# Stock List Help needed



## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

I have a 150 Gallon tank. With two Eheim 2020 Canister Filters.
Our current stock list is as follows:

3 Venustis
3 Bumblebee 
2 Sunshine Peacocks
1 Hybrid Peacock
2 Red Zebras
2 Yellow Labs
2 Convicts
2 Jewels 
2 Elongotus 
1 Johanni 
2 Cobalts 
2 Catfish 
4 Silver Dollars
2 Redtail Tinfoilâ€™s

We realize this is not the best stockist in the world. Could someone help us with what needs to be removed and what needs to be added? We want COLOR COLOR COLOR.

We would like to add a single Frontosa and Blue Ahli. We would also like to add multiple kinds of peacocks. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I would remove all females and go with one male of each species. Try to stay away from having two males that look overly similar to minimize aggression.

You can _add_ a frontosa, but you might lose some fish once he matures.

Kim


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

I would like to try and keep females if possible. Could I just add more females?


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## Mr_Yellow_Shoes (May 28, 2008)

Take out the convicts, I don't think they do well in the Hard water that the african cichlids thrive in. However i know that they might be able to live well in with ph of 7.8 which is the starting point of the PH that the yellow labs live in


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I would remove the convicts, and one of the jewels. Should either decide to pair off and breed, it will mean huge problems in the tank.

Adding females is fine, but just be aware that there will be crossbreeding potential between the Yellow labs and red zebras, and the red zebras and Cobalt zebras. I wouldn't distribute fry from any of those 3 species.

Kim


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Why will mating from the convicts and jewels result in problems? Because of their increased aggression?


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

OKAY. Here is the deal. I am slowly learning about Cichlids. I should have read more before jumping in with both feet. Here is my current stocklist:

3 Venustis
3 Bumblebee 
4 Sunshine Peacocks
2Orange Blossom Peacocks
1 Red Empress
1 Frontosa
1 Hybrid Peacock
2 Red Zebras
2 Yellow Labs
2 Convicts
2 Jewels 
2 Elongotus 
1 Johanni 
2 Cobalts 
2 Catfish 
4 Silver Dollars
2 Redtail Tinfoilâ€™s

Basically, I just read Peacocks/Haps should not be mixed with Mbuna's. Is that right? How should I adjust? I would really appreciated some options!!!! I also added a blue Ahli and he got NAILED.
So what in my stock list is compatible?

And with that, what can I add into the tank?
Such as if someone tells me I should only keep the haps and peacocks, what other fish can I add?

What family is the Frontosa in?

I realize I am asking LOTS of questions. Help would be much appreciated.

I have a 150 Gallon.

Thanks in advance!!!!


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

Breeding convicts will own the tank...... Jewels might be the same??


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Not an idiot...

But your tank is a mess! :lol:

I wouldn't add anything to the tank until you clear some out and decide where you want to go with it.

Frontosa are from Lake Tanganyika, and do well in a single species (or appropriately stocked) tank (6 ft).

Most of your fish are from Lake Malawi. (This would be your haps, peacocks and mbuna.)

Housing the two lakes in the same tank can always lead to problems regarding water and dietary needs. The temperament and disposition of the species you are housing together must also be taken into consideration.

Should the convicts or jewels pair off and spawn, that could be a disaster for the other fish, as well.

The decision is going to be up to you...

What do you want from the tank? Lots of colour? Do you want a show tank? Breeding?

Kim


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

:wink: I am realizing my tank is a mess!! lol. What we want is color!!! We would like to do a breeding tank with assorted colors. I wouldn't be distributing the fry though. A show tank is all male correct? I wouldn't be opposed to that either. If we go with haps/peacocks could we combine:

Sunshine peacocks
Red Empress
Blue Ahli
Venustus 
OB Peacock
And What else could we add?
Could the Yellow Labs Stay as well?

Or does someone have a better stock list?

In a 150 how many would u say to stock with?????

My LFS is responsible for me being in this pinch. I didn't read because they seemed knowlegdable, or just wanting to sell me fish!

ALSO, if we do Haps and Peacocks. Should we replace the gravel with sand?


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

BenHugs said:


> Breeding convicts will own the tank...... Jewels might be the same??


Well the Venustus and the Front will likely be okay....


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

They will enjoy the sand more...

If you go with haps and peacocks, you'll definitely want to go all male as far as they go. The females all look too similar, and they will crossbreed. I've heard of many people adding a group of Yellow labs to the hap/peacock set ups.

With the males, you'll want to stay away from any that look overly similar to each other.

Kim


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

I don't really care if they cross breed as I won't be distributing fry. Any recommendations if we stick with Mbuna? Would the tank be okay as is minus the convicts and jewels? If you can, I would love to hear more options!


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

We can provide plenty of suggestions, once you decide what you would like to do.


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Thats just the thing. I am trying to decide. What I am wanting is stock list suggestions for a Peacock and Hap tank and stock list suggestions for a Mbuna tank. Then I can decide which way to go. I want lots of color. I would like to have a breeding tank just for my enjoyment, not to distribute.

I love the colorful peacocks. I really like Venustus. I like the blue ahli and red empress. Can those cohabitate well and what are some others that would do well in that tank? This is where I am thinking I would like to take the tank. Suggestions?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

One final question, what are the dimensions of your 150 gallon?


