Cichlid stocking help?

[Fehyd]

Hiya. my tank is finally ready for my fish!! yay! My cycling is over, and I have a pleco happily living in the tank.


For those that havent seen my tank yet, here's a pic:

now..... I want cichlids. My tap water PH is right around 7.6, but I'm sure I can change that with an addition of some substrate if needed.


I have a LOT of hiding places, and such, and I was thinking of going with 3-4 trio's of peacock cichlids (9 to 12 fish total)


now... how bad would this setup be?
http://www.bluegrasscichlids.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1

First, I know adding that many fish into my tank at once would make my water go crazy... so I am hesitant on that one...


but my thing is... I have really no idea which group of cichlids to get. I've seen a couple of cookie cutter cichlid setups, but they are using names that i cant really find on the net.

so... help me stock my tank!!! I want compatability, community, variety and color... in that order.

I'd like to go all cichlids +1 pleco and possibly a cat, but I am open to any combination of cichlids and other compatable fish at this point. I am supposed to submit my order to the local shop tomorrow!!! I dont have any LFS's within an hour's drive that stock a very large variety, so i'm stuck ordering them specifically by name.

I know your first reaction is to tell me to research cichlids on the net... but here is my problem... there is just too much conflcting information! I've been doing nothing but researching for the 3 weeks it has taken my tank to finish with it's spikes. I am totally overwhelmed at this point!

HELP!!!!!!!

 

[russrimm]

I like Livingstonii's and Peacocks and Yellow Labs and Zebras. That's what we have. All seem to get along great.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Some people may disagree, but I love the parrots. We have three and they are beautiful to look at, can handle their own, and have the greatest personality. Something that I was told at the lfs was if you are going to have a cichlid tank, try to add most of your fish at once. Cichlid's by nature are territorial and if you add fish later on, your others will gang up on the new one. If you are going to add them gradually, every time you add new fish, rearrange the tank so they all have to adjust to the new surroundings. I have noticed this to be true in our tank. We gradually added them and we noticed that the ones that had already been in the tank would gang up on the newbies. Once we started to rearrange the tank each time, they were perfectly fine. Depending on the size of fish you are looking for, possibly an Ice Blue? They are also very active and nice looking. Try this website for different types of cichlids- http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=864 or http://www.ohiexchange.com/armke/list.htm

They have tons to choose from and have nice photo's. Keep me updated and what you choose.

 

[Fehyd]

thanks for the info!

The more I look at the various choices, I am really leaning towards peacocks. From everything I have read, it is considered pretty safe to combine different groups of them together in a community.

My next question is getting the right combination... (male/female) I have found repeatedly that is is better for these fish if you have 1 male and 2-3 females of the same type. Is this just for breeding? Everywhere I have looked, I cannot find anyplace that I can order these fish by sex. say I order 3 albino peacocks... what are the chances that I will get 1 male and 2 females?? If I get 3 males, or even 2 males and a female, I really think that would just spell disaster and death of the lessor male.

My prime idea for a tank would be 3-4 trios of peacocks, but they would have to be 1 male - 2 female ratio to keep everything going smoothly. right???


what about that 15 fish package from bluegrass (my earlier link) is 15 just too many fish for my tank? I do have an abundance of hiding places, and my filtration is suitable. I ust dont want to overcrowd.

Thanks again!

 

[Menagerie]

Perhaps I missed this, but how big is the tank and what kind of filtration are you using?

 

[Fehyd]

sorry about that..
it is a 55gal. I have a HOB whisper 60, and a Maxi-Jet 400 powerhead to help with circulation. I have no problem geting extra filtration if needed.

I am also a tiny bit woried about my substrate. Everything i have read recommends sand for cichlids, and I have gravel.

I researched for about another 2 hours last night on the cichlid-forums.com, and I found that combining different species of peacocks is a bad idea due to crossbreeding... So now I am thinking of just starting with 4 albino peacocks (1 male, 3 female) to go with my pleco. After those, I have no idea. Maybe a few electric blues and a few electric yellows and call it a tank?

Thanks again for any suggestions!

 

[Menagerie]

Cross-breeding is only a problem if you plan to sell them. If not, allow them to breed in the tank and the adults will eat the fry. We have small gravel in the 80 gal with Mbuna cichlids. The cichlids are able to pick up and move the substrate as they wish. There are pics of my tank in my gallery.
I have never kept peacocks, but would like to one day. They are more docile than the Mbuna and have great color. I think your first idea of 3-4 trio's is a good one.

I have found repeatedly that is is better for these fish if you have 1 male and 2-3 females of the same type. Is this just for breeding? Everywhere I have looked, I cannot find anyplace that I can order these fish by sex. say I order 3 albino peacocks... what are the chances that I will get 1 male and 2 females?? If I get 3 males, or even 2 males and a female, I really think that would just spell disaster and death of the lessor male.

The one male to 2-3 females is to keep down aggression. As far as getting all males or the wrong sex ratio, it does not mean disaster for the tank, but you may face problems. Territories are a big concern, which it looks like you have taken care of.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you do come into problems, take your fish out of the tank, rearrange the decor, and put them back in. It will help solve it temporarily. Eventually they will start picking on each other again, by the time you should be able to identify the agressor and remove him from the tank.

 

[severum mama]

I don't know much about African cichlids (I only keep CA/SAs) so I don't have an opinion as far as compatibility. Across the board though, cichlids are messy fish and if I were you I would invest in another filter. I'm glad you are open to this! Try to turn your water over about 10 times per hour. In my 55 gallon, I use an Emperor 280 and an Emperor 400 and they work great. I like the Biowheels too. I don't know how many gph a Whisper 60 filters so I'm not sure what to recommend. Aquaclears are good, and if you want a Biowheel try Emperors or Penguins. Your tank will be awesome, can't wait to see more pics!

 

[Fehyd]

the whisper pumps 330 gph, so I'm getting 6x turnover with that... I have my powerhead just circulating water at about 100 gph, but it is unfiltered. I might replace my powerhead with a Fluval 4+ (260 gph) which would give me just over 10x turnover per hour. do you think that is necessary? I am totally open to ideas and suggestions!

 

[russrimm]

Fehyd,
What kind of rock is that? That's pretty cool looking stuff. Where did you get it?

 

[severum mama]

Well, I don't know if it is necessary, but it definitely wouldn't hurt. I have never used the Whispers so I don't know anything about them. I have heard that a lot of people like the Fluvals.

 

[Fehyd]

Fehyd,
What kind of rock is that? That's pretty cool looking stuff. Where did you get it?

The substrate is just plane old aquarium gravel.

the rocks along the bottom creating the caves is just your everyday red slate.

The back wall is styrofoam covered in cement. I used coloring to match the red slate as much as possible.

the big pice in the middle is driftwood. unfortunately, my camera just stinks.

you can see a more detailed build if you want by either checking out my thread in the DIY area
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=39562

or by checking out my website. I tried to keep a photo journal during the building process.

my website

 

[Menagerie]

I really like canister filters for larger tanks. Great background!!