# New 75gallon - Peacock/hap suggestions



## 4ever5abi (Oct 21, 2013)

Hello everyone. 
I have some freshwater experience but none with cichlids other than rams. The equipment I have is, new 75 (48" x 18" x 21") gallon tank, new cascade 1000 and new aquaclear 110 filters. I am planning to use Quikrete medium sand from home depot as substrate. I have some rocks to put in as well. Basically I am fine with setup, temperature, ph and all. I need help with stocking options. I have no idea what to start with as a beginner. So, please help me with the some stocking ideas. I was thinking of buying peacock/hap assortment from bluegrass aquatics, but after reading the forums I think this might not be a good idea. Here is what I am looking for: 
1) Colorful fish (peacocks/haps)
2) Maximum number(20-25) of fish possible with the filtration I have. I also heard that bigger number will help reducing the aggression.
3) Babies or not (doesnt matter)
4) Less problems down the line

Thanks a bunch!


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

Here are a few things to keep in mind when stocking haps and peacocks:

1. 1 fish per 4 gallons is a good ratio to keep in mind so 20 would probably be the max for a 75 tank, less if they are on the larger side. 
2. Most haps grow to large for a 75G tank reaches sizes of other 10". Look through the hap profile section of this site to find any smaller haps you like and stick with those. Anything 8" and under is best. A goo, popular hap choice is the electric blue Ahli. They are gorgeous and max out at around 7". 
3. If you didn't already know, only hap and peacock males are colorful. The females are a rather drab gray or brown. If you order juvies I would order at least 3 hoping to get one male per species and then re-home or even keep the females. Keeping the females will, of course, limit the amount of species you can have. 
4. Try not to order species that look similar. This will help with aggression. Thankfully, there are a wide variety of species to choose from. 
5. I would not order one of those pre-selected hap/peacock packages. You don't really know what you are going to get and retailers tend to put the fish nobody wants in those packs.

I have a 75G with 5 yellow labs, 4 aceis and 4 peacocks. This mix is working out great and I love the peacocks.


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## 4ever5abi (Oct 21, 2013)

Thanks a bunch! So if I drop the idea of hap/peacock and do mbunas, that will give me more colorful choices ? and may be have 3-4 peacocks like you did. I like OB peacock.


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

Most peacocks aren't good with all mbuna. The acei and yellow labs are the only 2 that tend to be ok due to their lower aggression. You could certainly do a breeding group of OB peacocks in with breeding groups of Yellow Labs and Aceis. OB Peacocks are hybrids and actually tend to be a bit more aggressive than the average peacock and can handle the mbunas well.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

These are some I would (did) choose: (males)
A. stuartgranti "ngara"
A. stuartgranti "usissya" or "maleri"
A. stuartgranti "cobue"
A. stuartgranti "chipoka"
A. maulana "bi-color"
Placidichromis electra "deep water"
Placidichromis "Jalo"
Mylochromis ericotaenia
Copadichromis trewavasae
protomelas marginatus
Copadichromis azures
Copadichromis sp. "fluorescent"
Protomelas Kirkii
Protomelas "taiwan reef"


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

4ever5abi said:


> Thanks a bunch! So if I drop the idea of hap/peacock and do mbunas, that will give me more colorful choices ? and may be have 3-4 peacocks like you did. I like OB peacock.


An all-male hap/peacock tank can be done as well, it just takes time ore buying the right fish. Many online retailers sell male hap and peacock fish, but they are quite a bit more expensive than unsexed juvies. I got my males from a local guy who sold to me pre-sexed. They were $15 a fish-which is a steal.


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## 4ever5abi (Oct 21, 2013)

Thanks for the list lilscoots. I will definitely try to get(all males) what ever I can from the list. And, do I have to add all at once or I can do it in groups. Since, I may not get all from one retailer online. Any retailer recommendation who carries most variety and good quality fish? And also I just wanted to double check that I should be good with the filtration I have: cascasde 1000 and aquaclear 110 ?

Thanks again. You guys rock!!


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

Its best to add all the fish at the same time, but you can do it in groups. I would probably add half at one time and the other half later. Adding just a few fish at once can cause issues, adding just one is even worse.

Davesfish.com has a large selection of fish. They're not cheap, but I'm sure they would have everything you are looking for.

You should be ok on filtration What is the GHP of the Cascade 1000?