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

If you want to see what works for me check out my stock list in the tanks icon below my biggest problem at the moment is my Red Zebra. some of the fish are still young but it works so far. I mostly go on the 1 of each theory


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

My tank is a tall. 4' wide - 3' tall - 2' deep. I believe that is correct. I'm not at the house right now to measure. But that is correct I am pretty sure!


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Also, if we switch the substrate to sand is there any kind that is best to go with? Can you use sandbox sand or should you buy the stuff that pet stores sell?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

My recommendation is to use a heavier sand. Playsand is often very fine, and takes forever to clean. If you don't clean it properly, your tank will look like mud for weeks.

Lowe's or Home Depot sand is fine, but just ensure that the grains are larger. When you rinse, I can't emphasize enough that you need to rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse far longer than you think you need to , than rinse again.

The important dimension for most cichlids are simply the length and width of the aquarium. To be honest, in most cases the height is irrelevant. The only way around that, is to pile rocks to the surface of the tank.

With that in mind, my recommendation would be to go with a mbuna tank, and pile the rocks right up to the surface.

You should be able to have five species in such a tank, with a male and multiple females of each species. Pick a few species and we can build around it from there.

Some decent community fish are in the cookie cutters, though with the extra width of your tank, you could go with the 5th specie.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/c ... er_75g.php

If you are set on your Haps and Peacocks.... I would simply go with an all male tank, as the dimensions are really going to hamper keeping many species in a breeding setup.


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Ok. I think we have decided on a Hap/Peacock tank. We can't resist it. Will this stocklist work okay?

5 Sunshine Peacocks
5 Venustus
5 Orange Blotch
5 Red Empress
5 Blue Ahli

Will these guys work okay together???

I would like to keep my Frontosa and Yellow Lab in as well. My front is 2 inches.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Just to make sure you're aware, these fish will all crossbreed, and there's no way you can keep 5 males of each species.

The yellow lab should be fine, but I still wouldn't keep the front in this tank. I just don't think he'll be overly happy, and I think once you add the fish you have listed, you'll be pretty full.

Kim


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

underdogg101 said:


> Ok. I think we have decided on a Hap/Peacock tank. We can't resist it. Will this stocklist work okay?
> 
> 5 Sunshine Peacocks
> 5 Venustus
> ...


A Hap tank then... ok.

Dump the venestus, too big for a 4 ft tank, the OB, and Sunshine won't get along with the fryeri, and they'd easily all hybridize. Also dump the frontosa. Unhappy over the short term, could eat most of your fish when it gets big.

I would recommend going with the Red Empress, the "Blue Ahli" Scieanchromis fryeri,a group of Yellow Labs, and Pseudotropheus acei. I would recommend, one male and 4-5 females of the red empress and fryeri. The Labs and acei 6-8 of each. For a bit of variety, get 6 Synodontis multipunctatus.


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Are the females of the Peacock and Hap species colorful??? I got to thinking about it I don't want 5 colorful fish and 25 brown or lacking color? If that is the case we will go with an all male showtank???

I do like the combination of fish you told us though, if all are colorful.

IF NOT.....what would be a good combination for an all male tank?

In an all male can you mix haps and Mnuba?

What we want is as many fish as possible and as colorful as possible.

Sorry if I am being a pain asking so many questions. THANKS A TON though!


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

There are tons of different haps and peacocks to do 1 male of each and fill your tank also labs and acei make good mbuna tank mates. the haps should all be big enough to not get eaten by your front (I've never had a front so just a guess)


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Female haps and peacocks aren't colourful, and many of them look much like each other.

With all male, you want to concentrate on fish that don't closely resemble each other. Alot of people will take a group of Ps. acei and Yellow labs to add some mbuna and extra colour to a hap / peacock tank. These two species of mbuna are some of the more passive natured, and won't stress the haps and peacocks out as bad as others may.

Kim


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Okay, then an all male tank it is.

If we go with an all male tank what about something like this:

6 Yellow labs
6 Ps. Acei
1 Blue Ahli
1 Red Empress
1 OB Peacock
1 Sunshine
1 Venustus

Would that be a good start?
Can anyone recommend more single males to put in?
Are there any other Mnubas that can cohabitate?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

How about a Copadochromis? Midnight Mloto is my favourite. Nice dark male, as black as you're going to find...

Kim


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

I will check him out. Does the list above seem like a good combo to you Kim?


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Also, we are going to go ahead and change the substrate. We are going to be putting sand. Is there any advantage to buying the "sand like" substrate that fish stores sale versus generic sand I can buy at Lowes? I know not to get the fine grain play sand.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I just buy medium grain silica sand at the landscaping stores. It's easier to clean and maintain, IMO.

The Tahitian Moon sand looks nice, but I'm a bit OCD, and I can't stand that the dirt and waste shows on it so well.

I've tried the LFS sands, only one brand (but I can't remember what it is) and found it messy and very fine. It was so fine that I literally had a film of it on top of my water, so I will never use it again. It's hard enough to keep it out of your filter systems when it's heavier and stays on the bottom.

I think your stock list is okay, but as I said earlier, I'd be concerned about crossbreeding if you do add females. If you don't plan on distributing fry, that's not a problem!

Kim


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I can't wait to see pics of this tank when it's stocked so don't forget to post some :wink:


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## underdogg101 (Mar 20, 2008)

Thanks! I will for sure post some pics. We pulled out 15 Mnuba's today and it kind of made us sad. lol. It's dumb you can get so attached to fish. The tank looks like junk right now. Just a few peacocks left and some catfish and silver dollars. We are going to change out the substrate and then hopefully start restocking next weekend! Ready for that!


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