african compatibility question/stocking

[DragonFish71]

So still in the stocking planning stage for our african tank. Have some compatibility questions.

Tank info:

115g: 31 inches tall, 16 inches deep (front to back) 4 feet long.

substrate: PFS (sugar white)

decor: piles of lace rock to form caves, fake plants

heater: will eventually be 2 Finnex titanium heaters (awesome for rough cichlid tanks)

filter: Ocean Clear canister filter with a 1100gph pump (might be a lil'giant pump, not sure, was free with tank and filter)


So here's the stocking idea and I need to know if it would work:

red zebras
cobalt blue zebras
albino zebras
electric yellow labs
bumblebee cichlid (Pseudotropheus crabro)
kenyi cichlid (Metriaclima lombardoi)
Melanochromis auratus


The kenyi and auratus see to be the most aggressive in this bunch, at least from what I'm finding on them.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Go with the Ocean Clear 354, the one with the backwash option. Trust me, after using backwash filters at the shop I was running it is AMAZING. You drain for your water change and clean the filter at the same time.

I suggest using some slate as well, this can help open up some of the rockwork so you get more hiding spaces per amount of rock. Haev you already bought the lace rock? If not I suggest considering a smoother rock so as they dart in and out of the rockwork they won't scrape themselves up near as much. I also suggest considering the Cichlid Stones from Underwater Galleries. They are natural looking, hollow, ceramic rocks with a hole. This provides the perfect home for cichlids to truly escape each other's torment.

If tou have the sand and like the white, great. If not I personally like something with black mixed in or all black, but this is all up to you.

I suggest ditching the auratus. They are extremely aggressive and the dominant males are not attractive (black with gray stripes).

Do you plan on having any bottom feeders or just cichlids?

 

[mattrox]

The kenyi and auratus see to be the most aggressive in this bunch, at least from what I'm finding on them.

They are aggressive, but with numbers the aggression should be spread around the tank. If you see a particular kenyi or auratus being picked on too much, it may be a sub-dominant male. It's best to remove those and back to the LFS. and if you happen to see females of those two species(... ie large enough to tell or holding in the LFS tanks) get them. Put them in a QT and when you have about 6 fish all up then add them.


To give you an idea this is the stocking density you can achieve with mbuna.
Board Message

 

[Wy Renegade]

The various zebras are likely to interbreed, especially the albino. Albinoism is a mutation, not a "color" per say, thus albinos that are not housed in a albino exclusive system will eventually breed out, then may reappear in later generations as fry begin to interbreed. The bumblebee may get large for a 4' tank, even though it is high and deep. I agree with getting rid of the auratus, especially with only a 4' long tank and I would also consider dropping the kenyi (but that would be because I personally have never had any luck with them - my population always eventually died down to only a single fish).

 

[DragonFish71]

Go with the Ocean Clear 354, the one with the backwash option. Trust me, after using backwash filters at the shop I was running it is AMAZING. You drain for your water change and clean the filter at the same time.

I suggest using some slate as well, this can help open up some of the rockwork so you get more hiding spaces per amount of rock. Haev you already bought the lace rock? If not I suggest considering a smoother rock so as they dart in and out of the rockwork they won't scrape themselves up near as much. I also suggest considering the Cichlid Stones from Underwater Galleries. They are natural looking, hollow, ceramic rocks with a hole. This provides the perfect home for cichlids to truly escape each other's torment.

If tou have the sand and like the white, great. If not I personally like something with black mixed in or all black, but this is all up to you.

I suggest ditching the auratus. They are extremely aggressive and the dominant males are not attractive (black with gray stripes).

Do you plan on having any bottom feeders or just cichlids?

The tank came with the Ocean Clear canister and has been up and running for a couple of months already. I'm really impressed with the system. We got two tanks, both 115g, with 2 pumps and 2 filters for free. All we had to do was make sprayer bars and an intake tube. I think the ones we got are older models, they don't even have the UV thing on them.

I thought I posted that I was using lace rock already. If I didn't, I meant to. I like the look of the lace rock for an african tank compared to slate. We have about 80lbs of it so far. I know there's that risk of them scraping themselves. I went through and actually filed the sharper edges down. Yeah, I'm obsessive. I was thinking ahead on that one.

I do really like my white sand. It reminds me of the white sand beaches back home. I had thought about black back when this tank was in the set-up planning stage, but I just had to go with the white again. We have it in our 120 as well. Really loving it.


The auratus were a possible choice. I see something that I like and research, then ask on here since I'm new to africans. I don't think I've seen black/gray, all the pics I found were the brighter colors, but it definitely isn't what I'd want in that case. I was hoping they would stay with the bright yellow and black, ah well, glad I know this before buying. I'm wanting to brighter colors for sure.

I was planning on 2-3 synodontis catfish. We have 2 in our 120 and just love them. Since the tank has 8 month old firemouth fry in it now, I planned to get the catfish and let them grow before getting the africans. By then the firemouths will be re-homed.

 

[DragonFish71]

They are aggressive, but with numbers the aggression should be spread around the tank. If you see a particular kenyi or auratus being picked on too much, it may be a sub-dominant male. It's best to remove those and back to the LFS. and if you happen to see females of those two species(... ie large enough to tell or holding in the LFS tanks) get them. Put them in a QT and when you have about 6 fish all up then add them.


To give you an idea this is the stocking density you can achieve with mbuna.
Board Message

The link didn't work darn it.

Ok, so I'll put them on the "maybe" list. I also like the blue Johannis or the Demasoni, but have already been advised against them. Ah well, it's a learning curve for sure.

 

[DragonFish71]

The various zebras are likely to interbreed, especially the albino. Albinoism is a mutation, not a "color" per say, thus albinos that are not housed in a albino exclusive system will eventually breed out, then may reappear in later generations as fry begin to interbreed. The bumblebee may get large for a 4' tank, even though it is high and deep. I agree with getting rid of the auratus, especially with only a 4' long tank and I would also consider dropping the kenyi (but that would be because I personally have never had any luck with them - my population always eventually died down to only a single fish).

I figured there might be some interbreeding, and wasn't hoping to keep the albinos "pure". I know it is a mutation, just like with mammals. I really like the looks of them under the right lighting. The pinkish/red eyes, the pale body that glows and that faint electric blue in the dorsal fin. They really are a beautiful fish. (I've always been partial to albino critters)


I had originally wanted to go with all peacocks but checked out all our LFSs and found they weren't very popular in our parts.

 

[DragonFish71]

Or, what about:

Labeotropheus fuelleborni

 

[mattrox]

Not my tank.

It's longer than your tank, but gives some idea about species mix and stocking density.


These are some of the fish:
electric yellows
cobalt blues
demasoni
flavus
cobue
mangaino
msobo
elongatus.chewere

 

[spoonman]

I have all the fish that you listed minus the auratus and the kenyis. Had them at one time and they tormented my other fish. BTW, I have the exact tank that you have and they worked great! There are pics in my profile of it, I believe.