# Stocking a new tank, how many fish to put in at first?



## fancey (Dec 23, 2013)

I'm setting up a new 50 gallon Mbuna tank and i'm wondering how many fish to stock right away. this is my first African cichlid tank and im using AquAdvisor to check compatibility.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

You should cycle the tank before adding any fish. Once the tank is cycled, you can start adding fish. If this is new to you, I suggest doing some searches for "fishless cycling", and go to the library here to read the article on fishless cycling.

Good luck!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Welcome to C-F, fancey!!

You can check out the link in my signature for doing a fish-less cycle of your tank using ammonia or you can use a bottled bacteria product that can be purchased at your local fish store (LFS) or online.

What are the dimensions of your 50G tank?


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## fancey (Dec 23, 2013)

I'm not new to fish keeping, so im set for the cycling, but i just dont know how many fish to add after its cycled. like, should i add all of them or half? because im not sure if there could be problems without large enough groups.the dimensions are 36x18x18.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

If you are purchasing juvenile fish, you could add them all at once to a cycled tank.

What species are you considering for this tank?

Are you looking for fish with color, all male, breeding setups or just a mixed species tank?


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## fancey (Dec 23, 2013)

I definitely am going mount mostly. I want some OB zebras, auratus, demonosi, yellow labs, socolofi, white top afra, and a couple bumblebees. I also eventually want to add some larger peacocks. I'm just going for a show tank. EEventually I want to put together a breeding colony but that Wil probably be a different tank.


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## fancey (Dec 23, 2013)

Mbuna*** not mount.


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

Your tank is unfortunately too small to try for an all-male show tank, especially with the species you are considering (auratus/bumblebees/larger peacocks). They are way to aggressive to be kept in something small. Once they hit sexual maturity (3-6 months) you would be looking at diseased and death.


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## crazycolt42 (Nov 10, 2013)

I have a 65g tall tank (36x18x25) and am 4 weeks into stocking it with 12 demasoni, 8 yellow labs, and 7 rusties. Your best bet would be to stick with the smaller species like Afra OR demasoni. I would not put both of those species together though do to similar markings and aggressive nature. If you go with demasoni, make sure you have plenty of them (8-12+) or they will end up killing each other. They are highly aggressive. I have been told here on the forum that demasoni should be by themselves or one other species max in a 3ft tank. We are limited by our 3ft tanks, and really cannot have the variety we would like. If I had it to do over, I would have done only the labs and demasoni in smaller numbers. I would suggest picking no more than two species and definitely dwarf species to put in your tank. It has worked out well for me getting all juvenile cichlids and all of them @ once when stocking my mbuna tank. My problem is too many fish once they reach mature size, so I am going to take out the rusties and place them in a single species tank like a 46g bow front or something. Good luck and happy fish keeping!


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## crazycolt42 (Nov 10, 2013)

Oh, and back to your original question, I did not know how to really figure out proper "overstocking" for a mbuna tank, but someone on the forum suggested figuring the area of the floor of your aquarium (36x18) and using that as a guide. from his math estimates, I would say normal stocking would be 8-10, and acceptable overstocking would be 12-14 @ mature size IF you go with smaller species.


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## Austinite (Jul 27, 2013)

Once the tank is cycled, I would add all the fist at once. You could order online & get exactly what you want, and only pay shipping once. It's the most effective way to go, imo.


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