# 4-6" stocklist....



## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Hi everyone.
My 135g is almost ready :dancing: and wouldn't mind some suggestions on my stocklist.
I upgrade from a 20g (1 lonely red oscar  ) to a 135g (hopefully around 30 african cicihlids).
My tank set up is http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=172834

My main focus for stocking my tank are fishes which are able to follow my hand movement across the tank as if it is feeding time (i know i sound silly  ) . Also i like fishes that are 4-6".
With these 2 things in mind, would anyone be able to give me some suggestions?

Thank you.
btw, i plan to use only rocks for my aquascape with crushed coral as my substrates.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

One more silly qestions.
What is the differences between Mbuna, Haps and Peacocks?  
I've been doing alot of research in the library section and i still don't understand.
Can someone tell me please (in general)?

Thanks


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

live2bet said:


> What is the differences between Mbuna, Haps and Peacocks?
> I've been doing alot of research in the library section and i still don't understand.
> Can someone tell me please (in general)?


Well, they are 3 different genus, but I'm sure you know that. Peacocks and haps are generally more peaceful than mbuna. They have different dietary needs, and different space requirements. Female peacocks and haps are generally quite drab in appearance, and as far as breeding goes, many of them shouldn't be housed together if you plan on distributing fry.

As far as a fish that's going to follow hand movement at feeding time, they all fit the bill. But this is also going to depend on you stocking the tank appropriately so that the fish aren't stressed or skittish. Try to keep it out of high traffic areas, as well.

Kim


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Some of the haps might exceed your size limitations, too.

Kim


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## namelessjoker (Apr 24, 2008)

I my self have a mix of many things in my tank. From Yellow Labs to Fron's to Venustus to Johanni's as wells as some peacocks mixed in like sunburst and strawberry's. All look to be doing well and have had them all in the same tank for about 6 months now with no losses.

Alot of people would say I have a few NO NO's going on but I like it. It is all in a 125g stacked full of rock. As stated above tho, some may outgrow the tank which means either be ready to trade them off or cramp them up.


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## gaqua (Apr 11, 2008)

cichlidaholic said:


> Well, they are 3 different genus, but I'm sure you know that. Peacocks and haps are generally more peaceful than mbuna. They have different dietary needs, and different space requirements. Female peacocks and haps are generally quite drab in appearance, and as far as breeding goes, many of them shouldn't be housed together if you plan on distributing fry.


I thought the only one that was its own genus was the Peacocks, or Aulonocara?

As the mbuna and haps have a lot of genus, like Cynotilapia, Pseudotropheus, Labidocrhomis, Protomelas, etc.


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## shimby (Apr 1, 2008)

if you want a fish that will follow your hands, that is easy. Just get a whole crew of zebras. Yellow Labs, etc. they are like puppies. but pretty much most tank raised fish mbunas will follow your hand because they are always looking to get fed.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks everyone.

I was at a lfs and some of the african cicihlids that they kept will dash to my finger when i put my finger on the glass and that amazed me  ,except the peacocks though (manager's reason being they were too frighten ).
   i bet this discussion about the finger thing sounds really really silly, so much so i wanted to lied to everyone that it was "my son" who was amazed :lol:

anyway please send in all comments as "my son" would really appreciate.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

This is looking tougher than i expected.......
Too many options.....

SOMEBODY GIVE ME A LIST 

Thanks again


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

i would be dissapointed with myself if i walk into Petsmart and get a bunch of Mixed African Cichlids :-?

Not happening, spent too much time into this project.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

gaqua said:


> cichlidaholic said:
> 
> 
> > Well, they are 3 different genus, but I'm sure you know that. Peacocks and haps are generally more peaceful than mbuna. They have different dietary needs, and different space requirements. Female peacocks and haps are generally quite drab in appearance, and as far as breeding goes, many of them shouldn't be housed together if you plan on distributing fry.
> ...


