55 Gallon African Cichlid Tank Options

[Snake42490]

well i have a 55 gallon tank that has been up for a year. i had some cichlids that died about a month ago so i switched to a community tank and it has been absolute hell... our ph is 8.5 and these community fish are not liking it at all.. so tomorrow im going to take all my community fish back and get some cichlids.. what would you guys suggest i put in the tank. 55 gallon 4 rocks spread across the tank. have 4 fake plants and 4 real plants that have held up to my cichlids.. what type and amount of fish you would recommend. i will be going to the local stores and telling you what we have available thanks!

 

[dthoffsett]

Without knowing what you can get locally it's kind of hard to give stocking selections. Here's a link that can get you started. http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php

Also, you may want to add more rocks, as they do better with a lot of caves to choose from.

 

[Snake42490]

I would like to go with the Smaller, Less Aggressive Mbuna Aquarium and what does it mean by Do not mix any Labidochromis species. this is a list of the ones that i like and can get in.

Pseudotropheus saulosi

Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"

Labidochromis sp. "Hongi" (SRT)

Labidochromis caeruleus (Lion's Cove I)

Labidochromis sp. "Perlmutt"

Cynotilapia afra

if i were to do those would i only be able to choose one of the Labidochromis then two of the other kinds. i think i would want to go with these 3

Cynotilapia afra (Cobue)

Pseudotropheus saulosi

Labidochromis sp. "Hongi" (SRT)

. i also really like the electic yellow but why is it saying to only do 3 different species? is it want to just do 3 different fish then have 4 of each? what do you think? would you recommend just sticking with no more than 3 different kinds?

 

[Ferris]

Your second choice looks the best one to me. Mixing Labidochromis species can be done - it just adds an element of risk due to potential aggression issues. Just bear in mind that L.Hongi grow quite large and will almost certainly dominate the tank - not neccessarily a problem, just something to be aware of.

Sticking to 3 species is reccommended so that you can keep them in the optimum male-female ratio but again it's only a guideline.

 

[clareriley]

The thing is with the afras, saulosi and hongi is they are all striped except for the female saulosi's which are orange/yellow.

If I had a spare 55G then I would go for a Saulosi only community, the numbers of fish put in depending on your filtration ect, you do have the perfect pc for malawi's though.

 

[Ferris]

The stripes won't be a problem - a significant number of Mbuna species have vertical stripes. Provided the species aren't too similar in appearance like Saulosi males and P.Demasoni - mixing them shouldn't be an issue.

I have kept the 3 species mentioned here together in the past with no specific issues.

 

[clareriley]

Ferris, I was thinking along the lines of too many stripes to the eye if you know what i mean. I have 4 different stripeys i think but I also have block colours ie callainos, labs and its a nice array of colour which is why a saulosi community would be lovely as not too many stripes. But i also say somepeople like all stripes and no block colour.
just thought I would put my ideas in.. god I wish I had more tanks rofl.

 

[Ferris]

I like stripes!

 

[Snake42490]

if i were to do those fish that i listed second in my tank what should my ratio of males to females be? and also would you guys put any kind of bottom feeder catfish or something in with them?

 

[Ferris]

1 male to 3 females is ideal. Multiple males of the same species is likely to lead to aggression problems unless you have a very large tank.

The catfish most suited to Mbuna tanks are the majority of the Synodontis species - i have 2 Eupterus in with mine but there are smaller options like Petricola. Bristlenose Plecs also tend to work well.

 

[Snake42490]

how many of the Synodontis petricola would you recommend putting in a 55 gallon?

would two ok?

 

[Ferris]

I'd go with 3 - they are quite sociable.

 

[Snake42490]

well i took back all my tetras haha... did a small water change and put in the cichlids! i changed the set up a bit and went with what they had. which they had all i wanted except one kind! im going to wait a while then add the catfish since the things are 20 a piece.. its kinda nice when you can go in and just look at the 2 dollar assorted fish and you just pick out the kind!

 

[Snake42490]

these guys are just babies so much fun to watch them... they are a little over half an inch.. i got 4 kenyi cichlids and 3 Metriaclima estherae (Red). i might be adding one more of those guys but not sure. im going to add 4 electrics but decided to wait because the stores were about 3 inches and didnt want to pay extra for some bigger fish.. rather watch them grow. i will also add 3 cats to... have two questions. should i keep my temp at 79 and should i add aquarium salt to the tank?

 

[Ferris]

Temp of 79F is fine but no salt - completely unneccessary.