90G MALAWI TANK STOCKED FINALLY!!!!

[angeltc]

So I finally got some fish in my 90g yesterday. I got 5 peacocks. They were labeled as "Select Color Peacocks" at my LFS because the owner hand-picked them from the distributor. They're all about 3-4 inches. They were $17.98 each. Now here's where i need some feedback:
A) How do they look? Do they look worth 18 dollars each?
B) IDs (if any of them are more than just plain old peacocks)
C) Sexes
D) Will they breed at this size? If not, when?

Here's the pics:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14002
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14003
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14004
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14005
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14006
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14007


P.S. I'm feeding them TopFin small cichlid pellets. Will this be alright? If not, then what should I feed them?

[BigTim15]

nice peacocks...I am not fimiliar with the top fin food but you should probaly watch out foe bloat... I feed all of my malawia with NLS and have never had a problem with bloat

[Red Devil]

love it ... great looking tank and beautiful fish

[sainthitch]

where are you located. thouse look exactly like the ones from fish fanatics. Great looking colours man.

[angeltc]

where are you located. thouse look exactly like the ones from fish fanatics. Great looking colours man.

The Washington, D.C. area. Thanks!

Thanks for the complement Tim. What's NLS?

[sainthitch]

NLS= new life spectrum

[angeltc]

NLS= new life spectrum

K thanks I'll look it up

[angeltc]

bump

[Xilomaniac]

Nice variety! Tank looks very nice w/ those in it,..

[aaron89]

nice looking fish, full tank shot?

[angeltc]

nice looking fish, full tank shot?

K give me a few minutes.

[sutherland]

Not quite sure about Top Fin, as its first ingredients are either derived from wheat or fish. Although African Cichlids are omnivorous, its important to supplement them with a diet rich in Spirulina/Algae.

Aquatrol Spirulina
Ocean Nutrition Vegi-Cichlid Formula
etc..
etc...

[angeltc]

I gave them a couple of the Top Fin pellets and then I sliced up some carrots.

[angeltc]

Here's a couple full tank shots along with some other pics:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14057
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14056
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14027
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14047
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14048

[angelo21]

nice!

[DeepWater]

Your peacocks have great color. I'd say they were worth it.

[JamesRiggs]

Nice fish, good job on stocking.

That last shot looks like a lithobates, not a peacock.

[BigTim15]

the full tank shots are awesome.. What are the demensions of the tank?

[Pittbull]

nice assortment..

[angeltc]

Thanks everybody for the complements! It's 90 gallons but I'm not sure of the dimensions, I'll look it up tomorrow though. James, did you mean the last pic in post #1 is a lithobates? Or the last pic in post #14?

Also, does anyone have any idea about the sexes?

[LeahisAwesome]

Gorgeous fish!!

[angeltc]

bump for sexing

[sutherland]

bump for sexing

:nilly:

[Muske]

Would say mostly male. At 3-4" the males start coloring up. Being hand picked by the LFS, he might have gotten only males. 18 dollars is a fair price.

[angeltc]

Would say mostly male. At 3-4" the males start coloring up. Being hand picked by the LFS, he might have gotten only males. 18 dollars is a fair price.

Ya I thought they would be all male if he hand picked them. How many females should I get for the 5 males?

[iamzrad]

Wow, nice tank and fish!
What is your lighting setup? (bulbs)

[angeltc]

Wow, nice tank and fish!
What is your lighting setup? (bulbs)

The light Is the sundial T-5HO 48" 216 watt programmable T-5 lighting system. The bulb order (from back to front) is:
Four Photocell Controlled SuperBrite White LED's with interchangeable actinic blue filters (a.k.a. nightlights)
460NM actinic T5HO
10,000 daylight T5HO
460 NM actinic T5HO
10,000 daylight T5HO
It also has a superquiet fan and two built in timers. It's awesome!