That's correct...I didn't say that just right! :thumb:

That was pretty vague...There are also different genus of haps. I shouldn't have said it that way, I should have said that they are all from different groups, and then gone into detail, but I don't believe the OP was asking for that.

Kim


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## gaqua (Apr 11, 2008)

cichlidaholic
That's correct...I didn't say that just right! :thumb:
That was pretty vague...There are also different genus of haps. I shouldn't have said it that way said:


> Oh no problem I was just confused - I thought I had completely misunderstood something!


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## namelessjoker (Apr 24, 2008)

You want a List huh. Heres a list of fish I like that fall into Mbuna.

Pseudotropheus sp. "Zebra Long Pelvic" 
Pseudotropheus Sp. (Elongatus Chewere) 
Metriaclima Callainos (Cobalt Blue) 
Melanochromis johanni 
Labidochromis sp. Hongi 
Pseudotropheus Sp. (Msuli) 
Pseudotropheus sp.red zebra "cherry red'

Check out http://bluegrasscichlids.com/home.html


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks namelessjoker.

Seem interesting. Mbuna are beautiful but from what i read, they are more difficult to keep compare to Haps and Peacocks. Is that due to their aggressive behaviours?

Thanks again.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

The only difficulty I can see in keeping mbuna is in picking your stock list carefully, housing them in a large enough tank, and getting the proper male/female ratios.

But, you have to do the same thing with haps and peacocks...

And it's worth ever bit of the work you put into it!


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

If i do decide to have a mix of Haps and Peacocks stock, should i start with the juvenile? How long does it take for them to get to be about 4-6"?

Thanks


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

If you want to go all male, I'd go with larger fish that are already showing good colour. It makes life alot easier than pulling females and subdominant males later. Of course, that's all going to depend on what's available in your area!


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks cichlidaholic.

Anymore suggestions?

Thanks


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

What size tank is this?


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

This is my current setup...

135g glass
2x Aquaclear 110
1x XP4
2x Stealth 250W heater
Crushed coral substrate (pretty sure)
Mexcio lava rock (in the process of cleaning up, just got yesterday)
No real plant intended.

All suggestions with stocklist are welcome  
Thanks


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Fishless cycle cycled!
Time to load it up  .

Been looking alot on fellow members stocklist and have learned that most Mbuna are about 3-4" big when adult so i gonna probably stock my tank with Haps and Peacocks as i like my fish to be a least 4" big. 
Am i heading the right direction (Haps and Peacocks) if i like bigger and colourful fish?
30 is the number fishes i'm looking to stock.

Can't wait to stock my tank.
All suggestions are welcome.
Thank you.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Actually, dwarf mbuna are about 3-4 inches as adults, but most get larger than that. I've had many mbuna that reached 5-6 inches in length.

I prefer breeding groups as opposed to all male tanks. I like to see the interaction of the groups with both male and female.

Most hap and peacock females are drab in appearance, and you don't want to mix breeding groups of many of them due to crossbreeding issues. It's different with mbuna. You can get colourful females, and choose species that aren't likely to hybridize.

So, once again, it's going to depend on what you want here. :thumb:


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks cichlidaholic.

Dwarf mbuna are too small as i wanted to keep about 30 4-6" stocks.
I'm with you as far as breeding group is concern but more for convienence rather than breeding.
Not gonna sell the ****, so i have no worries about hybridization.

Thanks again for current and future suggestions :thumb:


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

:-? :-? :-? 
Took the day off and spent the last 8 hours looking at Library, Profiles and fellow member tanks and i'm all *CONFUSED*.

Mbuna?
Haps?
Peacocks?
Mixed?

Can anyone please help me make a decision, PLEASE :x ?
Tank is cycled and i need to get my stock in asap.

Thanks in advance.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

No one can tell you what to pick, they can only tell you what they have and what they prefer. It's your tank...You're the one who has to care for them, so you might as well go with what you like!

