Acei get up to 7" and really need the swimming space, P.socolofi is a good idea though.

the Pseudotropheus acei is ok i think on a website it says it grows to 5" (10cms) thanks for all the great advice so i have a list of fish witch im happy with i think they are
Pseudotropheus acei

Labidochromis caeruleus

metriaclima estherae

iodotropheus sprengerae

i think that would look ok could you reccomend and bottom feeders to go with them and maybe a plec aswell also iv been looking for a decent external filter and iv come across this one do you think shoudl b eok or would it over filter the tank <a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2B+&fvi=1" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2B+&fvi=1</a>
any amore advice is really apreciated

also reading ICEEGRL post i quite like the look of
Pseudotropheus saulosi

are these ok with the other fish do any of the other fish have to be kept in certain numbers im thinking with that filter turning over my tank 4-5 times that i would get away with a couple of extra fish maybe 4 of each or something like that (excuse all the pictures just worked out how to do it so im still learning)

This post has been edited by dave1987: May 5 2008, 03:18 PM

bump

dthoffsett just told you they get to 7" She is one of the most experience mbuna keepers on here and I've gotten a lot of great advice from her. Just letting you know that you SHOULD listen to her

The other fish are good, but I can't really tell you about Pseudotropheus saulosi as I've not read much about them or had them myself.

I certainly wouldn't call myself all that experienced. (Thanks kj for the vote of confidence though). However, I have kept p.acei for almost 3 years now, and all four are at least 6", the largest male is a little over 7". So, I will have to disagree with your book.

P.saulosi are an excellent choice in smaller tanks, and the nice thing is you get yellow females and blue/black males. Though I'd only keep 1 male in your tank.

ok thanks Pseudotropheus acei it aint then lol will go by your advice so what ratio of fish and how many would you reccomend for my size tank also did you have a look at the filter would that be ok or is overefiltering a problem thanks for the great advice much appreciated

This post has been edited by dave1987: May 6 2008, 02:53 PM

About the filtration.. if your having 12fish, imo a turnover of towards 8x (400gph in your case) would be good. (More towards 10x if you decide to overstock). So one or more filters (preferably 2 incase of a breakdown & to spread out the current), that together turn over rougthly about 400gall per hour would be great..

Also id recommend getting a branded filter like Eheim/Tetratec/fluval ect because they have the reputation and are less likely to breakdown. .. they're not much dearer than the one you have already chosen.

ok thanks

Btw, that amount of filtration would be for fully grown Adults.. you could get away with a little less if your starting with juvies and add more filtration as they get bigger.

ok cool so if i get a filter that does 100lph for now how many would you suggest with juvies and i would probably add another later when they grow bigger

100lph ?? .. that would turn just over half of your tank over an hour. No were near enougth..

Im gunna assume you mean 1000lph ? That would turn you tank over just over 5x an hour.. imo, id go a little more.. more like 1200lph which would be 6x and ok for a group of juvies ... then when they start to get bigger, just add another one that does about 400-600lph.

yes i meant 1000lph lol but iv seen one that does 1500lph so im going to get that. When there all grown up il get another one at 1000lph maybe what ratio and how many would you reccomend there should be plenty of holes for them to hide in as im buying ocean rock wich leads me to my next question lol. I can get 25kg bags do you reckon 2 will be enough for my tank? its 3ft long and 1.5 back thanks in advance

I'd go for 3 species of 1m/3f each, you can ignore the m/f ratio for l.caeruleus as multiple males will generally get along.

Yea i think 2bags will be enougth.. at least for the time being anyway while they are juvies. You could always add another bag at a later date when they are bigger if needed.

ok thanks would this be ok fopr stocking pls change it if not
Labidochromis caeruleus 4 m/f
metriaclima estherae 2m 6f
Pseudotropheus saulosi 2m 4f
i no its should be 3 females to 1 male but its going to be the only blue fish in the tank otherwise could you reccomend anyother different coloured fish to go in my tank thanks

Maybe metriaclima sp. "blue reef" They're blue and monomorphic(meaning both sexes are the same color.) Let's wait for someone to come around and see what they say.

The problems I see here (if they bother you that is), you may have to hybridization with all three species.&nbsp; L.caeruleus and m.estherae are known to breed together, and since p.saulosi females are yellow, the males may try and breed with the females. As long as any hybrids are eaten or remain in your tank(s), it's not really a problem. For a different monomorphic blue species, check out p.socolofi, two saulosi males together is likely to be a problem, you could try it but be prepared to remove the loser.