# stocking list 125 gallon



## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

Hello all i have a 125 gallon (72"-18"-23") that i want to do an mbuna tank with. i found a stocking list that i like from a guy on youtube and wanted advice if it can work out for me or if i should change it. All advice and feedback is wanted. thanks for your help!
5 yellow labs
1 cobalt blue zebra
2 yellow tail acei
1 kenyi
1 blue dolphin
1 rusty
2 red top lwanda
1 red top kimpuma
1 stuartgranti sanga
1 benga
1 maingano
2 afra white top hara
1 albino afra cobue
1 super sunshine peacock
1 chewere elongatus 
1 taiwan reef
1 bi color 500
4 afra cobue
1 demasoni
1 afra jalo reef
1hongi
1 lemon jake peacock
1 zebra long pelvic
2 red spot nyassae
1 venustus
1 red top afra
1 ice blue zebra


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## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

You've stated you wanted a *mbuna* tank, then gave a list with *peacocks*,* mbuna* and *Haps*.

Sometimes such mixes work, but usually the mbuna dominate, and the peacocks and Haps don't look their best, if they even survive. So which of these fishes do you actually want?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Welcome to the forum...

Definitely with rennsport on this one. YouTube is generally a poor place to get advice on stocking a Lake Malawi tank.


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

Yeah i realized some of them were peacocks and was just wondering if it would work out for me if i had the same stocking list. Im still really new to afrocan cichlids and am kind lost on the stocking list. I know i want an ice blue zebra, yellow labs, an acei, and red top afra but dont really know if they are compatible yet. Will that mix be good or do i need to take out some of them?


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

most people on here would stock a 125g with 4 to 5 species if they were going with mbuna. my 125g goal was to take some of the mbuna with the worst reputations and put them together. it ended up working quite well for me. if you consider stocking it this way i could give you some good ideas based off how aggressive you want the tank to be.


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

pfoster74 said:


> most people on here would stock a 125g with 4 to 5 species if they were going with mbuna. my 125g goal was to take some of the mbuna with the worst reputations and put them together. it ended up working quite well for me. if you consider stocking it this way i could give you some good ideas based off how aggressive you want the tank to be.


I wouldn't want it to be too aggresive but i would love to mix in some peacocks too. I would love to have some yellow labs, ice blue zebra, and red top afra, everything else is up in the air as far as stocking goes. Some advice i seen to mix peacocks and mbunas was to have the mbunas be smaller than the peacocks so that they can be at a disadvantage.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

So do you have any fish at this time?


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> So do you have any fish at this time?


In my125? No it is currently empty just sitting there taunting me lol.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

Emiction said:


> Yeah i realized some of them were peacocks and was just wondering if it would work out for me if i had the same stocking list. Im still really new to afrocan cichlids and am kind lost on the stocking list. I know i want an ice blue zebra, yellow labs, an acei, and red top afra but dont really know if they are compatible yet. Will that mix be good or do i need to take out some of them?


i would not mix the (Metriaclima greshakei ice blue) with the (red top afra) they look very similiar, you could do one or the other. the yellow labs and acei would work. you could add (Iodotropheus sprengerae rusty cichlids) and (Pseudotropheus socolofi snow white) without issue and the color scheme would look good together.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you have peacocks go with the most peaceful mbuna like labs and acei. If you want the aggressive mbuna like greshakei, stick to mbuna.

Remember they grow up in less than a year and then one will no longer be bigger than the other.


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

pfoster74 said:


> Emiction said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah i realized some of them were peacocks and was just wondering if it would work out for me if i had the same stocking list. Im still really new to afrocan cichlids and am kind lost on the stocking list. I know i want an ice blue zebra, yellow labs, an acei, and red top afra but dont really know if they are compatible yet. Will that mix be good or do i need to take out some of them?
> ...


 I might definitely might go that route thanks gor your help!


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

pfoster74 said:


> Emiction said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah i realized some of them were peacocks and was just wondering if it would work out for me if i had the same stocking list. Im still really new to afrocan cichlids and am kind lost on the stocking list. I know i want an ice blue zebra, yellow labs, an acei, and red top afra but dont really know if they are compatible yet. Will that mix be good or do i need to take out some of them?
> ...


