Stocking a 75 Gallon...

hope

hope

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Aug 3, 2006
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Iowa
www.targrafix.com
We were going to make our 75 gallon a saltwater, but have decided against it as we're setting up a nano reef tank instead. Anyhoo.....We were throwing the idea around awhile ago to start an african cichlid tank with our 75 gallon. So before we really go forward with this, I want to research as much as possible.

What I want: A colorful tank with a bunch of smaller fish (3 inches or so), then maybe one a little larger as the "main" fish. I don't know if it's possible or what type to get.

I've been looking at the Electric Yellow and that's the kind of "bright" I want...I also have seen purple, blue, electric blue, etc...you get the point. What I want to know is what are some good compatible cichlids with some amazing colors? I see the "proper" name all the time, but I do better with the common names ;) :duh:

Thanks in advance everyone!
 
African tanks are so much fun! The one piece of advice that I give is to be careful in stocking an African tank with the most colorful fish that you find because in the case of many African cichlids, those are the males. For the most colorful females, I'd recommend the yellow Labs, red zebras, and the female Tropheops are also very beautiful. Make sure you keep at least a 3:1 female:male ratio to keep aggression down.

HAVE FUN!
 
well, breeding is an option in many community tanks, but if you don't have that problem, you may be dealing with some very aggressive and territorial males. While some of the rock dwelling cichlids are less territorial, believe me, they all have their moments and I've yet to own a male cichlid that doesn't ever get fussy. With all males, they will constantly compete and fight over territory (I made the mistake 6 years ago when I first started keeping fish and set up my Malawi tank by buying all the pretty ones). You tank will be MUCH more peaceful with more females.
 
Breeding is very challenging and it usually doesn't just happen. So I wouldn't worry too much about it. You will have trouble staying colorful in the 3-4" range. Shell dwellers stay small like that, but all your zebras and labs will get a lot bigger than that in a 75. But you won't be disappointed. An all zebra tank, even with a few yellow labs in there will be killer in the long run. Remember, lots of rocks for hidding.
Be careful with the nano reef---pay a lot of attention to it everyday---bad things happen REAL quick in small marine tanks. I had a 20 gallon and lost all corals and fish in a matter of two weeks.
 
Thanks for the advice on getting males & females...I just assumed they would breed constantly ;) We had that problem with our guppies when I was younger and it just got to be a hassle. The more I'm reading up on this and thinking about it...I'm thinking it won't be that big of a deal and I'd rather deal with netting the fish out and we can always get rid of them at our LFS as well. This seems like a much better option than very aggressive fish :)

About our nano reef. If we work out of our home and were gone alot, I wouldn't even think of it, but we're home all the time, and my hubby is pretty obsessive about checking water & levels, etc. For what we want, this just fits in our budget a lot more and will work for us :) Thanks for the tip though...I have heard that the larger you go with SW, the more forgiving it is.
 
They will breed eventually but not often. I have all males in my 55 and its been fine since I started it in Jan. I had an aggressive venustus but I took it back and replaced him and the new one has been fine. All the colors are great and no nipped fins. I bought them from a guy that has the 3:1 in a 175 with about 50-75 fish. He said the breed every now and then but he doesnt let the hybrids get out and they usually get eaten anyway.
 
rbell219 said:
Breeding is very challenging and it usually doesn't just happen.
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In regards to mbuna, I'd probably disagree with this since at any given time there are between one to four female mbuna in my tank mouthbrooding fry. In my experience these are very prolific fish, since each mother produces 25-45 fry.

hope said:
Thanks for the advice on getting males & females...I just assumed they would breed constantly.
Click to expand...

A possibility in my opinion. However most fry get eaten if left in the main tank. Unless you make an effort to save them or separate the mother before she releases them, a population explosion isn't likely.

hope said:
What I want: A colorful tank with a bunch of smaller fish (3 inches or so), then maybe one a little larger as the "main" fish. I don't know if it's possible or what type to get.
Click to expand...

In regards to mbuna, for more bang for the buck try getting some dimorphic species like pseudotropheus saulosi (two distinct and different color patterns all in a single species).

For a less aggressive set up go with species like acei, rusties and yellow labs. (the acei will get up to 5" or 6", though...most mbuna exceed 3" in any rate...). Of course there are other types of african cichlid as well, many interesting ones from Lake Tanganyika.

The selections are near endless, just refrain from mixing lakes.
 
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I've been looking things up and doing some research and have come up with a list of possibilities....

Here's what I've found, so if it's not right, please let me know :)
Yellow Lab (get up to 4 inches)
Powder Blue Cichlid (get up to 4 inches)
Rusty Cichlid (get up to 3-4 inches)
Bumblebee Cichlid (get up to 5 inches)
Red Zebra (get up to 4-5 inches, males are blue, females are orange)
Yellow- tailed acei (get up to 4 inches, males are brighter)
Pseudotropheus saulosi (get up to3 inches, males turn blue striped, females orange)
 
Bumblebees can actually grow as large as 8" and are VERY aggressive.
Red zebras - both males and females are orange.
My saulosi males are around 4", females around 3-3.5".

I wouldn't mix blue and red zebras as they could crossbreed.
 
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