How many is to many, in a 55g tank?

[WendiDell]

OK, everything is going great in my 55g Mbuna tank, and has been for a while now
I have 13 Mbunas and 1 BN Pleco. My female Kenyi had 15 Fry 24 days ago (hybrid). I have an Electric Yellow and a White Lab about to have more Fry (not Hybrid). I'm not keeping any of the Fry.

I just recently bought 2 Green Dragon BN Plecos, that as soon as they grow a bit bigger, will be in with the Mbunas, which makes 16 total.
I would like to add a few more (2-3) female Mbunas, but I'm worried it may overstock my tank.
I'm seriously over filtered, so that's not a problem. As far as filtering goes I could have 30 fish and still be understocked. But I know Mbunas need space to call their own.
But, I really do need more female Mbuna in the tank to get a better M:F ratio.
Right now I have 2 Mbuna that I don't know what they are or even if they are male or female.
One of them may be a male Kenyi. When we bought it 6 months ago, it looked like a small Cobalt Blue Zebra. But 4-5 weeks ago it started to turn yellow underneath the blue. Now it's not blue, but it's not yellow either, it's a swirl of both, making any kind of an ID difficult.
The other I've posted a couple of times to get an ID, without success. No one else can tell me what it is either, only guesses.
If necessary I could trade those 2 in for the 2-3 Female Mbunas that I need, but I'd rather not if I don't have to. I kind of like them because they are so different.
Bottom line, would 16 Mbunas and 3 BN Plecos be to many for a very well filtered 55g tank?

 

[alLexX]

i think your fine adding more,people crowd mbuna tanks on purpose,to tone down aggression.

 

[vitacrux]

Right now I have 2 Mbuna that I don't know what they are or even if they are male or female.
One of them may be a male Kenyi. When we bought it 6 months ago, it looked like a small Cobalt Blue Zebra. But 4-5 weeks ago it started to turn yellow underneath the blue. Now it's not blue, but it's not yellow either, it's a swirl of both, making any kind of an ID difficult.

Im not 100% sure here and someone can correct me if I am wrong but I believe this is a male kenyi, he just retains some of the female coloring because he is not the dominant male in the tank.

 

[ejaramillo01]

I believe that adding 2 more females you will be ok, based in the over filtration, the size of the tank, and assuming that the tank's set up is full of rocks and hiding places.

 

[mfdrookie516]

All-

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[HUKIT]

Bottom line, would 16 Mbunas and 3 BN Plecos be to many for a very well filtered 55g tank?

No it's possible, but will depend on the personallity of the fish. Mbuna can get increasingly aggresssive overtime with age, so heirarchy can change frequently. I think three BN is a little much, they are filthy little buggers.

 

[toddnbecka]

You should be fine with that number of fish in a 55 provided you keep up with maintenance and water changes. Last February I cleared out a 55 that I had grown out a brood of cutteri (CA cichlids) in that had spawned last August. The average size of the fish was 4", and I took out 80 of them, all fine and healthy. The tank also houses a dozen or so BN and a group of 7 Synodontis lucipinnis catfish. Filtration is 2 aquaclear 70 hob's and an air-driven hydrosponge filter to help collect debris.