Suggested Tankmates for 55 Gal.

[ajm1961]

I have just started a new set-up: 55 gallons (36L x 18W x 20H), Rena X2 Filter, Hydor aerator w/light, various rocks, acrylic plants, and 1.5" deep of crushed coral and river gravel substrate. I currently have two very young yellow labs (~1"), and one small red-tailed shark (~1").

I need advice from the OVAS community:
1. What other tankmates would be good/compatible in this set-up?
- I don't really want to start breeding any fish.
- I would like some blue-coloured cichlids in the mix - maybe some Pseudotropheus Aceii?
2. How many fish can I expect to keep in this size tank? I know it's not the largest.
3. Is an aerator (mine is rated for 40-80 gallon tanks) okay for lake cichlids?
Any advice is appreciated - perhaps I'll get to meet some of you at the Annual Sale.
Cheers!

[Brine]

- I don't really want to start breeding any fish.

The labs will almost certainly breed if they are a male and female. Lots of cichlids will interbreed as well so be careful what you put together. My old African tank had tonnes of rocks so it had a lot of hiding spots.
There are a number of fish that can coexist with some cichlids.
I had some Featherfin Synodontis     http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=121

two Gibbiceps Plecos     http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=148

and a Red Lobster (Procambarus) with mine.   
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=1075+1872&pcatid=1872   

You can see a video of that tank at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rSERPg5gOU

[Demasonian]

Hey - by no breeding, do you mean you don't have any interest in raising fry? Or no spawning activity at all? If the latter, you could consider an all male tank with one fish from different species.

If the former, then no worries since left to their own devices, cichlids will devour anything that fits in their mouths, including fry...

For specific tankmates, I would recommend sticking with Africans (no hard and fast rule against mixing other fish in there, but non-Africans have different water requirements which means somebody will be living in less than ideal conditions). Acei are a great fish. I would bump up your number of labs to between 6-8, add 4-5 Acei and one other mild manner mbuna species to the tune of 4-5 fish. A 55 can easily support three species of mbuna and around 20 fish total.

Other blue fish you could add include Demasoni (but only in numbers greater than 10), Socolofi, Afra, Elongatus (around 5 fish each). Lots of options, actually, check out the malawi mbuna profiles at cichlid-forum.com for ideas. I would recommend against fish like auratus and kenyi, which are very popular but also very aggressive and not good tankmates for labs and Acei.

On the issue of aerators, you don't need one, as long as there's some gas exchange happening naturally through your filter. At the same time, though, I don't think it will have any negative effect on the fish.

Hope that helps a bit.

[ajm1961]

I don't mind the courting and spawning activity, I'm sure that must be part of the fun to have cichlids - but I'm not going to worry about the fry then - nature will take of itself.
So, Demasoni are okay in a 55 gallon? My spouse will be thrilled, because that's what she wanted ever since she saw some at Big Al's. I thought they would be too aggressive.
So, 6 labs, 10 demasonis, and what else would you recommend? 4-5 acei? Would blue with blue be a bad thing? What about some sp. 44s to add some red colour in there? (although they are from lake Victoria).
Thanks to both of you for responding so quickly.
This is a great community : - )

[Demasonian]

So, Demasoni are okay in a 55 gallon? My spouse will be thrilled, because that's what she wanted ever since she saw some at Big Al's. I thought they would be too aggressive.

Demasoni are a dwarf mbuna that would work in any four foot setup and any three foot setup, as long as there are enough rocks, and enough of them. At adult size, males are about 3-inches or so in length, females about half an inch smaller. They are aggressive, but only to their own kind and anyone who looks like them. That's why it's important to keep them in a large group. 10 is an okay number, but I'd actually recommend starting with 12-15. If you weren't planning to already, I'd also recommend looking around the Classified section here and buying your Demasoni from local breeders...LFS fish are way overpriced, and usually inferior quality to what can be bought from hobbyists around town.

So, 6 labs, 10 demasonis, and what else would you recommend? 4-5 acei? Would blue with blue be a bad thing? What about some sp. 44s to add some red colour in there? (although they are from lake Victoria).

Other blue fish are fine as long as they do not resemble Demasoni (no blue with black vertical  bars -- like afra, saulosi, elongatus, kenyi to name a few). So in that sense, Acei would work great. Acei are also unique in a mbuna setup in that they primarily occupy the upper portion of the tank instead of sticking to the rocks like the labs and Demasoni will.

On the Victorian haps, I've never kept any myself, I know they're regarded as being hardier than malawi peacocks, so it may be possible. The only problem I could see would be that they become stressed by the frenetic activity of the Demasoni, which in turn could lead to weaker colour displays and a greater susceptibility to disease. Hopefully someone else with experience keeping sp.44 could comment here.

