help stocking 55 gallon tank ( cichlids)

grannylvsfish

grannylvsfish

have you been bad this year ??
Dec 6, 2006
3,124
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Montana
I got a freebie today and wanted to do cichlids. I love the blues and yellow, and I even saw peach colored cichlids.( peacocks I believe) but I know nothing about these fish. I know with a fifty five I have to stay under 5" inches?? can you help me stock my tank? and let me know what kind of gravel, and rocks and or deco to add. can there be live plants or is this a no go? Since I have the crappiest fish store around and he does not carry any I will have to look here to buy babies , since I rely on you all as you guys know your fish I would appreciate any help and advice.
thanks **Granny
 
I think so...I'm no African expert though. I think you're supposed to get the right male to female ratio of each species, 1 male to maybe 3 or 4 females. As far as decor, make enough rock work so they can have places to hide and to divide territory, but leave open swimming space also. I don't know about the live plants, I've heard Africans tend to devour them, but maybe that is just mbuna.
 
Great upgrade !

With peacocks you are going to have to decide whether you want an all male tank of about 10 or 12 fish (very very colourful - stunning indeed - but tricky to manage aggression and you may lose fish due to this, or a male/female tank in which case you stock groups of 1 male with 2 or 3 females for a total of around the same. But female peacocks are unfortunately unattractive visually.

To stock all male tanks I think you really need either a spare tank say a 40L to shift around problem fish, or fish which are beat up, or a great arrangement with your supplier that you can return fish which don't work out.

Generally you try and avoid similar colourations (conspecifics) but an awful lot comes down to the individual fish personality.

You might prefer a mbuna tank (males and females equally colourful) with perhaps up to 12 give or take fish (3 or 4 groups, same ratio as peacocks) and say 3 Male Peacocks of different colours).

I'll put this in rift lake forums for you :D
 
Coler said:
Great upgrade !

With peacocks you are going to have to decide whether you want an all male tank of about 10 or 12 fish (very very colourful - stunning indeed - but tricky to manage aggression and you may lose fish due to this, or a male/female tank in which case you stock groups of 1 male with 2 or 3 females for a total of around the same. But female peacocks are unfortunately unattractive visually.

To stock all male tanks I think you really need either a spare tank say a 40L to shift around problem fish, or fish which are beat up, or a great arrangement with your supplier that you can return fish which don't work out.

Generally you try and avoid similar colourations (conspecifics) but an awful lot comes down to the individual fish personality.

You might prefer a mbuna tank (males and females equally colourful) with perhaps up to 12 give or take fish (3 or 4 groups, same ratio as peacocks) and say 3 Male Peacocks of different colours).

I'll put this in rift lake forums for you :D
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thank you for your answers!! very helpful. Im stuck in a small town and there for no choices . I would like to buy from a breeder who knows what he has got and that are healthy. I also want to buy small and grow out.
I also do not know male to female and there not sure about any of this. but we really want colorful fish that like meaty foods to and fun to look at and fun to feed. ( there is only so much you can do with guppy and molly ) So looking for a breeder who has many fish, different kinds and that are compatible.
 
Something similar to Coler's idea, would be to stock in there 6 yellow labs, 6 aceis and 3 male peacocks of different colors. For the yellow labs and aceis, you don't have to worry too much about male/female ratio with a group of this size, IMO; they are "docile" mbunas.
 
^ good point. I would do the white fin 'ngara'/black aceis with the labs, and yes you could very well get away with not having the 'ideal' ratio.
 
grannylvsfish wrote:
but we really want colorful fish that like meaty foods
Click to expand...
This isn't a good ideal with Africans too much meat will equal bloat maybe as a treat once a week would be fine but not as a staple they will need the roughage in regards to spirulina and veggies with a low crude protein of nothing more than 39% with less being better.. :thm:
 
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