# 40b stocking question



## MP007 (Jun 16, 2012)

Hey im new to the forum and to cichlids in general, though I have been doing alot of research lately. I currently have a 40 gallon breeder (36x18x18) and i was hoping that the following stocking list would work:
2 convicts (non breeding pair either two males or two females)
1 firemouth
1 red tail shark 
1 peacock eel
Would this be ok? anything else i can add?
Thanks in advance!


----------



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

peacock eel isnt ideal and 2 male convict isnt smart in a tank that small


----------



## MP007 (Jun 16, 2012)

thanks for the quick reply... would 2 female cons work?


----------



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

might, might not it all depends on the individual fish. i wouldnt advice it though. you can try it and have plan b ready


----------



## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

I'd reconsider your stock as well...

I'd stick with:
1x male Convict
1x male Firemouth
1x Red Tailed Black Shark

And then maybe add some some form of dither fish. I feel a 40B is a bit small for Peacock Eels as they have the potential to reach 12".


----------



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

CjCichlid said:


> I'd reconsider your stock as well...
> 
> I'd stick with:
> 1x male Convict
> ...


i believe peacock eel gets over 12 inch not 100% sure though


----------



## MP007 (Jun 16, 2012)

alright well right now i have the peacock eel in the 40b with
1 convict 
1 firemouth
1 red tail shark 
1 severum 
1 jd
and
5x black skirt tetras
these are all around 2-3" 
this is just a growout tank as im in the market for a 75 gallon (should be getting it pretty soon ... found a good deal) and ill be moving the severum and jack dempsey into that tank along with the tetras or may just find a new home for them ... would it be wise to put the eel into this tank or was it a mistake on my part in buying it


----------



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

honestly i would take the eel back. dont have persnal experience with them but if theyre slow grower theyll be food


----------



## MP007 (Jun 16, 2012)

ok *** rethought the whole stocking idea for the 40 gallon.....now i would like to have-
2 angelfish
7 black skirt tetras
4-5 bolivian rams 
let me know what you think ... any suggestions are welcome just trying to straighten this out


----------



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a 40 breeder only 15 inches tall? If so I don't think the angels will be too happy in there.


----------



## Pizzle (May 24, 2011)

In his original post he says that his 40G breeder is 36"x18"x18". I think that those measurements are closer to a 50G breeder tank.


----------



## MP007 (Jun 16, 2012)

yeah sorry the height is actually 17(only off by an inch but still) and with the substrate in there its closer to 15 inches


----------



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

Pizzle said:


> In his original post he says that his 40G breeder is 36"x18"x18". I think that those measurements are closer to a 50G breeder tank.


yea i did the math and it is a 50b


----------



## MP007 (Jun 16, 2012)

anyway how does the stocking sound and will or will not the angels work with the height of the tank?


----------



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

it sounds decent just make sure it a ratio of 1m:3f as for the angels. it will work but just not my ideal stock


----------



## Tom Jones (Sep 7, 2020)

CjCichlid said:


> I'd reconsider your stock as well...
> 
> I'd stick with:
> 1x male Convict
> ...


Hello! Sorry for being late to the party, it was a long walk. 

I'm sorry to revive this old post but I've been looking for interesting ways to stock my 40B tank for a while, and one with different species would interest me more than a single specie tank.

The most recent replies I'm getting are pretty much recommending not going Malawis in a 40B, except maybe Saulosis or Yellow Labs, but I found some old recommandations (like yours here) with more diverse options, and even though it's not a Malawi tank it would fit my tastes  So I wondered if you'd still recommend this stocking in 2020.

So if you don't mind I have a few questions:

1. Would you still recommend those three fishes together ?

2. What would you recommend as dither fish with those biggies ? I see Tiger Barbs mentioned a lot and I like the fact that we could get different colors in the same school. But I'm open to other dither fish as well.

3. If you have any other suggestions for a 40B that would includes at least one "big" fish, I'd love to read them!

(I like colored ones, but also those black and white ones, the ones I like the less are the grayish/brownish ones. I really like Rams too but would prefer if I could at least incorporate a big one in there)

And when I say big, don't worry I don't expect 10 inches fish. But like, starting at 4 inches  Thanks!


----------



## fishboy75 (Jan 16, 2020)

I wouldn't put those three fish together in a 40 gallon personally. The convict is way more aggressive than a Firemouth and a Red tailed shark is more bluff than bite. They can be absolute terrors with peaceful community fish but wouldn't stand a chance with a convict. If you're not opposed to mixing continents a Jewel Cichlid would be of more equal temperament but its not like they will coexist peacefully. A pair of breeding convicts is very interesting to watch and would be fine in there. But you have to figure out what to do with all the babies because there will be a constant supply. For a dither quick enough to escape their attacks, I would recommend Giant Danios.


----------



## Sinister-Kisses (Jul 19, 2013)

Angels aren't harem breeders, you'll be aiming for one m/f pair in the tank. Buy a group of 6 juveniles to grow out, and once you see a pair has formed, pull out the rest. Angels get pretty nasty when they breed and won't tolerate the others, they'll get bullied. The rams will be targets too, so make sure to provide lots of ground cover for them as they stick towards the bottom.


----------

