# 55 gallon all male hap and peacock tank



## chogs89 (Oct 15, 2008)

Was wondering what a good stocking for an all male peacock and hap tank would be?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Fish that won't get much larger than 6" and fish that are more mild mannered. Try and stay with the pure aulonocara's and the more mild haps. Do you have some fish in mind? I would come up with a list of 30-40 fish and start narrowing it down to around 10.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

chogs89 said:


> Was wondering what a good stocking for an all male peacock and hap tank would be?


First, a 75 or larger would be best for all male Haps/Peacocks. A 55 will be a challenge.

Second, do not embark on all-male (esp. in a 55) unless you have a hospital/timeout/re-home tank waiting in the wings for emergency use when needed. (Note I did not say if.)

You can try for 8-10 males to start and see how it whittles down from there.

For Peacocks, species like:

Aulonocara "German Red"
Aulonocara baenschi
Aulonocara koningsi
Aulonocara maulana
Aulonocara saulosi
Aulonocara stuartgranti
Aulonocara sp. "Turkis"

I would stay away from the hybrid peacocks (Galaxy etc.), Aulonocara jacobfreibergi, Aulonocara sp. "Lwanda" & Aulonocara sp. "Walteri" due to aggression. And also the smaller peacocks Aulonocara kandeense, etc. as they will be too timid.

For Haps - smaller Copadichromis, Lethrinops, Otopharynx lithobates, & Placidochromis electra would be good choices.

You may want to think about a group of Yellow Labs and then 4-5 males that look very different instead.

Good Luck.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

GoofBoy said:


> chogs89 said:
> 
> 
> > Was wondering what a good stocking for an all male peacock and hap tank would be?
> ...


Yep....those are the fish I would stick with....stay away from the OB's and the sunburst/dragons blood/etc...also.

Also a good idea for a timeout tank. I have a 30g for that purpose. The last time it was used to house an aggressive albino eureka red when introducing new fish. I kept him in their for a couple months and moved him back....problem solved.


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## Salvoman (Feb 21, 2014)

Hey guys-

I know this is an old thread but I'm thinking about a 55G all male Peacock/Hap tank as well. I know its challenging but the fry issues with a male/female Mbuna tank even with cats are not ideal for our family. That being said, it's recommended that Yellow Labs can work with the Peacock/Haps as well. Am I right to assume 4-5 Male Yellow Labs?

Thanks


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

It's debatable to some, but I do not feel like labs should be in a 55 gallon hap and peacock tank because I had problems with them in a 180 gallon tank...


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## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

It can go either way. Many people, including myself, had had labs problem free. I had them in a 4ft and a 6ft tank, both with all male peacocks and haps. I wouldn't go with all male labs though, either get females or both sexes. I've never had male peacocks and haps show interest in the females. Give it a try, if it doesn't work have a backup plan for the labs.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Usually when you do a group of yellow labs in an all-male tank it is 1m:4f. I have had problems with multiple yellow lab males so if you want just males...I would stick to the one of each and no look-alikes idea.

For all-male in a 55G you are looking at only 8-10 individuals in any case so I think you would not want half of them to be yellow labs.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

I concur with DJ on the fact that you may want to reconsider the yellow labs since it would severely limit your choices. Unless that's what you would prefer....


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## Salvoman (Feb 21, 2014)

If I'm going to go for an all male tank, I will stick with the recommended Haps & Peacocks.

Forgive me, I'm kind of new at this & haven't posted much. I've got another thread running in Aquarium Setup. DJ and others have given me some excellent advice on Mbuna's which I wanted & really love. My only hesitation are the fry. 
I don't have room for a fry tank. I know Synodontis lucipinnis are an option but with a 5 yr old I'm concerned he'll see the babies and freak out if they're eaten. As I've said before my wife and I aren't too keen on this idea either. Strangely my LFS said the Synodontis were not a good idea because the Mbuna would constantly harass & even kill them.

