What Order Should I Stock These?

[chazeman2]

36 gallon bowfront.

In the end I would like 3 yellow labs, 3 yellow tail acei and 3 red zebras.

I am coming close to the end of a fishless cycle and i am wondering how many I should add at once and how far apart i should add them. the species might change, but i'm looking at 8-10 fish total. (11 times turnover at hour for filtration)

 

[Convict2161]

That's a lot of Cichlids for that size tank. Hope your prepared for some serious turf wars and aggression issues, especially when they start breeding.

If you must go the Cichlid route maybe shell dwellers or dwarf Cichlids.

Hopefully more knowledgable and experienced Cichlid owners will chime in.

But it sounds like your mind is set, is it?

 

[aaronjohn20]

+1 to dwarf cichlids. Labs are gonna get big for that tank I do believe. Not sure on the other 2 you listed. Sorry I can't be a lot of help. But like convict stated, your bound to have aggression in a tank that small. There's just not enough room to get away from the aggressor. You could on the other hand do some rams. They are awesome and have great color. There's german blue rams, gold rams, and bolivian rams. I've got 1 each in my community 46g bow front. Just did a wiki on the 3 and red zebras and yellow tail acei are in a vulnerable threatened conservation status. Not sure bout the lab.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

+1 rams, kribs,shell dwellers

There is one shell dweller from Malawi but I've never seen or heard of it for sale. But I've never looked hard for them so you may get lucky. Here is a link that will help you on decisions.

http://tinyurl.com/99rbctk

 

[chazeman2]

That's a lot of Cichlids for that size tank. Hope your prepared for some serious turf wars and aggression issues, especially when they start breeding.

If you must go the Cichlid route maybe shell dwellers or dwarf Cichlids.

Hopefully more knowledgable and experienced Cichlid owners will chime in.

But it sounds like your mind is set, is it?

kind of yes. i have been preparing for this for some time now and have gotten lots of mixed reviews.some people say go for it and some people yell at me. i have seen a lot of tanks this size on youtube with far more diverse selections of mbunas even mbunas mixed with johannis. so I'm at the point where Im gonna go for it. maybe add less. more like 6

 

[chazeman2]

here is an example...... Doing What You Want To Do With Your Tank (And Knowing Your Fish) - YouTube

 

[chazeman2]

not saying its right or wrong just saying it has been done and it has worked.

 

[Convict2161]

kind of yes. i have been preparing for this for some time now and have gotten lots of mixed reviews.some people say go for it and some people yell at me. i have seen a lot of tanks this size on youtube with far more diverse selections of mbunas even mbunas mixed with johannis. so I'm at the point where Im gonna go for it. maybe add less. more like 6

Your tank, I would strongly advise against it but you'll do what your set out to to do. Some just have to learn the hard way. Mbunas can and will get extremely aggressive and when they start claiming there territory things will get ugly. Hopefully you don't get one that decides to become hyper dominate. When they start to breed you'll be in for some show.

I really do wish you luck but wish you would find another route to take. I don't see this going well.

The Con

 

[chazeman2]

Your tank, I would strongly advise against it but you'll do what your set out to to do. Some just have to learn the hard way. Mbunas can and will get extremely aggressive and when they start claiming there territory things will get ugly. Hopefully you don't get one that decides to become hyper dominate. When they start to breed you'll be in for some show.

I really do wish you luck but wish you would find another route to take. I don't see this going well.

The Con

wouldn't having one be hyper dominate be better if it was with more fish? as in there would be more fish for the aggression to be spread out upon? I totally get what you're saying and appreciate the input, but from what I understand yellow labs, aceis,and red zebras are Some of the more calm mbunas. Someone please set me straight if that is not the case.

What would be some species of dwarf cichlids to keep.

 

[aaronjohn20]

kind of yes. i have been preparing for this for some time now and have gotten lots of mixed reviews.some people say go for it and some people yell at me. i have seen a lot of tanks this size on youtube with far more diverse selections of mbunas even mbunas mixed with johannis. so I'm at the point where Im gonna go for it. maybe add less. more like 6

No one here on AA is going to yell at you about this, and if you do get that 1 person by chance, the mods will take care of it. This is a great site/app for advice, interaction, and getting to know people.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

wouldn't having one be hyper dominate be better if it was with more fish? as in there would be more fish for the aggression to be spread out upon? I totally get what you're saying and appreciate the input, but from what I understand yellow labs, aceis,and red zebras are Some of the more calm mbunas. Someone please set me straight if that is not the case.

