Cichlid newbie

[cichlidfirsttimer]

Alrighty...

I am a complete first timer for cichlids. Always have wanted to do them but have always not had a big enough tank. Finally bit the bullet and bought a 55 gallon, which I know is the smallest tank possible but that's what it is for now.
I have been doing a TON of reading on cichlids and we are going to go with Lake Malawi ones. I know some places say not to mix mbunas and haps but I also read that if you have haps just make sure they always have a size advantage over the mbunas and you should be fine. I really like the peacocks. Does anyone have experience keeping both in one tank? (This advice came from a youtuber that keeps them all the time)

This guy said rule of thumb for numbers in a tank is gallons/2 = how many fish you can have, small mbunas count as 1, but that larger fish like peacocks count as 1.5.... 27 fish seems a bit much for our aquarium! We are thinking maybe 12-15 fish. We are hoping to get ones that aren't the highest aggression.

Any first timer cichlid suggestions? How many would you get at a time?

 

[Tifftastic]

With mbuna its important to overstock to avoid aggression. I would suggest figuring out which ones you want before you add anything. Find a really good supplier that is knowledgeable and has very healthy fish. How many you add at a time is going to depend on which species. I highly recommend adding your most peaceful species first, and most aggressive last. So, its really important to know which species you want. Also, never add just one at a time, with the exception of the first fish. Depending on the size of the fish you are adding as well, you might need to redecorate your tank each time you add fish.

What species are you looking into?

 

[cichlidfirsttimer]

I have a definite limited supply as I am in Canada and in a small city. I bit the bullet today. Just got 2 Albino Metriaclima Pyrsonotos (Albino Red Fin Zebra) and 2 Pseudotropheus Crabro (Bumblebee).
They are pretty hardcore checking each other out... How soon until I add more!!?!?!?! I'm worried they will eat each other. I have so much more reading to do.

 

[Tifftastic]

Those two are fairly aggressive species that get to be good size.
Is this tank cycled?

 

[cichlidfirsttimer]

Im not sure if I got the albino species right.. The store called them Albino Red Top Zebras, but I'm having a heck of a time figuring out if it's just the albino form of the metriaclima pyrsonotos or something different completely.

 

[cichlidfirsttimer]

This is it...

 

[cichlidfirsttimer]

Actually I think they are called Metriaclima greshakei (Albino)...Great! They get even larger.....