How many would you recommend and is that all the species i can add?


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

DJRansome said:


> If you have peacocks go with the most peaceful mbuna like labs and acei. If you want the aggressive mbuna like greshakei, stick to mbuna.
> 
> Remember they grow up in less than a year and then one will no longer be bigger than the other.


ahhh so many fish to choose. i want peacocks now lol. you think a ice blue zebra, some yellow labs, acei or which other mbunas will go well with peacocks?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Greshakei is an Ice Blue Zebra. Not a match for peacocks, as was stated above.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

i have a group of ice blue and they are rather aggressive. in a 125g the other mbuna i listed should be able to co exist with them. i've never kept peacocks so i can't speak to how they would do but people like iggy say no don't try it so i would listen to that. if you do try the sceanrio i threw at ya i would stock it 1 to 2 males per species and 7 to 8 females each. my 125g i filter 1200gph try to get in that range and do weekly water changes and you will have a well oiled machine running in your living room.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

i know it sounds sexy to have alot of different fish and that may work for some people idk. but if you do it the way we are suggesting it will be more natural for your fish and you will get a better idea of how your cichlids behave in the wild. plus the color scheme suggested you will see each fish stand out on their own. i can't explain it but i promise you it will be satisfied once it's up and running and you watch them mature from small fry to colorful adults.


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

pfoster74 said:


> i know it sounds sexy to have alot of different fish and that may work for some people idk. but if you do it the way we are suggesting it will be more natural for your fish and you will get a better idea of how your cichlids behave in the wild. plus the color scheme suggested you will see each fish stand out on their own. i can't explain it but i promise you it will be satisfied once it's up and running and you watch them mature from small fry to colorful adults.


haha yeah it does sound better with alot of fish but if it is not going to work out then theres no point. To me thats the fun part on watching them grown. Now to learn on how to sex them.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

For mixed gender mbuna tanks a common practice is to buy unsexed juveniles. Decide how many females you want to end up with and buy 2X as many unsexed juveniles. So if you want 1m:4f buy 8 unsexed juveniles (or more). Then rehome extra males as they mature.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

Emiction said:


> pfoster74 said:
> 
> 
> > i know it sounds sexy to have alot of different fish and that may work for some people idk. but if you do it the way we are suggesting it will be more natural for your fish and you will get a better idea of how your cichlids behave in the wild. plus the color scheme suggested you will see each fish stand out on their own. i can't explain it but i promise you it will be satisfied once it's up and running and you watch them mature from small fry to colorful adults.
> ...


http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gender.php this might help ya, the other part of it is behavior with a 6ft 125g tank you might even get away with 3 males for each group. i had 3 male crabro and i had to rehome 2 of them because they were getting vicious with each other. the fish we are suggesting the greshakei will have the most attitude and your tank should be big enough for the others to escape the dominate males aggression. keeping them in harems is definitely the way to go and once you get some fish in there your family should enjoy watching the tank. i have received better quality fish dealing with certain vendors online than what i can find at the local pet store. the fish store problem may be i suggested rusties for example and they wont have them so they might suggest something else but it may not actually be a good suggestion from them so those are some of the pitfalls people fall into with this hobby.


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

pfoster74 said:


> Emiction said:
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> 
> > pfoster74 said:
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So i'm definitely adding the greshakeis last. The only thing stoppin me from buying fish online is he shipping prices other than that most of the prices of the fish seem fair.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

good luck whichever way you go.


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

pfoster74 said:


> good luck whichever way you go.


Thanks you helped me out a lot!


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

So where does the proposed stocklist sit now?


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

Kanorin said:


> So where does the proposed stocklist sit now?


Right now im leabing towards Yellow labs, Ice blue zebra,Acei, Socolofi, Rusty cichlid. Not sure on how many of each yet.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

Emiction said:


> Kanorin said:
> 
> 
> > So where does the proposed stocklist sit now?
> ...


Sounds good to me. I think the "white tail" Acei from Ngara would look great with that group.


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## Emiction (Nov 10, 2014)

Kanorin said:


> Emiction said:
> 
> 
> > Kanorin said:
> ...


Wow, it looks beautiful. I like how it almost looks black, well in some pictures it does.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

yeah the color scheme should look real good


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