# 125 Gallon African Tank of mixed species



## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

Here is the first pic of my 125 Gallon African Tank
It is a work in progress, as I have fish from Lake Malawi, Tanganyika, and Lake George



Looking for any opinions to see if I am on the right track

I currently have 23 fish in the tank, and plan to add some more to maybe 30 -35 fish


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

The tank is nice looking, but fish mix my be difficult. I see a few Frontosa. They do best in a species tank. They can exist with Haps but really don't show their best. I see a Venustus and a few Peacocks. A Peacock/Hap tank may be a better fit for a 125. You say you have fish from Lake George, a lesser known African lake. Do you have Yellow Belly Alberts in there? Some of the Vic type cichlids can be overly aggressive or not show great colors in thios type of set-up. It can be hit and miss. Best of Luck, and keep us posted.


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## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

Yes I do have a Yellow Belly Alberts in there and I am alos planning on adding a Hap Flameback as well, which I believe is from that Lake or another of those lesser known lakes
I realize the mix may be a bit different, but I will definitely be watching closely, and so far no real aggression anywhere, and if things change I will rehome or remove and troublesome or troubled fish


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## Henrique.Jones (Dec 27, 2013)

It is a nice looking tank.
Congos and best wishes.
Keep posted.
I am fond of Fronts but it is very rare here in my local.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

plug said:


> Yes I do have a Yellow Belly Alberts in there and I am alos planning on adding a Hap Flameback as well, which I believe is from that Lake or another of those lesser known lakes
> I realize the mix may be a bit different, but I will definitely be watching closely, and so far no real aggression anywhere, and if things change I will rehome or remove and troublesome or troubled fish


I'm trying not to be a "negative Nellie", but have seen many similar tanks fail. The biggest issues will start about a year in, as fish reach sexual maturity. You may not even see the aggression, but if you start having random sickness, and /or death, you will know that it is occurring. Keep on your toes.


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## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

Are you suggesting I maybe remove the frontosa and the Lake George fish...the yellow belly alberts?
I do have 3 venustus and will rehome 2 of them as they grow
Now that I have Multiple Tank Syndrome, I am already thinking about a separate Lake Tanganyka tank for the Frontosa...possibly

so far my OB Peacock is really nicely coloured as well as my German Red Peacock...most of the other fish are still small and not much colour


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Things I can see happening...
1. Fronts get nipped picked on, or eat smaller fish. (Species tank would be best)
2. Random assortment of fish provides too many males and not enough females to form breeding groups Extra males fight and females are harassed to death.
3. Hybrid babies from such unions.
4. Yellow Belly Alberts could go either way. I've not kept them, but understand that they are not overly energetic, like Malawi fish. They may be able to hold their own.

Possible Solutions..
1. An all male tank, rehome all females. Keep a male Front and hope he doesn't eat the smaller fish, or rehome all the Fronts.
2. Pick 3-5 species of fish that you love in the tank, and form breeding groups. 1m to 4-6 females. Bigger fish 3 species(15 fish), mix of species 4 species( 20-25 fish), 5-6" fish, 5 species (30ish fish)


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## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

You offer some interesting insights obviously from your wealth of experience and knowledge
I will take all into consideration as I am by far no expert

My initial plan was to have all male tank, and from I have been told, all my Peacocks are males, but as for the other fish, it is hard to tell

Obviously my tank will be a work in progress as I continue to fine tune it taking all suggestions given and working from there


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I's all trial an error. I have made many mistakes along the way, and continue to do so. I have seen tanks that I was skeptical about do fine, and tanks that should be foolproof, fail. It's just best to know how they should act and be prepared. But, as I am fond of saying, "Fish don't read their profiles!"


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd shoot for 25 fish (mixed genders) or 18 fish (all male) in a 125G depending on the species. When I tried mixing Tangs with Malawi peacocks and haps it didn't work well (leleupi, trets, calvus). Same with mixing Victorians with peacocks and haps (flamebacks, nyererei). No one died but the fish from the non-Malawi lake did better in species tanks or community tanks with others of their same Lake. Just my experience.


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