Unfortunatley, there aren't any red mbuna's, although some red zebras are a deeper orange than others. Personally, I'd stick with 5 Acei -- vibrant blues (Demasoni and Acei), yellows (Labs and Acei) and deep blacks (Demasoni and Labs) will make for a striking colour combination in your tank. Whatever you go with, make sure you post some pics!

[ajm1961]

After considering your advice, I've decided on getting some Peacocks and some Acei. Demasoni look great, but I can't see how I can manage 10-12 in my tank. Once I establish the tank, I might try just a lone male to see how it reacts. I noticed Big Al's has a tank (100 gals) with several species from Malawi and Victoria, and just a few Dems - so far everyone's in "check".
So, I picked up two juvenile Aulonacara Stuartgranti Nkara "flame tails" yesterday. I'm also ordering 4 Pseudotropheus Acei from Fishtails in Orleans. I found their prices are very reasonable. Living in Orleans, I like to buy local as much as possible.
Anyways, as requested - I will post some pics once I get the Acei... stay tuned.

Other questions:
Anyone else have Flame Tails? What are they like as adults (looks and behaviour)
Anyone have a lone male Demasoni in their tank?
Cheers!

[Elariel]

I have a single male desmasoni in my 55g, he can be a little brat with the other fish at times if they get too close but he hasn't killed or seriously harmed anyone yet. my other desmasoni on the other hand has. He is called Trouble and he lives by himself in a 10g tank, that said he is alot of fun to watch as he rearranges any aquascaping I try to maintain.

[Rob Labonte]

for some reason...I've been able to keep all sorts of cichlids in my tank.

they all live together peacefully. I have yellow lab, fuellborni, blue dolphin, p acei, frontosa., convicts....lots others..

I even have some goldfish in there. they are small....were supposed to be feeder fish (they ate them b4). but now they are tank mates..

[ajm1961]

Anyone with experience mixing Aulonocara (peacocks) with Mbuna?
Read one article discouraging this mix, but yellow labs and acei are not very aggressive.

[beowulf]

for some reason...I've been able to keep all sorts of cichlids in my tank.

they all live together peacefully. I have yellow lab, fuellborni, blue dolphin, p acei, frontosa., convicts....lots others..

I even have some goldfish in there. they are small....were supposed to be feeder fish (they ate them b4). but now they are tank mates..

Interesting mix...and the goldfish are thriving?

[ajm1961]

Anyone with experience mixing Aulonocara (peacocks) with Mbuna?
In particular, I've got two yellow labs and two Ngara Flametails - I'm also adding 4 Acei.

[beowulf]

Anyone with experience mixing Aulonocara (peacocks) with Mbuna?
In particular, I've got two yellow labs and two Ngara Flametails - I'm also adding 4 Acei.

I have a mix of peacocks and mbuna add in a few lake victorians and no problems so far.

[ajm1961]

Great to hear - thanks for replying so quickly!

[Rob Labonte]

Interesting mix...and the goldfish are thriving?

goldfish have now been removed and thrown back into the turtle tank. something about cichlids and goldfish just didnt look right. lol

and my other cichlids are thriving. I have 2 pairs of breeding convicts gaurding thier 100+ babies each and I have yellow labs with thier own fry  right beside em.

I dont pay attention to what types of cichlids should/shouldnt be mixed or how many of what kind or what sex. I say dump whatever you can in your tank and if doesnt work out with some then you can always trade them for something else.

luckily I havent really had any problem.

[worldfish]

Greetings,

Peacocks and mbuna should not be a problem when young and adding them all together at small size recommended. but if you add 3-4 inch fish together at same time....not a good idea. Should should if you have a chance to do another tank give tanganyikan cichlids a shot. Lots of nice and interesting species and i find them alot less agressive. You can also add australian rainbow fish. They keep agression low and make excellent and colorful dither fish because they swim so fast.

Oh and keep adding lava rock. excellent decoration.

Cheers

T.

[ajm1961]

It's been awhile since I posted this, so here's an update:
I have 2 yellow labs, 2 peacock flametails, and two Acei. Lost two of the 4 acei within a day or two of getting them from the LFS. It seems they also brought Ick with them, so I currently have the tank at 86 degrees with some salt, and now everything seems fine. All the fish are really active and hungry. Still have a few more days of this treatment before I can add more fish.

I was thinking of adding a few different species: one male Melanachromis cyaneorhabdos, one Otopharynx lithobates, a snow white Socolofi, and a Elongatus Hai Reef (Jewel Spot).

Any comments or advice on how this mix could work? I figure if I keep males, and overcrowd the tank, this may be okay...

[ajm1961]

Here's some pictures I took this morning (can anyone tell me how to upload a gallery? Is this free, or do I have to load some software? not very "friendly"...)

55 gallon african tank
20 gallon (won at auction raffle) with tiger barbs and red-tailed shark



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