55 gallon Mbuna tank build on Yellow Labs

Howdy folks,
I sold a friend on the idea of setting up a Mbuna tank (since I am out of footprint for one) and I sold her a 55 gallon tank to do it with (I cut her a good deal, a buck a gallon, and threw in the lid, light, and heater).

Now, I know that this is probably thread 178 on this topic, and for that I apologize, but help a brother out.

She likes the look of the Yellow Labs, so I figured to advise her to start with 1 male and 3 females. For Janitorial duties, I figure one Synodontis multipunctatus and an albino bristlenose. Now, what to do with the rest of the tank? I am a relative novice to Cichlids, and Malawi in particular. I know she would really groove on some bright blue and some nice red fishies. I undertand that the Labs are not the most aggressive of species either, so one must be judicious in selecting Mbuna that will not go all cuisinart on them. I was thinking an Iodotropheus might be a good addition. What else?

rbishop said:

Powder blues?

Click to expand...

Thanks. Here's the problem: My inexperience manifests itself in that, to the extent that I am aware of a Malawi cichlid, I know its scientific name. A$$-backwards, isn't it? However, Google is my ally.

So we're talking about Pseudotropheus socolofi, here. D@mn! That is one pretty, pretty fish, and the fin banding would work really well against the similar markings on the yellow labs.

Looking at the writeup on the Cichlid forum, it seems that the options are a single male or one male and 4 females. I think the latter would (Unless I can convince her to go with aggressively layered overfiltration - RUGF, HOB, and an oversized cannister) max out the tank.

I am pretty sure she is going to want something red in there too. Maybe an Aulonacara stuartgranti?

Pittbull, I thought you were yanking my chain with Afro Jalo reefs, naming a Seattle post grunge band or something, but I have to tell you that that is a stunning fish. I figure one male is probably the max, and if I were dong it myself, I would base one of my rockpiles on two or three really big stones (or, more likely, concrete coated carved styrofoam) to give him the solidity he wants surrounding him.

Good suggestion.
So, so far:
1 Male Yellow Lab
3 Female Yellow Labs
1 Iodotropeus (Male)
1 Pseudotropheus Powder Blue (male - saw these in a new LFS today - even better in person)
1 Cynotilapia afra "Jalo Reef" (Male)
1 Synodontis multipunctatus
1 Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus Albino (Male)

Looking like a hardwater Helmet party.