As I was researching other options, this thread came up and I replied to it, trying to gain some additional knowledge & avoid the breeding issue before making my decision. I realize an all male tank is not ideal, especially a 55g but I'm not sure I have many other options. I have even looked into a CA/SA community tank with Apistos & Bolivian Rams but haven't found a lot of info on this or other sites about the best stocking options or if that would address my concerns.

I really want to be a responsible fish owner and set up the right tank for my family and I and of course I want the fish to be happy. I know I will have to experiment a bit and nothing is foolproof in this hobby but what is my best option going forward? Also I realize I have 3 separate issues going on here so if there's a thread topic I should stick to pleas let me know.

Thanks again,
Sam


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

If you just want a really peaceful family tank, there are plenty of other fish out there that would be awesome in large schools in a 55 gallon tank. You wouldn't have to worry about aggression much at all with tetras, barbs and danios. Some varieties are also very colorful and easy to maintain.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

caldwelldaniel26 has a point. If you don't have room for a fry tank...you probably also don't have room for the extra tank(s) you would need for all-male.

You could do an all-female tank and choose mbuna that have colorful females. Then the multiples would be OK. Hard to arrive at an all-female stocking however, since mbuna are seldom sold sexed by the most reputable vendors. But it does happen and might be an option for you.

Female yellow labs and callainos would make a pretty tank.


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## Salvoman (Feb 21, 2014)

Thanks for your suggestions.

Looking back at old threads, whether its an all male or all female tank, it seems there tends to be aggression. DJ in a different post you said,"You will not see natural behavior in a tank filled with one-of-each..." meaning an all male tank of Peacocks & Haps, one of each species/color correct?
It's suggested by other posts you'd get a similar result from all females even if you had multiple species, as there would be no male/female interaction.

So, is what's best for the Mbuna in my 55g scenario, 3 species 1:4 as you suggested? Even with the addition of the Synodontis for fry control, will the fish be happier & I'll have a more balanced/peaceful tank because the males and females are living together? If that's the case I guess I'll need to get over my aversion to fry because it's whats best for the fish.

One last question, is it irresponsible/cruel to allow the fry to be eaten? Or is this an accepted practice for those who keep Cichlids who can't/ don't want to raise fry?

Thanks again,
Sam


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

I along with many of the other senior keepers on this forum allow fry to be eaten or will euthanize fry if there's a possibility of them being hybrids. If we are specifically trying to breed a particular species then care is taken to move the holding female to a separate tank or a male is placed with females in a breeding tank.


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## thornsja19 (Feb 4, 2017)

caldwelldaniel26 said:


> I along with many of the other senior keepers on this forum allow fry to be eaten or will euthanize fry if there's a possibility of them being hybrids. If we are specifically trying to breed a particular species then care is taken to move the holding female to a separate tank or a male is placed with females in a breeding tank.


+1 If you want to save fry then put the holding female in a separate tank until she spits, or strip the fry from her into the separate tank. If you don't wanna save fry, just leave them in the main tank. A few may survive, but the vast majority will be taken out by the Synodontis and other adult cichlids. Their own parents usually eat them after a certain point. Nothing wrong with it, it's just what they do


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## Salvoman (Feb 21, 2014)

OK-

In a 3 species tank with a 1:4 ratio, how often will they breed?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

It's fun to raise them and the kids will be thrilled. But it's also not realistic to raise all fry: with 12 females in the tank and each able to hold 20 fry every six weeks there just are not enough tanks. Usually you don't see the female spit and the Synodontis do their thing at night.

I find the easiest tank (which usually means the fish are happiest) are those with breeding groups.

I think the all female tank would be just as happy...and you could have 5 females each of 3 species, or 7 females of each with 2 species. Females will have a hierarchy, but they will be less likely to try to kill each other off then 5 or 7 males of the same species.


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## Salvoman (Feb 21, 2014)

Are we talking an all female tank of Haps and Peacocks or all female Mbuna?


