# African Cichlids



## Romona (Dec 8, 2017)

I will be setting up a 55 gal african cichlid tank within the next week and let it cycle before stocking. First I need to know can I stock it with all males? I really don't want to breed them. Here are the fish that I've been looking at: Rust, Ruby green, Tropheus Moorii Nkonde, Kadango, Lemon Jack Peacock, Yellow lab, Dragon blood, Blue moorii, Acrid, Chinuni, Otopharynx tetrastigma and Elongated chewere. I'm trying to go for the less aggressive ones.


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## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

I doubt the mix you have picked will work long term for a number of reasons. The tropheus does best in a species tank, the kandango and blue moorii both get too large for a 55, the lemon Jake and dragonsblood are both on the more aggressive side of peacocks and the tetrastigma normally are too wimpy for an all male tank.


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## Romona (Dec 8, 2017)

Ok, will the others do good together?


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## Romona (Dec 8, 2017)

Is there any other suggestions that I can look at?


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## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

It's best to pick which fish interest you the most and build around them. You have alot of options, mbuna, haps/peacocks, or something from lake tanganika.


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## Romona (Dec 8, 2017)

So I should stay with one lake?


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Just to add on to what James said, it's ideal to pick one category, either Malawi Mbuna, Malawi haps/peacocks, or Tanganyikans but not a combination. Consider them different categories that are better left unmixed.


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## Romona (Dec 8, 2017)

:thumb:


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## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

Romona said:


> So I should stay with one lake?


I would. I've tried lake tangs and victorians with my haps and peacocks and they never really worked.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Read the all-male Malawi article in the Cichlid-forum Library. It's a challenging tank even if you have a 75G or larger. Not only would I choose one lake, it would be Malawi and I would stick to haps and peacocks that mature <= six inches. From your original list that includes Otopharynx tetrastigma. Yellow labs is a mbuna that can work with this plan...but I would avoid other mbuna.


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## Romona (Dec 8, 2017)

Thank you, there was a lot of good info in that article. Maybe I would be better off adding some females. I'm confused, but cycling the tank should allow me some time to figure it out. Hopefully! Lol


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

A nice beginner tank with every fish colorful would be mbuna mixed gender with 3 species and 1m:4f of each:
Labidochromis caeruleus
Iodotropheus sprengerae
Cynotilapia sp hara

Just let the females spit in the tank...the adults will handle survivors as they do in nature.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

DJRansome said:


> A nice beginner tank with every fish colorful would be mbuna mixed gender with 3 species and 1m:4f of each:
> Labidochromis caeruleus
> Iodotropheus sprengerae
> Cynotilapia sp hara
> ...


This would be a nice combination.


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## Romona (Dec 8, 2017)

Those are really nice. You know, for some reason I did not realize the Rusty was a mbuna and that's my favorite.


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