[mike dunagan]

It is just not about how many females. You will want the correct type of females. I would recommend staying with all male setup. Adding females will add another level of aggression to the mix and the great probability of hybridizing fish.

[fisheater]

Peacocks of that size and color go for 30.00+ around here.Nice pick up!!

[JeffLeMay]

all the peacocks look great...you will have to keep us updated on their progress

[chrisyarbrough90]

dont get to excited those fade well the ob's my lfs told me there fed hormone growth food and its not legal in the u.s

[angeltc]

dont get to excited those fade well the ob's my lfs told me there fed hormone growth food and its not legal in the u.s

Ya but we're tight with the people at my LFS and I don't think they would sell me something that wasn't legal

[angeltc]

Here's a few more pics that I took last night:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14439
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14445
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14457
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14448
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14434
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14047
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=14040

[tydus]

Nice peacocks, they are very beautiful. ;)

[angeltc]

Nice peacocks, they are very beautiful. ;)

Thanks! Does anyone know the scientific names of each one?

Also, what would some good tankmates be?

[Danscichlids88]

looks great.

[mike dunagan]

1. Man made OB peacock, no scientific name
last pic- man made sometimes called strawberry or dragon's blood. again not scientific name.

the ones in the middle- albino is super hard to tell, and sometimes they can be crossed bred with another type that is already albino and breed back. I would assume mixed with it.

That leaves you with your yellow or blue one to name.

With the light that you have it is tough to tell on the yellow. Does it have any blue in the fish, or just yellow?

[Marius]

Let me guess, first time into Africans and you picked them up because they were so "purdy"?!?





That last shot looks like a lithobates, not a peacock.
Spot on


Thanks everybody for the complements! It's 90 gallons but I'm not sure of the dimensions, I'll look it up tomorrow though. James, did you mean the last pic in post #1 is a lithobates? Or the last pic in post #14?

Also, does anyone have any idea about the sexes?
Can you say males?!? :D


It is just not about how many females. You will want the correct type of females. I would recommend staying with all male setup. Adding females will add another level of aggression to the mix and the great probability of hybridizing fish.
Most of them are hybris anyway, but yeah, I'd say you better stick to an all male Peacocks/Hap tank. If you put females in there all hell breaks loose.

[bobgobucks]

Why can't I see them?
I see where you say you posted them a couple of times, but no pics are forthcoming. Tried IE and Mozilla both to no avail!

As for fish food, I had recommended to me Dainichi color fx, although I know most are quite good. Anyone else like this brand?

I know the guy who developed these formulas, and he really knows his Africans!

[zerojquan85]

It is just not about how many females. You will want the correct type of females. I would recommend staying with all male setup. Adding females will add another level of aggression to the mix and the great probability of hybridizing fish.

Ya.. i agree..

your tank right now is fine the way it is.. if u add any females.. not only will your tank be less colorful.. but the ratio of Male:Female is 1:3 or 2:6.. u get the idea....

I once housed 2 male Benga Peacock and 1 female. The result wasn't too good.. The males were aggressive and one of the beat the other up and later died.... Now i just have 1:1 ratio of male female and they always chase each other....

Anyways nice tank and i think you've inspired me to just do a African ONLY tank.. (I keep 4" JD with my african right now) so far no deaths..

Good luck!

[bobgobucks]

When I went back to it, the pics loaded. Go figure!
Awesome fish. I have a juvi strawberry, so thanks for the advance look!

[fcampbel]

Nice variety and color mix. I'd say you got your moneys worth and some of them will get even nicer as they mature.

[angeltc]

Thanks everyone!

You were right Marius, first time into Africans. I had been planning on doing an Mbuna tank, as you can tell by the rocks, but I saw these guys and I couldn't pass them up (not to mention that they marked them down for me).

Mike, in regard to your question about the greenish-yellowish one, the area around his gills is sometimes black and sometimes blue, depending on what angle you look at him.

