# New 120 gallon Mbuna tank - stocking help?



## josh j (Apr 19, 2013)

Hey guys! I just purchased a used 120 gallon tank (72" x 19" x 19"), it came with a Fluval 405, and I bought an new in box Eheim 2080 from a guy. I'm hoping that is enough filtration to have a decently stocked tank. If not, I could add a third filter down the line or upgrade the 405 to a FX6 at some point. Either way, I would like a nice full tank. I was looking at the cookie cutters, and they are a great starting point, but unfortunately the only go up to 75 gallon.

If I were to adapt the stocking suggestions, would I add more species, or would I add to the numbers of each species? For example, if I were to follow the fourth Mbuna cookie cutter guide, for a 75g I would choose something like:

5 Pseudotropheus saulosi
5 Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
5 Labidochromis caeruleus
5 Iodotropheus sprengerae

Should I increase that to 8 of each, or should I add a 5th species and increase it to 6 or 7 of each?

Any advice?

Thanks!


----------



## notchback65 (Apr 3, 2013)

I have almost the same group in my 90,
I started with 8 of each....I lost 4 in 6 months
So I have 28 mbuna + 1 BN pleco


----------



## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

In a 120, I would do at least 5 species. Ideally you want to end up with 1M:5-7F per species. This can sometimes vary depending on the aggression of particular species. You could also look into the larger and more aggressive species of Mbuna with a tank that big. Something like Labeotropheus or Williamsi North?

For the mild mannered Saulosi, I would recommend doing 3M:12F. They tolerate sub-dominant males well and you could get the yellow you need. Or if you want something a bit bigger and more aggressive, look at the Psuedotropheus Msobo deep. They have a blue/black male with bright yellow/orange females. I would stock 1M:7F for these guys.

Acei would do well in a tank this large. Start with a group of 10 and remove any extra males. They will also sometimes tolerate having more males.

I would avoid the yellow labs because you already have the yellow from the Saulosi. Look at White Labs (Nhakta Bay) instead? Or maybe Albino socolofi?

Rustys would do great as well. 1M:6F would do fine.


----------



## josh j (Apr 19, 2013)

That's really helpful! Thanks for the advice!


----------



## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

It seems you've chosen a decent mix of fish. You will have a lot of yellow though, as stated. I would consider adding more saulosi in particular, as they tend to get along fine with multiple males, and they are a great fish.

You should be fine with 5 Acei (although I'd grab one extra personally). They generally are happy with a lesser M:F ratio. We have a reverse trio at the moment (2:1) that lives happily in a 125. In general though, you want to plan for a 50-50 split of males and females and having enough females to keep a single male happy. For Rustys that would mean starting with 8 fish or so, not less.

I definitely wouldn't attempt the more aggressive fish unless you were pretty well experienced in dealing with aggression. You will have problems if you don't manage them properly, even in a 6' tank.

Do you intend to breed and distribute fry, or is this tank just for viewing pleasure?


----------



## josh j (Apr 19, 2013)

Primarily the tank will be for viewing. I may get into breeding once I have more experience with them, but this will be my first Mbuna tank (or any African Cichlids for that matter). I have had oscars for years, but not Mbuna.

So I will drop the yellow labs, to lower the yellow numbers...

amcvettec suggested a white secies. Would Labidochromis Perlmutt make a good choice, or not so much? I was leaning this way since I am dropping the yellow labs and can pick up another lab.

If I am adding a 5th species as well, are there any good suggestions? I'm good to avoid high aggression, at least until I become better acquainted with Mbuna.

Or, if I am getting 20 or so of each, am I better off sticking to 4 species?

So, this is more of what I would be looking at...

Pseudotropheus saulosi - 10 OR Psuedotropheus Msobo - 1M:7F
Pseudotropheus Acei - 6-10
Labidochromis Perlmutt - ??
Iodotropheus sprengerae - 8
5th species ??

I have no idea how readily available or not these fish are - I'm just planning at the moment. Any advice in that regard? I'm located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, so online retailers are not really an option, especially since the temperature is dropping. But we do have Big Al's, and they may be able to order fish in for me if I request it.


----------



## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

You may have issues with two blue barred fish in the same tank. If you dropped the saulosi and went with msobo, that should provide a more reasonable mix with Perlmutt.

Msobo are awesome fish. We have two harems breeding in separate tanks, and I haven't seen a reason to have 7 females to 1 male. We keep 6 females in one harem and 5 in another. None of the 4 males we've got are pushy. I would imagine 4 females suiting any of them.

This should be an agreeable stock:

Msobo 1:4-6
Acei 1:3-4
Perlmutt 1:4-5
Rusty 1:4-6
-A white species, as suggested - socolofi are nice. (Nkhata labs and Perlmutt together may present more issues). 1:4

Be sure to check your vendor closely. Hybrids are rampant, and vendors will distribute them knowingly or not. Do your research and find the best fish you can up front :thumb:


----------



## josh j (Apr 19, 2013)

Awesome! Thanks a lot for the help. So if I am adding all of these guys as juvies, I will add 10 or so of each, correct? Then take out the extra males? If I end up with more females than suggested, is that a problem, or no?


----------



## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

Yes, just buy enough to double the final female count you are after and remove the extra males.

Extra females will not be a huge problem depending on how many extras you're talking about. Shoot for 25-30 fish in a tank that size with decent ratios for all of them.


----------



## josh j (Apr 19, 2013)

Will do. Thanks again! Now to get back to setting this thing up...

If anyone is interested in knowing, I'm planning on using black sand with Texas Holey Rock, with a dark DIY 3D background. Should make the fish pop!


----------



## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

Start a build thread when you get to it, IMO :thumb:


----------



## josh j (Apr 19, 2013)

That I will do! I might as well start one now... I have the tank and other supplies, so I can get started with a thread as soon as I take pics! Thanks again for your help.


----------



## josh j (Apr 19, 2013)

Is it a good idea to add a bristlenose pleco to that or not? If it is important for the cichlids to have algae to eat (I don't know if they do or not) then I would avoid it, but if not, I would like to try to keep my Texas Holey Rock clean(ish) - going for the white on black.


----------



## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

A BNP would be great for keeping the rocks white 

No problems there!


----------



## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I'm late to the party, but Saulosi, White Labs, Acei, Rusty, and Maingano are my vote!


----------

