Cichlid stocking for 100gal

Aislinn said:
Since the other Malawi you listed are all mbuna, I'd skip the Moorei as they're Haps and 100g is too small to mix the two. I definitely wouldn't put Demasoni and Cobalt Blues together in only 100g. Demasoni can be incredibly vicious toward con-specifics, despite their small size. I'd even hesitate to mix them with Acei. They do NOT like any other remotely blue fish. Since you already have one Demasoni, you'll either have to take it back and switch to Cobalt Blues or Acei, or stick with just Demasoni. The Yellow Labs should be okay so long as you get a big enough group of them - they'll be safer in numbers. Some say that Bumblebees are aggressive toward all con-specifics, but I've got Yellow Labs in with mine and they couldn't care less. I think they only really have problems with Auratus.

I'd do Demasoni OR Cobalt Blues (NOT both), Yellow Labs, Bumblebees, Red Zebra, and if you really want another type, maybe Snow White Socolofi? You could also get some Synos. Just make sure you keep your stocking levels up, especially if you decide to stick with the Demasoni. You really need decent numbers to dilute the aggression. Also watch your filtration (mbuna need a lot) and keep up on the water changes.

As for the 55g, I personally thing it's far too small for 3 RTBS. I can't comment on the others because I know almost nothing about SA cichlids. The only one I've ever kept was a Red Devil I had years ago.
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The Moorei he is talking about are from Lake Tanganyika. Not Dolphins.

I would get rid of the Americans and the Demasoni. Stock the tank with a good number of Mbuna (what filtration permits). Demasoni are best kept in groups of 15 or more and are extremely aggressive.
 
Thank you for the replies! I appreciate the compatibility suggestions. As far as stocking though is concerned, is the inch of fish per gallon really a safe one? My 100 has plenty of drift wood and rocks along the whole length of the tank now. So I'm curious as to the numbers I could support. I've also seen quite a bit of debate over average sizes of fish listed online. Are the sizes listed on LiveAquaria pretty accurate, or are those like the other places which list the extreme perfect example of adult size which is rarely reached in a private setup?

Thank you for your patience in my lack of knowing!
 
ChunkyMonkey said:
Thank you for the replies! I appreciate the compatibility suggestions. As far as stocking though is concerned, is the inch of fish per gallon really a safe one? My 100 has plenty of drift wood and rocks along the whole length of the tank now. So I'm curious as to the numbers I could support. I've also seen quite a bit of debate over average sizes of fish listed online. Are the sizes listed on LiveAquaria pretty accurate, or are those like the other places which list the extreme perfect example of adult size which is rarely reached in a private setup?

Thank you for your patience in my lack of knowing!
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It is not suggested to use the inch per gallon rule, but I find it quite useful. I would use it in African cichlid tanks over 75 gallon as a good overstocking rule.
 
Okay...How about this:
3 Yellow Labs(Based on 5" lengths)
No Moorei, due to the hating blue factor of the Demasoni, lol
5 Demasoni(Based on 3" lengths)
3 Acei(Based on 7" lengths)
5 Bumblebee(Based on 6" lengths)

Does that sound like a decent group? Or would most consider that to be understocked for a 100gal?
 
ChunkyMonkey said:
Does that sound like a decent group? Or would most consider that to be understocked for a 100gal?
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With the above group of Cichlids listed in my previous post, if you think the 100gal could support more of those types, let me know:help:. But those are the fish I'd like to put in the aquarium, for the diversity of fish, instead of just two kind. But, what I'd like, and what would work could be two different things:wall:, I know. If the above would work, I have know issues in buying more if that would properly stock my tank with proper filtration and aquascaping.:headbang2:
 
I think that's understocked for 100g. Mbuna should be overstocked in general, and even more so when doing mixed tanks with such aggressive species. That grouping might work out when they're all juvies, but as those Demasoni grow they'll likely see the 13 other fish as nothing but squatters in what they'll think is "their" tank, and kill them all.

