Need stockong ideas.

[Maxkolbe]

Hey everyone, I just finished cycling my new 60gal aquarium and I need help with my stock list.

For sure I need to include my cobalt zebra and possibly yellow lab.

I also want to get about four syndontis petricola and was wondering if they do OK with mbuna.

The last requirement of the fish I am looking to include is that they are easy to sex so I can be sure of an all male tank.

In regards to this last requirement I have heard that kenyis and auratus cichlids are easy to sex but I believe that they may be too aggressive for my setup.

Lastly I may include a non mbuna species such as a Duboisi or possibly peacocks if they are compatible.

All help is appreciated since I want to get the fish as soon as possible.

Here's a photo o the tank if it helps.

(sorry I didn't mean to post 4 but the app is being stubborn)

 

[CraigMac]

Tank looks good!

Johani are very easy to tell the sex, the males are blue and females are yellow/orange.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Does this rule still apply to juveniles. Also johani's are pretty aggressive aren't they? Could I still get a group in the setup I described? Lastly how many should I have in a group, does five or six sound good?

 

[CraigMac]

Juveniles look like the female but I'm pretty sure once you see the blue then you know it's a male and they seem to turn blue early. The stores normally sell the males and they are less then 2 inches at purchase.

They can be aggressive, but what else is new with cichlids . I'll let some of the more experienced members give more advice as I'm rather new myself!

 

[CraigMac]

BTW, I have a 90 gallon with Africans. My male Johanni is the tank boss, but he mainly leaves everyone alone except for the acei in my tank.

 

[joel618]

Hey everyone, I just finished cycling my new 60gal aquarium and I need help with my stock list.

For sure I need to include my cobalt zebra and possibly yellow lab.

I also want to get about four syndontis petricola and was wondering if they do OK with mbuna.

The last requirement of the fish I am looking to include is that they are easy to sex so I can be sure of an all male tank.

In regards to this last requirement I have heard that kenyis and auratus cichlids are easy to sex but I believe that they may be too aggressive for my setup.

Lastly I may include a non mbuna species such as a Duboisi or possibly peacocks if they are compatible.

All help is appreciated since I want to get the fish as soon as possible.

Here's a photo o the tank if it helps.

(sorry I didn't mean to post 4 but the app is being stubborn)

The petricola will be fine with them. I have 8 with my mbuna and they ignore eachother. I also have relatively laid back mbuna though. I keep Acei, afra cobue, yellow labs, and as of a couple days ago ice blue greyshaki. I have never tried it but if you are going to mix peacocks, mbuna ect, most people suggest a much bigger tank.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Ok, is my tank big enough aceis? It's 4ft long 1ft deep and 2ft tall. if so how do you sex them?

 

[CraigMac]

A lot of people suggest 5 foot tanks for acei. However, my 90 gallon is 4 foot and I have 4 of them. They are awesome cause they stay together and swim at the top of the tank.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Do they require venting or are they dimorphic?

 

[CraigMac]

Aceis? Venting is the only way to tell.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Ok, that rules them out. What about kenyis, aren't they dimorphic? And isn't the cobalt zebra dimorphic too. Darn it looks like my tank is going to have nothing but blue fish.

 

[joel618]

Aceis? Venting is the only way to tell.

Pretty well. Mymbuna dominant male is obvious with the platinum top fin. The subdoms shake at the females but that's the only way I can tell. I have mine in a 75gal atm but they will have either a 180 or 220 (can't decide) for them before 2013.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Are there any dimorphic species that don't have blue males?

I think that a group of male johanis sounds good, any recommendations for how many in a
Group or other species that would do well with these fish and the petricolas?

What about Afras, are they dimorphic fish?

Lastly do you think I should go with 2 or three different species plus the catfish?

 

[CraigMac]

Yellow labs do well with them but they aren't dimorphic. I'm sure someone will have some good suggestions for you.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Ok, so here's what I've got so far

x6 male johanis
x4 syndontis petricola
x1 cobalt zebra
x5/6 some other species

I was thinking about kenyis, what color are the males? Or are they too aggressive for this setup?

I don't know if the yellow lab is going to make it, his gills have turned blackish and are flared out and the zebra never leaves him alone so I don't know if he/she will go in the new setup.

 

[kelbaker79]

Are there any dimorphic species that don't have blue males?

Google Taiwan Reef Cichlids, I have a few of them, don't know if that's too much blue for you or not? Or wait, here's a photo...
Male:



Female:

 

[CraigMac]

Male Kenyi's are yellow, but juveniles and non-dominant males can look like the females, blue.

 

[Maxkolbe]

I'm Ok with blue fish but I'm afraid about how the tank would look with nothing but blue fish.

What species is that, it's pretty cool looking!

 

[Maxkolbe]

Aren't cobalt cichlid males blue and the females red?

 

[kelbaker79]

I'm Ok with blue fish but I'm afraid about how the tank would look with nothing but blue fish.

What species is that, it's pretty cool looking!

In the photos I posted? Protomelas Stevani, "Taiwan Reef"