Also, I would like to maybe put some Mbuna in there too. I know, I know, it doesn't occur in nature, I'm alright with that.

[mike dunagan]

Most peacocks will have a blue face, that can fade to blue. It is on the body that matters. We will have to see in a few months to be sure.

[angeltc]

Most peacocks will have a blue face, that can fade to blue. It is on the body that matters. We will have to see in a few months to be sure.

We sure will. So about the mbuna and peacocks/haps thing. I've been thinking and I guess I might do all peacocks/haps. About the all male thing, I might do that, but one of the reasons that I wanted to do an african tank was because many of them are mouthbrooders and I always thought that that was awesome. Are there any mouthbrooding Malawi cichlids that will stay with the fry after they hatch and guard them and take the fry in their mouth when they sense danger?

[navygirl76]

beautiful peacocks! you did a great job picking them out. i would pay that much for good stock..

[angeltc]

Thanks everybody!

What would you suggest for the lighting cycle (see post #27)

Also are there any mouthbrooders from Malawi that take their fry into their mouth when they sense danger?

[mike dunagan]

They only do that for a short period of time. You will need a large tank for this to work out like that.

[angeltc]

They only do that for a short period of time. You will need a large tank for this to work out like that.

Oh really? Oh well.

Any ideas for lighting?

[angeltc]

Bump for lighting

[MoFish78]

nice peacocks. i like the yellow one. how many of these can you have in there? or you plan on having? any infos on mixing these peacocks with mbunas yet? I have a 55g tank for mbunas and recently added a couple of peacocks... 2 electric blues, yellow peacock, borleyi...they're ok so far.

[invisyblegypsey]

very nice!

[angeltc]

So I ended up keeping the peahaps (I got tired of typing peacocks/gaps on my iPod touch) all male, but I did add some mbuna. When I went to my lfs yesterday, I got five new fish: 1 male "select color" red peacock, 1 male blue johanni, and 4 yellow labs (1M, 3F). Hopefully the blue johanni won't be as aggressive as he's supposed to be since he doesn't have any females to "defend." So far all of the mbuna have been doing pretty well, minding their own business and keeping to themselves. In fact, the only one who's shown any major aggression so far is the strawberry peacock. So there's your answer Mofish. They have only been together for a day though, so we'll find out.
Now I know mixing mbuna doesn't occur in nature and is highly looked down upon in fishkeeping, but please don't shun me.
I'll post some pics later today.

[MalawiTango]

LOL every Johanni Ive ever had has been a nasty little bugger. Good luck.

[angeltc]

LOL every Johanni Ive ever had has been a nasty little bugger. Good luck.

Ya I tried to tell my mom that but she had to have him, so we'll see.

I've got a problem with one of the yellow labs. He (at least I think it's a he) is floating at the top at a 45 degree angle, gasping for air, and drifting around in the current. What's wrong and what should I do?

[MoFish78]

did you put some stress coat in the tank? ive seen that behavior in my fish after i put stress coat...i dont use stress coat anymore since then.

[angeltc]

did you put some stress coat in the tank? ive seen that behavior in my fish after i put stress coat...i dont use stress coat anymore since then.
Yesterday when I brought them home, I drip acclimated them for about an hour and then put in some AmQuel. I'm not sure if AmQuel has any stress coat in it. That was last night, but I noticed this behavior today.

[angeltc]

An update on the ailing Yellow Lab -- Still breathing heavily and rapidly, but he's currently lying on the bottom in the corner.

[angeltc]

Yellow lab is dead :(

[Alex422]

I had a fish like the center one in your first tank. He was around for about 3 weeks and he died. I have a thread called "I found this at Petco for $9!" I'm pretty sure its an OB Peacock.

He was awesome.