I prefer mbuna. I like the aggression, and I like the challenge of making a tank work with some of the more "difficult" species. I've kept peacocks - I have a jake right now that is terrorizing a mbuna tank - but I like keeping breeding groups, and peacocks take forever to grow out, so I lose interest.

I tried the all male thing with mbuna, and I didn't like it. I found it boring after watching the interactions of breeding groups.

I've never tried an all male peacock and hap tank, but the dynamics must be different, because alot of people really like that set up.

So, my vote is mbuna...And since it's your first set up, I would go with breeding groups of some of the "easier" ones to keep. Yellow labs, Ps. acei, and Iodotropheus sprengerae are pretty good starter mbuna, and your male to female ratios won't matter as much with these. Then you could add a group of the more challenging aggressive ones later.


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## utamatt (May 21, 2008)

Get a mixed tank. I have a 75 gallon that has about 14 different species in it from mbuna, haps, peacocks, tangs, trophues, and even a south american cichlid. Most will say that this is a big No No, but my fish get along great. I even have a pair of zebra's that breed. Just get what makes you happy. Here is my stock list

1 Demasoni
1 Albino Peocock
1 OB ZEBRA
1 Yellow Lab
3 Red Zebra (1 is a baby)
1 blue dolphin
1 Clavus
2 strawberry peacock
1 Tropheus Duboise
1 Leporinus
1 bristlenose pleco
1 daffadil


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks utamatt.
Interesting list.

Keep it coming


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Is it true that Mbuna are more active compare to Haps and Peacocks? 
Now i'm leaning toward Mbuna  .
Like i said, I confused.

Thanks in advance.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I don't know if you'd call them "more active", but IMO, they are definitely more "entertaining".

The aggression level is certainly higher, and it can be a bit of a challenge getting that perfect balance in a tank as far as peace goes, but once you get a grasp on what you can and cannot do, it's a breeze.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks cichlidaholic.

I just sent an email to Eddie of Bluegrasscichlid and hopefully he can give me some recommendations 

Thanks again


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I would steer away from the "mixed bags" of cichlids.

Pick species that are compatible with each other to build your tank on.

If you're interested in mbuna, go through the profiles, see what you like, and post your interests here for help in what will work together and what won't.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

How about these....

6x Melanochromis johanni
6x Metriaclima estherae (red)
6x Labidochromis caeruleus (lion's cove I)
6x Pseudotropheus flavus
6x Metriaclima callainos
6x Metriaclima fainziberi HONGI
3x Synodontis multipunctatus

Thanks :fish:


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

live2bet, your name is appropriate for LV. :lol: 
I have to say the variety of colors on Peacocks and Haps far outweigh the Mbuna behavior. I have had both. Also the Mbunas body shapes all look an awful lot alike and plain, the peacocks and haps have different different head shapes, fin shapes, body colors ,fin colors and so on. My all male tank has been one of the most worry free, stress free tanks *** ever had and I would highly recommend them. Another plus to the Peacocks is that you get to see them transform from juvenile to brightly color adults before your eyes in a matter of weeks. Here's a list of some of my fish and fish i would like to have to have the ultimate colorful show tank. I would def recommend mail ordering your fish to be able to get the ones you want as most LFS wont have all of these. Good luck

Auloncara Baenshi
Aul. German red
Aul. Jaco Eureka
Aul. Jaco. Otter Point
Aul. Lwanda
Aul. Stuartgranti (lots of these to pick from)
Aul. Albino Eureka

Copidichromis Azureus
Copidichromis Borleyi
Cop. Trewavase

Dimidiochromis Compressiceps (get one smaller than your other fish)

Placidochromis Electra
Placidochromis Pheno. Tanzania

Protomelas Spilonotus Tanzania
Protomelas Steveni Taiwan
Protomelas taeniolatus (Red)

Sciaenochromis fryeri electric blue


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## Gibbs (Apr 21, 2008)

All male hap tank


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Can anyone tell me what tank is this please?





thanks in advance.


