Dream Tank Stocking

[Griz]

I'm in the middle of some major home renovations and when I get to the basement, sometime in 2006, I will need to take out a wall and construct another so I'm planning to build-in a large tank. It will be 6-8 ft long and in the 180-240 gal range. I know a bit about Africans but have only kept smaller ones in a species tank, no experience with communities. I have done a lot of research but I am getting a bit overwhelmed with the large variety of species available. (My main area of interest has always been with New World fish) I'm aware of the filtration, feeding and water requirements for these fish but I'm having trouble sorting out which species will mix with each other. One idea that interests me is to have a group of Frontosa. I understand that they aren't too agressive but I don't know what I can mix with them.

So here's my question. Give me some ideas for a community that includes some larger fish and would work in a large tank. I want to have some variety in the fish species and colour but beyond that, anything goes really. I though that this might be a fun thread and it will certainly help me to focus my reading and research.

I welcome your ideas and also any links in case I haven't come across them yet.

Thanks!

edit: I guess what I'm looking for is a few suggestions for larger cichlids that can be kept in a group (like the frontosa) which are peaceful enough to have some tankmates. This is the fish that I would build the community around. Any ideas?

 

[freddyk]

A colony of Frontosa would be a good start to a nice Tanganyikan community - mainly rock dwellers that don't spend their nights out in the open - leleupi, caudopunctatus, altolamprologus, julidochromis, etc. in addition to Synodontis catfish like Multipunctatus

If it's color you're looking for there are a million and one combinations you can do with Malawi's as well.

A colony of Blue Dolphins can center a Hap tank with species like Sciaenochromis, Protomelas, Copadichromis, Aulonccara, and even some mild mbuna like groups of Yellow labs and Acei.

Or you can do a Hap Predetor tank full of the big, fast moving haps that most people shouldn't be keeping in a typical aquarium. Tyrannochromis, Fossorochromis, Dimidiochromis Buccochromis...

And of course I'm sure there are people dreaming of an mbuna tank like this, in which case the options are truly endless. Even mixes of these guys frowned upon in the typical smaller aquarium would work just fine in a big tank like this.

 

[Griz]

Lots of great info and suggestions in there freddyk. Thank you, thats just the sort of thing I was looiking for and I like all 4 of your suggestions. I'll need to digest all of that before asking questions, but I do have one for now. What are some of the larger (somewhat common) mbuna species?