Stocking My 55Gal

[Zeoth]

Hey guys! I have an empty 55 Gal, Still going through cycling at the moment however i went to the petstore and put down a list of fish I liked and which id love to keep in there. I tried to make sure alot of the fish that i picked were already stocked togeather at the store.
 
Pearly White Zebra Cichlid x3
Bumblebee cichlid x3
Socolotti CIchlid x 4
Electric Blue Johani x 4
Demonasi Cichlid x 5
Mel Auratus CIchlid x 3
Yellow Lab x 3
 
 I also would love to keep around 4 cory's
 
I have a wide 55 Gal, around 4 feet or so, so i do have a respectable amount of horizontal space. I would love if you could help me with my stocking, as Im sure i probably have a few incomaptible cichlids in there.

 

[GetItSahn]

Don't know every fish you listed but seems to me like you want an mbuna tank. If one of these fish aren't mbuna (haps, peacocks) you probably oughta avoid them. I know people have kept them all together but having all fish from one lake seems to work out best.
 
25 fish total seems about right but you might be able to keep more, people usually recommend overstocking an mbuna tank to reduce aggression. There's quite a few knowledgeable people on this forum when it comes to african cichlids (one's name was frapdiddle or something along the lines of that). I think the corys wouldnt go well with the cichlids due to their laid back demeanor and the cichlid's aggressive demeanor. I believe syondonitis would work fine with a 55g mbuna setup. Just make sure you have plenty of filtration and rocks for the cichlids to establish territories
 
I hope i'm of some help until someone smarter arrives 

 

[Zeoth]

Hey you have helped me! I was kind of iffy on the cories so thanks for that! I'm sorry about the fish names, i wrote down the names the pet store had. I have trouble identifiying haps from mbuna's.

 

[DerpPH]

Auratus cichlids are big bullies though. They even tried to kill my labs.


Note that when keeping mbuna and haps prevent hybridation to preserve the gene pool

 

[Zeoth]

Hm, ok i got rid of the Auratus and the list now appears as such:
 
Pearly White Zebra Cichlid x3
Bumblebee cichlid x3
Socolotti CIchlid x 4
Electric Blue Johani x 4
Demonasi Cichlid x 5
Mel Auratus CIchlid x 3 Red Top Chilumba x3  
Yellow Lab x 3
 
Is everything else fine?

 

[GetItSahn]

Is the socolotti's supposed to be pseudotropheus socolofi?
 
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=944
according to that link, the chilumbas are highly aggressive and should be avoided 

 
Again, didn't find much on the pearly white's. Yellow labs are a classic mbuna tank feature. Have you considered the white labidochromis color morph? I personally like them, just another option to weigh. I read some places that the bumblebee is aggressive and they DO get up to 8 inches so you might wanna do a little more research on that particular species. One last species to look at might be the Red Zebra.
 
Don't feel like I'm telling you to get any fish or not get any fish. It's 100% your decision and I'm simply trying to help you make the best one possible 

 

[Zeoth]

Apologies for the spelling error. Yes i meant pseudotropheus socolofi. >_< Though iv kept other tropical fish, this is my first foray into the cichlid world! I did some more research on the chilumba and your right. strangly enough that was one of the fish reccomended by the store employee there, though i knew to take it with a grain of salt given thier reputation for less than stellar advice. The Red Zebra looks beautiful,

  though I heard your not supposed to mix different morphs. The pearly whites are essentially white zebras. Can i add the white lab and the yellow lab togeather? Can I also add the white zebra and the red zebra's togeather?

  There were also a few cichlids that were grey and yellow in color though they didint have any name tags on them. If i could ad a grey and yellow colored species to this mix (assuming i can keep yellow , and white labs togeather, as well as the red zebra) i would be estatic!
 btw thanks for helping me out

 

[GetItSahn]

hmmm, I cannot deny nor confirm whether you can keep red zebras and white zebras although I assume given enough rocks and territories they would coexist. However, when it comes to labidochromis they are recommended to be kept with mbuna including other labidochromis. I have seen people keep the white and yellow labs with no fuss. I'd like to add that labidochromis are one of the more docile african cichlids and are one of the few species where more than one male can peacefully live in the same tank.
 
