At wit's end--Africans or not?

[opaleski]

I have a 375 Gal. tank that I am currently setting up and would like to possible have Africans in it. Currently I have eight Angel's in a 120 Gal. which get along great. In a 75 Gal hex I have Peacocks and yellow lab's--There used to be eight, now there are four,(A lot of killing went on!). I know the foot print on the hex is not conducive to hold many Africans. I have had aquariums for over 40 years, but never Africans. I love to watch the fish thrive in an aquarium--NOT FIGHT!If I did go with Africans in the 375 Tank, I would want to have the fish to be no larger than 4-5" and get along--Possible no more than 30 to 40 fish. Is this possible with Africans and if so what type should I go with?

[mostlycichlids]

Yes it can definately work you could do a least 30-40 fish easily. You have a number of choices with this size tank I would recommend 5-7 different genuses of four or more from each. Depending on how many genuses you choose to keep together will determaine female to male ratio. But in general all males or 3 or more females to one male.

Some stock suggestions
4-5 Psuedotropheus
4-5 Maylandia
4-5 Labidochromis
4-5 Tropheops
4-5 Melanochromis

Melanochromis pretty agressive but may do well in that size tank
If you are thinking of an all Hap tank you can do
1 species of Aulonocara 4 or more mixed with 4-5 indivisuals from the following species.

Copadichromis
Cyrtocara
Lethrinops
Otopharynx
Placidochromis
Sciaenochromis
Tramitochromis
You really have lots of choices and this should give you a good guideline.

[bblboy54]

I have a 375 Gal. tank that I am currently setting up and would like to possible have Africans in it. Currently I have eight Angel's in a 120 Gal. which get along great. In a 75 Gal hex I have Peacocks and yellow lab's--There used to be eight, now there are four,(A lot of killing went on!). I know the foot print on the hex is not conducive to hold many Africans. I have had aquariums for over 40 years, but never Africans. I love to watch the fish thrive in an aquarium--NOT FIGHT!If I did go with Africans in the 375 Tank, I would want to have the fish to be no larger than 4-5" and get along--Possible no more than 30 to 40 fish. Is this possible with Africans and if so what type should I go with?

The most important thing is having places to hide. In all of my cichlid tanks I use Tuffa rock because it not only allows you to build caves to provide hiding spots but it also helps culture bacteria and its really good at helping stabilize a higher ph range. If you use bulk rock to build caves, you'll see your fish swim through the caves and it makes for a great show.

[opaleski]

What is Tuffa Rock? and where do you buy it?

[Marinemom]

Another kind of rock that is commonly used in African tanks is Texas Holy Rock. It has a lot of holes and structure in it that the Africans seem to perfer. It also seems that it is quite easy to put togather to build a wall of caves for these fish.

Marinemom

[bblboy54]

What is Tuffa Rock? and where do you buy it?

Tuffa Rock is a rock that is somewhat similar to lava rock but it is more calcium based and is white/brown in color. It hardens the water so it's great for cichlids and for marine. In marine tanks, it's often used to culture live rock.

The best thing to do is check your LFS and see if they carry or can order Tuffa rock. It's usually fairly cheap but ordering online may be expensive because of the weight in shipping.