# new 55



## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

brand new 55 gallon. moved one yellow lab from previous tank into it already. would like 3 different species. there's no lfs's around my area so i'm going to be ordering off of liveaquaria. i want yellow labs as one species but the other two are up in the air. will consider all suggestions. thanks


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

yellow tailed Acei's would like nice with the yellow labs...


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## Gunn20 (Jun 19, 2010)

yellow tailed acei and either some type of afra or a johanni


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Cobalt Zebras and Kenyi with my labs. Had Red Zebras in there as well at one time, all great at complimenting each others colors.


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## n00pster (May 14, 2010)

Gunn20 said:


> yellow tailed acei and either some type of afra or a johanni


If I could start over my 55 I would definitely get demasoni or red top zebra.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I tried demasoni with my yellow labs, and it worked for about a month. Then I lost one every day til I turned the last 4 back in to the lfs!! Those dem's are MEAN!! Everyone told me you have to have a HUGE group of them - I thought 10 would be enough but was wrong. I had the same problems everyone else told me they'd had :roll:


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## n00pster (May 14, 2010)

beachtan said:


> I tried demasoni with my yellow labs, and it worked for about a month. Then I lost one every day til I turned the last 4 back in to the lfs!! Those dem's are MEAN!! Everyone told me you have to have a HUGE group of them - I thought 10 would be enough but was wrong. I had the same problems everyone else told me they'd had :roll:


Oh.. thats sad.. yellow labs and dems would have made a nice color mix.. I heard a lot about dems aggression thats the reason I dint try it. But maybe if you get only labs and dems and keep around 15 dems in right m/f ratio.. naa.. Ok, If I would start over I will surely get Metriaclima Pyrsonotus.. lol


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

did you really suggest johanni for a 55? that's a very bad idea. kenyi are also a very bad idea for a 55.


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## n00pster (May 14, 2010)

cjacob316 said:


> did you really suggest johanni for a 55? that's a very bad idea. kenyi are also a very bad idea for a 55.


My maingano go nuts once in a while and fight untll their mouths bleed then they would take rest for a few days until injuries heal then they will start over again.. I agree.. they need something bigger than 55g. I wish I could return them but I have had them for a long time and they have grown pretty big so I wouldnt get a fair trade at LFS..


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

yeah, those fish are too aggressive for my setup. i like the idea of yellow tail acei. i'm definitely leaning in that direction but i don't know about the third species.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

rusties are safe, maybe socolofi


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## kyboy (Oct 30, 2009)

How about ps. elongatus chailosi *or* an albino like" snow white" socolofi ?


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

i think i've decided on 4 yellow labs, 4 yellow tail acei, and four cobalt blues if i can find them around my area. i also have a random electric yellow red zebra mix i'm going to throw in there.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You are probably better off with five of each so you can have at least four females to spread aggression. With the hybrid in the tank you may want to have a plan for fry control.


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

well the chances of me being able to aqcuire 4 females isn't very likely. i live at least two and a half hours from a pet store that i trust. the only thing i can be sure to get four females of are the electric yellows.


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## Gunn20 (Jun 19, 2010)

how do are you going to get 4 electric yellow females so easisly


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What we do is buy a bunch of unsexed juveniles. Say we want to end up with five fish, we buy 8 or 10. Then as males mature and become aggressive we remove them and trade them back to the LFS. If you have such a distance to a good LFS and no fellow cichlid keepers or club to buy/sell/trade with either, you may have other challenges keeping cichlids as well. What will you do with the fry?

I take fish to the LFS several times a year and I let female fish spit the babies in the tank plus I have synodontis in every tank.


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

there is a local fish store thirty minutes away. i just really wouldn't consider buying fish from them. however i wouldn't have a problem taking my fry to them.


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

since i can easily get my hands on yellow labs i think i'm going to move in the direction of a species tank. any suggestions on how many males to females?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Three males and twelve females should work.


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

i have a male and female yellow tail acei but i don't think that should make a difference. how many juveniles can i add to my tank at one time and how long will it take for the males to become aggressive and need to be removed?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you are keeping the acei (they are a little on the large side for a 55G but may work) then you would want to add acei females so you have 1m:4f acei. Then I would go with 1m:9f labs.

If you buy 1.25" juveniles figure about six months. You could last a year but better to be expecting problems early than be taken by surprise.


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

and how many juveniles of that size could i add at once? since i have to drive an hour i'd like to buy as many as i can at once.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

How are you cycling the tank? If you are doing a fishless cycle with ammonia you should be able to add at least half of them. Or use Dr. Tim's One and Only and add them all.

You also mention existing tanks. Run the filter for the new tank on the established tank for 2 weeks, move it over and avoid the cycle entirely.


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

that's what i've done, i've used an aquaclear from an established tank. after 6 months will the only difference between the males and females be their aggressiveness, because i was told that the black on the fins is another way to tell. i've also been told that white bellies mean they're females but i'm not sure whats right. this will be my first experience is sexing fish.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

None of the tricks (other than venting) are reliable for labs, and although there is some debate, I suspect the same is true for acei. White bellies are genetic or fear which can occur for either gender.

That said, I never vent my fish. The reason you are removing fish is to remove aggressive fish so the remaining aggressive fish have enough sub-dom fish to spread the aggression around. So...I just remove the one most aggressive one and wait to see if the tank becomes peaceful. A couple weeks maybe. If I still have aggression, I remove the next #1 aggressive one and repeat until peace is achieved.


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## n00pster (May 14, 2010)

hbruce11 said:


> i've also been told that white bellies mean they're females


if you are talking about labs, white bellied labs are a different than normal ones.. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1665


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

There is a lot of debate as to whether more than one collection point of labs is really in the hobby. But that is another thread...white bellies do not indicate gender.


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## hbruce11 (May 28, 2010)

how can i determine if a yellow lab is pure and not a hybrid?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Since a hybrid can look exactly like a pure fish, you really can't tell. We try to ensure we buy pure fish by buying from a vendor we know has an unimpeachable reputation.


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## n00pster (May 14, 2010)

DJRansome said:


> There is a lot of debate as to whether more than one collection point of labs is really in the hobby. But that is another thread...white bellies do not indicate gender.


Interesting.. what I have heard from a breeder is that only white bellied labs can be wild caught now. The full yellow ones parents were collected from the lake long back and all the ones we find now are all tank bred.. :-?


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