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## 4ever5abi (Oct 21, 2013)

Cascade 1000 is 265 GPH. What type of background do you have on your 75G? Is it 3D background inside the tank? Thanks.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

4ever5abi said:


> Cascade 1000 is 265 GPH. What type of background do you have on your 75G? Is it 3D background inside the tank? Thanks.


Nope, just a standard, flat aquarium background taped to the outside. I'm not a huge fan of it, but it works.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

And that should be enough filtration. You are close to the 10x/hr mark.


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## 4ever5abi (Oct 21, 2013)

I have another question on how to position the filter outlets to maximize the circulation and to make best out of the filter. Cascade 1000 is canister with spray bar and aquaclear 110 is waterfall kind. I have some air stones for surface agitation. Main goal for filter positioning is to efficiently remove waste. Thanks.


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## 4ever5abi (Oct 21, 2013)

I found these peacock/haps at quinnsfins. Please help me choose some. Is it ok to put 1 yello lab and 1 acei with them ?

Peacocks:
Albino Eureka Red
Albino Sunshine Peacock
Bi Color Peacock
Creamsicle Peacock
Lemon Jake
Masoni Peacock
Maylandi Peacock(sulphur head) 
Mdoka Peacock
OB Peacock
Regal Peacock
Reuben Red
Usisya Flavescent Peacock

Haps:
Haplochromis Electric Blue Alhi
Haplochromis Fire Hap
Haplochromis Fireline Mloto
Haplochromis Insignus
Haplochromis Lethrinops Blackfin
Haplochromis Lethrinops Intermedius
Haplochromis Lethrinops Red Cap
Haplochromis Mloto Likoma Island
Haplochromis Phenochilus
Haplochromis Taiwan Reef


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

4ever5abi said:


> I have another question on how to position the filter outlets to maximize the circulation and to make best out of the filter. Cascade 1000 is canister with spray bar and aquaclear 110 is waterfall kind. I have some air stones for surface agitation. Main goal for filter positioning is to efficiently remove waste. Thanks.


There are many different ways you could setup filtration. I would probably put the cascade's intake on one side of the tank and the ac110 near that. I would put the cascade's outtake on the other side of the tank. If it seems like debris not being filtered out properly you could add a circulation pump on one side of the tank> i have mine on the same side as my canister's spraybar. This seems to work for me.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

4ever5abi said:


> I found these peacock/haps at quinnsfins. Please help me choose some. Is it ok to put 1 yello lab and 1 acei with them ?
> 
> Peacocks:
> Albino Eureka Red
> ...


The mix is really up to you. Pick fish you really like and are differently colored and you should be ok. Here's what I would do:

Albino Eureka Red
Bi Color Peacock
Lemon Jake
Masoni Peacock
Maylandi Peacock(sulphur head) 
Mdoka Peacock
OB Peacock
Regal Peacock
Haplochromis Electric Blue Alhi
Haplochromis Fire Hap
Haplochromis Lethrinops Intermedius
Haplochromis Lethrinops Red Cap
Haplochromis Mloto Likoma Island
Haplochromis Phenochilus

This is assuming that all these fish look somewhat different. I'm not familiar with all of them, but most are different. I would say somewhere around 15-18 fish would be a good number for this tank depending on the adult size of the fish. If you select some of the larger haps 15 would be the maximum.


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## 4ever5abi (Oct 21, 2013)

Thanks Everyone for the wonderful suggestions. My setup is complete and I finally stocked my tank with 13 male peacock/haps and 1 yellow lab. I got my fish from quinnsfins small/medium sized males at wonderful price. Baron did awsome job at finding the males for me. I can see the color coming up on all the fish. I've uploaded some pics below. Not very clear, but will get that right with time as well :wink: Water is littly cloudy because of the bacterial boom. The stocking list is:

Bi-color Peacock, Creamsicle Peacock, Lemon Jake, Regal Peacock, Mayland Peacock, OB Peacock, Reuben Red, Fireline Mloto, Lethrinops Balck Fin, Lethrinops Red Cap, Lethrinops Intermedius, Mloto Likoma island, Taiwan Reef, Yellow lab and I will get 1 ACEI

Basic DIY stand and Canopy


20131105_193523 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131110_190144 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131105_193534 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131105_193542 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131110_190356 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131130_110230 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131130_110253 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131130_110313 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131130_110331 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


20131130_110522 by singh.harbinder85, on Flickr


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

Great looking tank! I really like the rocks!


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