an all male tank unless it was a min of 4' long. My tank is 34" long. Right now it has absolutly no rocks and 10 peacocks/haps in it with very minimal aggression. A couple look similar but still no nipped fins or anything.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

How long have you had them in the tank, itsalmosteasy?


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## itsalmosteasy (Jan 8, 2009)

Going on a month now.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

itsalmosteasy said:


> Going on a month now.


Hardly qualifies as something to hold up as a working example. Once the fish are settled in, mature, and showing full colour for at least six months to a year, than it is a worthwhile note.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I felt the same way for the first 8 months I had my fish...what was with all the dire predictions? After 8 months, I found out, LOL. That's when I upgraded to my 125G 72" tank.


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## itsalmosteasy (Jan 8, 2009)

I figured you would say something like that but it is working well so far. All but one of my fish (maylandi) are fully colored. The only aggression problem I have had so far was the first couple days when I only had 3 in the tank. I am going to add a few more then thin them down as I decide which I like or if some become aggressive.


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Yes, staying away from those peacocks with general reps for being more aggressive is good advice. (I've never done a Lwanda for that reason). I have had trouble with Eureka Red (he went back to the LFS) and an Otter Point (could have been a red jake; ID not certain); he also went back. Now I do have a docile yellow jake, but if he was not, he'd be re-homed, too. The list I provided earlier in this thread are all in my tank (upwards of a year together) and doing fine.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

itsalmosteasy said:


> I figured you would say something like that but it is working well so far.


It wasn't a slight on you, but you have to understand how often we read a post similar to yours, "It is working fine so far". All too often things tend to fall apart as time wears on, the fish mature, and aggression sets in. It is fine to give your experiences, but we really need to temper what we say by the amount of experience with the particular setup. Our purpose is to help members achieve success with their tanks, and we find it better to error on the side of caution. This means making suggestions with the greatest chance for success, and warning when issues are likely to occur. Case in point, all-male tanks can be difficult to setup, with tank size being an important factor.


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## jbacker7 (Jul 16, 2008)

I saw someone already said it but I'll second it...Be careful with Lwanda in a 55. I have one in mine and I think I may need to take him out due to agression.


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## westbanksfinest (Nov 6, 2008)

has anyone had problems with a flavescent peacock in being too aggressive


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## itsalmosteasy (Jan 8, 2009)

I haven't seen any agression with mine and I have a benga with him


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## jbacker7 (Jul 16, 2008)

My flavescent is one of the more laid back fish in the tank.


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