Help with stocking a 95g

[Snuff]

My sister-in-law just lost her oscar that was in her 95 gallon recently, and now she would like to keep more than one fish in the tank. After seeing my 50g mbuna tank, she is pretty sure she wants some of them. She wants an active tank, but not overly aggressive. She also wants a good mix of colors. I have never stocked a tank this big, so I thought I would ask for advice before we hit the lfs.

Here is a list of things that are available that I was thinking she would like:

Labidochromis caeruleus
Maylandia estherae
Maylandia callainos (or Pseudotropheus cobalt zebras)
Pseudotropheus demasoni
Cynotilapia "Yellow Dorsal"
Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos "Maingano"
Melanochromis auratus
Maylandia crabro

I know that some of these are more aggressive, but this is mostly everything that we have at our lfs. I would just like some suggestions to give her a good mix of color and activity, without too much aggression. Thank you to anyone who can help me.

 

[Exiled]

Is it a 95g long or tall?? the Maingano's and demasoni's are gonna claim the largest lateral area. I'd just pick just one Melanochromis species. Go with the maingano's rather than auratus's---simply because you listed alot of other yellow fish and the maingano's will pretty much ignore the yellow fish--at least mine do.
The Afra's will take up smaller terr.s but if they are anything like mine--they are viscious about intruders. most of the other fish in your list aren't territorial and are much less aggresive--like the cobalts and estheraes. The crabro's are gonna be pushing it on the aggro factor. I'd rethink them if you want a less aggresive tank.
Still, you're going to need lots and lots of rockwork with the fish you listed. Hopefully it's a 95g long .

 

[Snuff]

Well, just going off what I remember about seeing the tank, I would say it's 5-6 feet long, but I could be wrong.

As for the fish I listed, I was just listing what was available. I didn't think that auratus would be a good idea for her because she doesn't want much aggression. I wasn't sure about the crabro either, but I thought I would mention them.

So if I take them out, what kind of numbers am I looking at for the rest of the fish?

 

[Exiled]

Depends heavily on what your filtration can handle, how often she's realistically going to do water changes, and how built up and intricate the rock work will be. In my opinion, at let's say and average of a 5 1/2 foot long tank with optimal filtration and rockwork -- about 35 juvinile fish/adolescent fish and probably no more than 25 at fully grown.

Increase the numbers of the less aggro fish--make the cobalts or estherae's the bulk of the population, and limit the numbers of the demasoni's and afra's and melanochromis species-- the male will not tolerate another male in the tank.

 

[semper fi]

would not put the m. auratus and l. caereulus in the same tank. auratus is too aggressive for the yellow lab. ime i have found labs to be curious and wouldnot reccommend them around the demasoni.