Also, your numbers are a bit inverted - you want the most docile fish to be the largest groups, so you'll need to have more Yellow Labs and Acei than Demasoni or Bumblebees. And I still don't think it's a great idea to mix the Demasoni with the Acei in only 100g.

Ideally, Demasoni should be in groups of at least 15-20 to really dilute their aggression, so if they're what you want, in only 100g you should do a species tank or at most mix them with one other group of very contrasting fish like Yellow Labs, Red Zebra, Snow White Socolofi, etc.

It CAN be done, mixing Demasoni with a bunch of other species, but it's very risky. I've done it before, and it was successful for me, but that is by no means always the case. You could very easily lose some or even all of your other fish. Demasoni are pugnacious, to put it delicately.
 
ChunkyMonkey said:
Okay...How about this:
3 Yellow Labs(Based on 5" lengths)
No Moorei, due to the hating blue factor of the Demasoni, lol
5 Demasoni(Based on 3" lengths)
3 Acei(Based on 7" lengths)
5 Bumblebee(Based on 6" lengths)

Does that sound like a decent group? Or would most consider that to be understocked for a 100gal?
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Yea I was thinking about 15 Demasoni. With big groups they shouldnt pick on the other types of fish. There is enough difference in them to fight. (Like if you put a male saulosi in there, the demasoni would kill it due to similar pattern/color)

3M/ 12 F Demasoni
2 M/8 F Yellow Labs
1 M/ 3-4 F Acei
1 M/ 2-3 F Bumblebees

That is how I would stock the tank. Perfect male/female ratios. Just make sure you filtration is turning over the tank 13-15 times. (Filters GPH/Tank size)
 
Aislinn said:
...I definitely wouldn't put Demasoni and Cobalt Blues together in only 100g. Demasoni can be incredibly vicious toward con-specifics, despite their small size. I'd even hesitate to mix them with Acei. They do NOT like any other remotely blue fish....
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Cobalt blue zebras (metriaclima callainos) aren't similar enough in appearance to attract demasoni aggression, and in the majority of instances zebras (or other members of the metriaclima genus) outclass demasoni in dominance. I kept a large 4" male demasoni in my 125gal and it would periodically harass by BB zebra's when they were small (fish in my avatar). That all stopped once they equaled and surpassed the demasoni in size. On the other hand my demasoni gave my yellow top mbamba hell.

Demasoni's are likely to be rough with mbuna's similar in appearance (i.e., vertically striped black and blue fish) which the cobalt and acei are not. Blue fish in general won't set them off (in one tank I keep a bunch of demasoni with several socolofi (blue fish) and a couple of msobo, the demasoni's only bother their own kind, the male msobo (black & blue fish) rules the tank).

Demasoni, acei and cobalts is a combination which will work (though if aiming for multiple demasoni you'll need a large group of them as previously stated). Demasoni's typically ignore acei's (and vice versa).

Aislinn said:
...Some say that Bumblebees are aggressive toward all con-specifics, but I've got Yellow Labs in with mine and they couldn't care less...
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That's because bumblebees and yellow labs aren't conspecifics.

ChunkyMonkey said:
Okay...How about this:
3 Yellow Labs(Based on 5" lengths)
No Moorei, due to the hating blue factor of the Demasoni, lol
5 Demasoni(Based on 3" lengths)
3 Acei(Based on 7" lengths)
5 Bumblebee(Based on 6" lengths)

Does that sound like a decent group? Or would most consider that to be understocked for a 100gal?
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You could go with a few more. For starters 10 more demasoni. 5 won't work. Also demasoni's (at least the males) get up to 4". A better stocking plan (in my opinion with the species noted above) would be:

6 yellow labs, 1 demasoni, 6 acei, 5 bumblebees (1m/4 females). You could even add more (20-25 mbuna's total or more for an overstocked option).
 
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