Is there anyway you could get pictures of the grey and yellow fish without names? Perhaps we could identify them.
 
I'm always happy to help 

 

[Zeoth]

I found some fish that look verrry similar.  http/i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stnick80/_DSC0131.jpg similar to that, infact, exactly the same except a much more pronounced grey body, like this fish: http/3.bp.blogspot.com/-5JNVSa_qy4A/UAxxu9DrA4I/AAAAAAAAYaM/0yK175HqylI/s1600/IMG_2536.JPG. So has the bright yellow highlights of the first fish, and the grey body of the second.

Nvm, i found a pic of it! http/4.bp.blogspot.com/-YgN0EYAvoco/UhXmBGiwAMI/AAAAAAAAsP4/z4Gf0PBOb8U/s1600/2367.JPG, looks exactly like that.

 

[Zeoth]

My current stock:
 
Red Zebra Cichlid x3
White Lab x3
Socolotti CIchlid x 4
Electric Blue Johani x 4
Demonasi Cichlid x 5
(The unidentified fish) x5
Yellow Lab x 4

Also incl are 2-3 catfish, i tried searching your reccomendation (syondonitis) GetitSahn but I couldnt find any reseaults

 

[GetItSahn]

My current stock:
 
Red Zebra Cichlid x3
White Lab x3
Socolotti CIchlid x 4
Electric Blue Johani x 4
Demonasi Cichlid x 5
(The unidentified fish) x5
Yellow Lab x 4

Also incl are 2-3 catfish, i tried searching your reccomendation (syondonitis) GetitSahn but I couldnt find any reseaults

oh heavens...I slaughtered the catfish name. It's synodontis http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synodontis Here's a billion species to look over lol. I personally like the african featherfin and the synodontis longirostris
 
I believe your unidentified fish would be an Acei cichlid. Give that a go on google images and seem if it's what you're looking for and if it is you can check it's temperament and compatibility.

 

[Zeoth]

Wow i love that fish. ironically enough, i had a picture of that catfish that i saw swimming in a premade fishtank and was just about to ask for an ID but you beat me to it! Im personally inclined towards the synodontis longirostris,
And thanks for the ID Getitsahn, its defintaly a "yellow-tailed acei" and seems to be a good fit for me. I think i have this as my final stocking :
 
[SIZE=12pt]Red Zebra Cichlid x3[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]White Lab x4[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Socolotti CIchlid x 4[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Electric Blue Johani x 3[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Demonasi Cichlid x 4[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Yellow-Tailed Acei x3[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Blue Acei x 3[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Yellow Lab x 5[/SIZE]
 
I hope thats overstocked enough.

 

[GetItSahn]

I think that sounds like a wonderful tank with or without the synodontis cats added! I think you found a good stocking balance as far as numbers go.
 
Just to leave you with some final words of advice, Make sure you have PLENTY of caves and rocks for cover! When adding these fish they need to to try to be added at once or when you add a group try to add more than 3 at a time so no individual fish gets the brunt of the bullying. I suggest when you add new fish to a tank with a hierarchy already established that you shift around the decor that way no fish has established territories. And it's also crucial to try to add the same sized fish when you add them, you don't want a 5 inch yellow lab and a 1 inch demasoni...that's just asking for trouble.
 
I wish you the best on your tank and hope to see pictures and updates in the near future 

 

[Zeoth]

Thanks! Here's my tank atm. No fish, still has to cycle for a few more weeks, but hopefully i have a lot of hiding spaces.  Here are some pics you can take a look at!

 
Really hoping thats enough hiding spaces. the rocks on the right hand side were a pain to make sure it wouldnt topple but I did it (after half an hour or so x.x ) I still have to add one tall plant (similar to the ones i've already added in there) infront of the heater to keep it away from view.
 
* All plants are fake btw

 

[GetItSahn]

I REALLY like those rocks, find those in the yard or are they bought?
The fish might uproot those plants but since they're fake it's not really a big deal. Will the fish be able to swim through any holes or openings in the rock? They aren't necessary but it would help provide even more security and safety for the fish. I wouldn't change that tower of rocks on the right because it looks pretty sweet