After a whole month and a half...

[Malak]

And after bothering you guys with compatibility questions, cycling questions and all sorts of other questions, I've finally stocked my 55G this past sunday and today. After having a nitrite problem, everything is now resolved (knocks on wood).

I stocked my 55G as followed:

4 Yellow Labs
4 Clown Afras
4 Rusty Cichlids
3 Polkadots Synodontis (it's what it said at the LFS but I doubt it, on the web it sells for about 50$ and I got them at 4$ each).

I was about to get 4 Red Zebras today at the LFS. After I told the clerk I wanted 4 Red Zebras, he put up a bag filled of water in the tank right besides the Zebras and then proceeded to put 2 Zebras in the bag and as he did, the Zebras tried to attack the dozen or so of other fishes that they were seeing through the bag. Seeing as they were very agressive, I bailed out since my Yellow Labs are very small and I think the Zebras would of probably killed them. So I'm not sure if I will get to add Zebras in this tank, unless I get some smaller ones elsewhere.

I got 4 Rusty cichlids instead and they are absolutely gorgeous, I hope they will stay that way as they grow up.

I thought I'd post the first pictures that I took of my fishes tonight, bare with me, these are the first pictures of fishes I ever took, hopefully I'll get better. So here's my yellow labs, clown afras and rusty cichlids:

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9571/33228237or4.th.jpg (http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php?image=33228237or4.jpg)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2884/84177261oh1.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=84177261oh1.jpg)

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/8085/39965250rj8.th.jpg (http://img254.imageshack.us/my.php?image=39965250rj8.jpg)

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3498/18936713af3.th.jpg (http://img254.imageshack.us/my.php?image=18936713af3.jpg)

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8988/94080985jc1.th.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=94080985jc1.jpg)

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7483/39672226kd8.th.jpg (http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php?image=39672226kd8.jpg)

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/5796/90453997pr3.th.jpg (http://img254.imageshack.us/my.php?image=90453997pr3.jpg)

And thanks for all the suggestions and help, it was very appreciated. :y220e:

[Lupin]

Nice pics.:dance:

[tel0004]

Looks good. Can we get a shot of the whole tank?

[denial727]

nice fishes

[dieselman]

Very nice!

[yogias]

thanks for sharing

[Malak]

Got a borleyi today and 2 perlmutts.

4 Yellow Labs
4 Clown Afras
4 Rusty
1 borleyi
2 Perlmutts

Anything I could add? Could I get away with adding one of these:

Labeotrohpeus trewavasae (Chilumba)
Pseudotropheus tropheops "Chilumba"
Pseudotropheus sp. "Polit" (Lion Cove)
Pseudotropheus flavus
Pseudotropheus sp. "elongatus Usisya"
Pseudotropheus sp. "Elongatus Ruarwe"

Or they are too agressive for this kind of setup?

[Malak]

Looks good. Can we get a shot of the whole tank?
Sure:

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7962/tankhd4.th.jpg (http://img443.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tankhd4.jpg)

The pearlmutts are amazing:

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2776/pearlmuttgj3.th.jpg (http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pearlmuttgj3.jpg)

Can anyone idenfity this one please? I think I got him by mistake:

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/199/identifypu8.th.jpg (http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php?image=identifypu8.jpg)

[Malak]

No one? :)

[tel0004]

Looks good. I think it strikes a nice balance between rocks and plants.

[tarheels910]

Nice tank. Mystery fish looks like a young Lithobate.

[cdfishie123]

awessome tank

[Malak]

Thanks! :)

Think I could get away with adding 2 more yellow labs and 2 more pearlmutts?

I absolutely love the pearlmutts, I would of gotten them sooner.

[Rbishop]

Very nice looking tank! I think you could add more.

[LuckyCricket]

Got a borleyi today and 2 perlmutts.

4 Yellow Labs
4 Clown Afras
4 Rusty
1 borleyi
2 Perlmutts


In a 55 gal the normal stocking number is 12, with 3 different species (1M:3F ratio), but there is a bit of wiggle room. Your stocking list right now looks good (love rustys) but I am not really familiar with the borleyi temperament and he may get bullied. I would add in more of what you have so you can be sure to get a good Male to Female ratio, in a 55 gal competing males will get nasty fast. Just weed out the males as they get older as soon as you can identify them. good luck I like your set up :D

[Malak]

4 Yellow Labs
4 Clown Afras
4 Rusty Cichlids
3 Polkadots Synodontis
1 borleyi
2 Pearlmutts
1 Mystery fish (someone mentionned it looked like a young Lithobate)

So I will add 2 more labs and 3 more Pearlmutts then weed out the males later on, correct? Do I do the same with the afras and rustys?

[tarheels910]

If you think you can add more fish, add more. If your tank looks stocked, dont.

[LuckyCricket]

4 Yellow Labs
4 Clown Afras
4 Rusty Cichlids
3 Polkadots Synodontis
1 borleyi
2 Pearlmutts
1 Mystery fish (someone mentionned it looked like a young Lithobate)

So I will add 2 more labs and 3 more Pearlmutts then weed out the males later on, correct? Do I do the same with the afras and rustys?

Yep, just keep an eye on aggression and around 3-4 in. vent the ones you can't sex. Rusty are VERY hard to vent, and it may not be possible. But the dominant male will have more purple and will be rougher on the extra males then the females.

[H3D]

Great pics.

[Coler]

nice pics :)

The synos are probably synodontis multipunctatus - expensive because they don't breed well in captivity. Great little catfish.

Can't ID your mystery fish I'm afraid but does not look like a malawi to me.

[Malak]

Great, thanks :)

[Malak]

You're right, it looks exactly ike this:

http://quebec-cichlides.com/images/syno_multi.jpg

I got 3 of them for $15CAD, what a steal :)

[mudskippers]

You tank looks great! great job! :)