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## thornsja19 (Feb 4, 2017)

Think he's talking Mbuna. No one wants an all female Peacock/Hap tank. Would be extremely boring to look at


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No only that...you really cannot tell female haps and peacocks apart (they are mostly all silver/brown) and once you mix them you would never be able to ID or sell even the originals...let alone the fry.


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## Salvoman (Feb 21, 2014)

I figured just wanted to be sure.

When stocking all female Mbunas, should I consider aggression levels of individual species or is this not applicable because of gender? Also could you give me your opinion on what females you would stock in a 3 species tank & may I still add catfish?

Thanks


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

With female mbuna, you want colorful females so you have some limitations. Yellow labs and callainos was my suggestion. I can't think of a a third that would work. Not sure rustie females are colorful enough.

You could add a trio of Synodontis lucipinnis.


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## Salvoman (Feb 21, 2014)

OK

What about a female Auratus? They're beautiful do I need to worry about the aggression issues as you do with male Auratus?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Auratus are aggressive regardless of gender. I would only put females in a 55G if you would also put the males in a 55G.

Auratus are better in a 125G that is 72" long.


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## dfwcajunguy (Jun 21, 2017)

Jumping into this thread late... but I have an all-male 55G peacock & hap tank that **knock on wood** is relatively peaceful. There's a little chasing here and there and the tank boss (dragonblood) can takeover 1/3 of the tank at times but other than a nipped fin here or there, there are no signs of damage. I started with 2-3" juvies - 9 peacocks to start, had to rehome one fish pretty quickly due to his relative size and aggression, then I added 3 haps to the mix. All of my fish are in the 3.5"-5" size range now. I think the keys to success are: (1) species selection - avoiding conspecific aggression that comes with similar colorations and staying at 6" or less adult size, (2) starting with juvenile males of similar size, and (3) being willing to rehome a jerk fish if necessary.

Here's my stock list:
Aulonocara stuartgranti Mdoka Orange "Ngara Flametail"
Aulonocara Maylandi "Sulphur Head"
Aulonocara (Rubescens) "Ruby Red"
Aulonocara Baenschi "Benga Yellow"
Aulonocara ethelwynnae
Aulonocara sp. Firefish "Dragon Blood"
Aulonocara Maulana "Bi-color 500"
Aulonocara OB Creamsicle
Otopharynx lithobates zimbawe rock
Otopharynx tetrastigma
Placidochromis sp. "electra blue" Lundo Island

As you see, I do have both a dragonblood and a line bred OB in the tank. The DB is the tank boss but he's more or less a benevolent dictator. At this point, he hasn't shown any tendency to beat up on anyone else, but I keep my eye on him. The OB doesn't really mess with anyone. I do realize that all of this is subject to change at any time, and I do have a 29G QT setup ready to go when needed.


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## dfwcajunguy (Jun 21, 2017)

I forgot to add... I do have two fish that aren't really coloring up yet - the flametail and the rubescens. They are still very drab colored but I vented them and know they are male. I'm planning to put each of them in the 29G for a couple of weeks to see if they can get comfortable and put on color, then reintroduce them to see if they'll hold it. That is the downside of the all-male 55G - not quite enough room for the less dominant fish to feel secure enough to get color.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Wow, they still haven't colored up at all?


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## dfwcajunguy (Jun 21, 2017)

No, not really. That's why I took advantage of the Petco $1/gallon sale last week and picked up the 29G (my current QT tank is just a 10G and not suitable for what I want to do). I'll be setting up the 29G in the next week or two after I clear out some space for it in my home office and then I'll move over the rubescens for a few weeks and see if he'll color up. If he does, then I'll move the flametail over to join him and watch what happens. The goal would be to move one or both over in "full" color and see if they hold it back in the big tank. I plan to take pictures along the way and update you guys here on the forum on the results. Should be a fun experiment.


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