What would be some species of dwarf cichlids to keep.

No no no the con man knows about that . Not to long ago ( not to call you out con) he had 1 fish wiping them out one by one till he figured out witch one was doing it. This happend when almost all his fish was full grown.

 

[HUKIT]

If your set on mbuna why not stick with some of smaller dwarf species such as Cynotilapia afra cobue or Pseudotropheus saulosi. You could easily keep any one of these and more in a species only tank. The saulosi would be my first choice to get that classic yellow and blue without the aggression of their larger cousins.

 

[Convict2161]

I'm not gonna debate this issue, you can absolutely do what you want. I have a 75 gallon African Cichlid tank and its mixed. It was overstocked key word is "was" I had a albino zebra that became hyper dominate and took out 25 fish in 2 weeks and did it in the cover of night.

These fish are smart. I watched the video and don't agree at all. Yeah k ow your fish and know what can co exist with each other. He mentioned he had peacocks with haps for 3 months then moved them... Hmmm.... I wonder why?

It's a recipe for disaster in the long run. Sure it may work for a short time, but as they mature and stake ground, the battle will begin.

This is just my opinion but that individual in the video didn't really elaborate on much.

 

[chazeman2]

I'm not gonna debate this issue, you can absolutely do what you want. I have a 75 gallon African Cichlid tank and its mixed. It was overstocked key word is "was" I had a albino zebra that became hyper dominate and took out 25 fish in 2 weeks and did it in the cover of night.

These fish are smart. I watched the video and don't agree at all. Yeah k ow your fish and know what can co exist with each other. He mentioned he had peacocks with haps for 3 months then moved them... Hmmm.... I wonder why?

It's a recipe for disaster in the long run. Sure it may work for a short time, but as they mature and stake ground, the battle will begin.

This is just my opinion but that individual in the video didn't really elaborate on much.

I was using the video for the example of the fish not the content. i'm not arguing im just expressing what i have been told and what i have read to get your opinion on it. that's too bad about your tank, but it seems to be a pretty extreme case.

 

[chazeman2]

we can all agree that what happened in One tank doesn't mean much for the thousands of other tanks out there.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

wouldn't having one be hyper dominate be better if it was with more fish? as in there would be more fish for the aggression to be spread out upon? I totally get what you're saying and appreciate the input, but from what I understand yellow labs, aceis,and red zebras are Some of the more calm mbunas. Someone please set me straight if that is not the case.

What would be some species of dwarf cichlids to keep.

You are right about them being calm for the most part. The acei needs a lot of swimming space I don't recommend them to even be put in a 55 gallon. I'd aim more for

Afra cobue -Afra Edwardi x4 1 male 3 female
Electric yellow - Labidochromis caeruleus (Kakusa) x2 males

 

[Convict2161]

we can all agree that what happened in One tank doesn't mean much for the thousands of other tanks out there.

Oh 100% I agree, different tanks mean different results across the board. What happens to one may not happen to another. I just feel long term you may run into an issue or two.

 

[chazeman2]

You are right about them being calm for the most part. The acei needs a lot of swimming space I don't recommend them to even be put in a 55 gallon. I'd aim more for

Afra cobue -Afra Edwardi x4 1 male 3 female
Electric yellow - Labidochromis caeruleus (Kakusa) x2 males

thanks a lot. the afra cobue looks awesome. Are they pretty hard to find tho? at least for you?

 

[chazeman2]

Oh 100% I agree, different tanks mean different results across the board. What happens to one may not happen to another. I just feel long term you may run into an issue or two.

thank you. If some dwarf mbunas a widely available I am not against them at all.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

thanks a lot. the afra cobue looks awesome. Are they pretty hard to find tho? at least for you?

Here is a link they don't get as big. Like Hukit stated above.
http://www.livefishdirect.com/store.php?fid=31
Mine I ordered from them and they look nothing like the picture I don't think. But I love the fish