# Middle and Top swimming fish



## musicman980 (Feb 2, 2011)

Do most Haps and Peacocks swim in the middle and top regions of the tank? I'm interested in a 65 gallon which is 36 x 19 x 24 and I don't want fish that will be on the bottom all the time leaving all that open water, well, open.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I find all my fish (including mbuna) use all levels of the tank once they are acclimated and especially when the mbuna are spawning.

I don't find haps or peacocks swim more in the middle or top than the bottom.

However, I can't think of any haps or peacocks that I would want in a 36" tank either. Try a species Saulosi tank.


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## musicman980 (Feb 2, 2011)

Would they be happier in a 55 gallon tank? A 75 gallon is too much


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You can do a small number of peaceful haps and peacocks that mature at 6" or less in a 55G.


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## musicman980 (Feb 2, 2011)

The 3 foot 65 gallon has less surface area than a 4 foot 55 gallon... How many could fit in the 55? 10?


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

It differs from species to species. I agree with DJRansome, _"You can do a small number of peaceful haps and peacocks that mature at 6" or less in a 55G."_ For a 4' tank- you would be looking at 8-10 fish.

So for hap that matures at 6" and swims in the mid-to-upper level water column is the Copadichromis. Either the Copadichromis trewavasae or Copadichromis sp. "Mloto Undu" would work. A good bottom candidate that matures at 6" would be the sand-dwelling hap, Placidochromis electra. The peacocks tend to stay around structures/rocks so any (excluding the jacobfreibergi, Lwanda and man made variants: OB and Dragonblood) would be fine.


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## musicman980 (Feb 2, 2011)

Thank you guys for the responses so far! I've been doing for research on 36" tanks and they say that most of them are unsuccessful, but why? How can a 55 gallon aquarium be better than a 65 when the 55 gallon has 576 square inches of swim space and the 65 gallon has 684 square inches of swimming space?


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## Corrupted (Jan 31, 2012)

because it is the footprint that matters. Extra height doesn't benefit malawi's much at all.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

The actual height is not taken into consideration when stocking a mbuna or peacock/hap tank. The determining factor is the linear length because it allows the inhabitants to establish territories.


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## musicman980 (Feb 2, 2011)

I know that, I wasn't taking height into consideration. 48 x 12 = 576 and 36 x 19 = 684 . The 65 has a bigger footprint but for some reason isn't as successful as a 55?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

It's the length. In a 48" tank there is more isolation at either end of the tank.


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## E82M6 (Feb 20, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> It's the length. In a 48" tank there is more isolation at either end of the tank.


Actually if you figure out the diagonal length or hypotenuse of the tanks footprint. The 36x19" tank has more isolation from 1 corner to the opposite corner. Approximately 106" to 108". I'd say go for it. :thumb:


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## E82M6 (Feb 20, 2012)

Never mind my last post. I had a brain fart. Its actually 49.5 to 40.7 so yeah the 48" tank is bigger.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'll add that I had a quad of peacocks in a 36" tank and it did not work well. They were constantly picking on each other...even the females. 48" works better.


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