What Order Should I Stock These?

[chazeman2]

Have ya thought 'bout a Tanganyikan tank rather than a mbuna tank?

A half dozen multies or other shell-dweller, a pair of Julidochromis dickfeldi, a pair of any of the smaller Neolamprologus species (check out N. helianthus, N. cylindricus, N. leleupi and N. caudopunctatus, for starters) or Telmatochromis species ( T. dhonti, Telmatochromis sp. orange scribble), and a group of six barbs wouldn't be a bad set-up. Ya still get the rocky Rift Valley look with a a heckuva lot less aggression issues. Maybe a small group of Altoloamprologus compressiceps "dwarf sumbu" instead of the shellies. The smaller Tanganyikan cichlids generally don't need harems (except for the Tropheus, Simochromis and Petrochromis species) and allow for greater variety without half the aggression issues.

WYite

I actually went to the LFS yesterday and talked to a guy who was suggesting I do some tanganyikan tank too, but he suggested i could get a half dozen haps(don't remember what kind he said) and then fill in the rest with some tanganyikans. Also he was pushing for me to use a buffer for my ph, but it is already at about 8.2 so i'm weary about his advice. The less crap i have to add to the tank the better for me.