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

thats a mostly Mbuna tank and I saw one Hap in there.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks all.
How about my list? :fish:


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Change my mind again :-? .

I like this set up......
Can anyone tell me what are these?




(thanks to wilddolphine1, awesome tank and i thought i share with the world)

Thanks all


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

thats a mostly Mbuna tank as well. yellow labs, electric blue Johanni,cobalt zebra's


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks F8LBITEva.
*Mbuna tank it shall be.*
Would you be able to tell what is his stocklist like?

Thanks


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

I only know the names to the few I mentioned. The key with Mbuna is to have plenty of rockwork for hiding and making caves and overcrowding to disperse aggression. with overcrowding comes overfiltering and more emphasis on frequent waterchanges. You might want to create a youtube account and send that person a message asking for his stocklist. For the most part his fish are pretty common Mbunas and should be readily available.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Thanks again F8LBITEva.

I think my filtration system should me go enough. It looks like this.....
2x AquaClear 110
1x XP4 (have a budget for another one if required)

Tomorrow i'm gonna call up landscape company and try getting some LACE rock for caves. While we are at rocks, how do you do a gavel vacumn if the tank is filled with rocks, especially in between those caves? Too late for UGF now  .

Didn't thought of it  , just sent him a PM, hope he shares his stocklist with me.

Thanks again and all advise and suggestions are welcome.


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

no problem, I remove my rocks and place them in an aquarium use only tub and syphon the crushed coral every other month or so.


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

live2bet said:


> How about these....
> 
> 6x Melanochromis johanni
> 6x Metriaclima estherae (red)
> ...


Any comments?
Thanks


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## mittzgame (Oct 3, 2006)

Too many conflicting species IMO. I would stick with 4-5 species not from the same species (the syno's don't count- the more the merrier as long as you have the filtration).

Personally I'd go with this list:

*6x Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos* (less agressive and monomorphic- the female johanni would be the same as labs and potentially cause problems, not to mention you'd have only one blue male and 5 yellow females with the johanni

*6x Metriaclima estherae (red)* (will cross breed like crazy with labs- even if you don't plan to save/sell fry, they will still be there and you will still have to euthanize them)

*6x Pseudotropheus flavus* (I've never kept them, so no other advice other than follow stocking recommendations in the profiles- but they will give you some nice yellow instead of the labs!)

*6x Cynotilapia White Top Hara* (instead of the fainzilberi. Because the fainzilberi are Metriaclima they present too many problems with the estherae. They are dimorphic but the females should be nearly as pretty as the males White Top Hara Pics)

*6x Pseudotropheus socolofi* (instead of the callainos because they would've crossed very very easily with the estherae)

*3-6 x Synodontis multipunctatus * (no problems there, load em up!)

:thumb:


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Awww, I'm late to the party and wanted to re-suggest a male peacock/hap tank. You have a nice big tank and you could get some incredibly beautiful larger haps. Their colors are amazing and they have great personalities. I also like being able to actually tell me fish apart and see their different personalities. Some ideas:

Red Empress
Taiwan Reef
Albino Taiwan Reef
Otopharynx lithobates
Copadichromis mloto (ivory head)

Plus:

Ruby red/German red peacock
Ngara flametail
Red shoulder
Yellow Jake

there are others. they just can't look alike and you have to be certain they are males.

Also, you can definitely go for more multipunctatus is such a large tank. I'd do 5 if I were you. I adore mine. They will also eat the fry (if you go the mbuna route) so I doubt you'd have to actually catch and euthanize anything . . .


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## live2bet (May 19, 2008)

Yes hollyfish 2000, too late for mixed. I have settled for Mbuna to start with (might get creative when i have more expreiences).
Thanks though.

mittzgame, thanks for the the detailed stocklist, i made a slight revision of my stocklist and i have posted at Malawi thread since thats where i'm heading.

Fellow members please join me at http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=174897 for all comments, advises and suggestions with regards to my stocklist.

Thanks for being so helpful :thumb: you gal/guys rock!!!


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