[greenearthlawns]

I love the yellow one!! Is it a stuatgranti (sunshine peacock)?? Dont have many good places around here in nh to buy africans I get lucky every now and then though... I just finally figured out how to put my pics up I want to get feedback on my african setup!! I have a mixture of mbunas and peacocks mostly I started with the africans back in march 08 I got them all at 2 in. they are now between 4-6 in. I Love them they have been mating like rabbits since I put the flat rock in there and they stick with there own breeding groups I have an ob male he has 3 peach colored females, The blue (red zebra) has 2 females one blue and one orange. There is one pair of golden mbunas and an electric yellow breeding colony! They are sooooooooo much fun and so cool to watch it is like a soap opera in my tank everyday who needs tv lol

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?pictureid=15423&albumid=1467&dl=1233851026&thumb=1 (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1467&pictureid=15423)http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?pictureid=15425&albumid=1467&dl=1233851026&thumb=1 (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1467&pictureid=15425)http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?pictureid=15427&albumid=1467&dl=1233851026&thumb=1 (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1467&pictureid=15427)
oh yea an my kenyi male has 2 female companions they like to fight though!! Kenyis can be brutal especially if you have 2 males which I found out when 2 males both killed eachother over dominance this is my surviver male used to think he was a she because he was blue for so long!
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?pictureid=15424&albumid=1467&dl=1233851026&thumb=1 (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1467&pictureid=15424)here is ohttp://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?pictureid=15429&albumid=1467&dl=1233851026&thumb=1 (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1467&pictureid=15429)ne of my fry tanks I have 3

my tank is a 125 I have noticed that the more fish there it lowers aggression depending on what in there they have such an interesting hyrearchy sytem it really is so based on the compatibility with these africans you never know when thats gonna change though! especially if and when you add females to the mix!! You get to enjoy africans for a long time if your lucky too they are hardy and can live 10 yrs!!!

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1467&pictureid=15421

[greenearthlawns]

I think you got a good deal because those all have great color!! its easy to find what kind of fish you have if you go on google and search just the images of peacock cichlids many times you will find the same ones you have and see what sorts of names they go under... I say "names" because you will find they can vary...

[SubMariner9]

Congratz on the Tank Dude!

NLS is the S___t!

Plankton and Krill too.

Good Luck,


Richard

[drizzt04]

i just learned all this so i hope i am correct. for sexing, look for the round "eggspots" on the bottom rear fin. those are males. the 2nd pic in post 33 has some nice ones.

i was told that the ratio of males to female is 1:2.

also told that peacocks are one of the less agressive of the africans, so i would say that finding other less agressive mates will work. also, having alot of caves and hiding places helps out with leeping them from fighting.

the other thing i have been told is that overstocking an african tank is actually a good thing. more fish= less fighting. and no one fish will get picked on.

hope this helps, and hope i am right. and thanks uncle ned for teaching me all this.

[angeltc]

Hey everybody, thanks for all the great feedback!
I haven't updated in a while, so I thought I would.
I got some NLS! I have heard that you have to soak it before you feed it though. Is this true? If so, for how long?
The fish are doing great! I lost one fish (a yellow lab):cry: One out of eleven isn't that bad considering that it's my first African tank.
As for those who were worried about the peacocks/haps and mbuna (especially the johanni) not mixing, I haven't seen anything so far.

[mike dunagan]

You do not need to soak your NLS. Egg post are not a sure fire way to sex fish. Venting is the way to go.

[angeltc]

You do not need to soak your NLS. Egg post are not a sure fire way to sex fish. Venting is the way to go.

Males have the circular vents and females have the teardrop-shaped vents, right?

[angeltc]

So today I got four new fish:
1x 5" "select color peacock" (I'm not sure but I think it might be a malawi trout:eek:

2x 2 or 3" nimbochromis venustus
1x 2 or 3" mystery fish (blackish-purpleish body with orange fins)

Stay tuned for pics of this batch and last batch

[angeltc]

Here's pics from this batch (ID's would be greatly appreciated):
Mystery fish
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16370
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16374

Nimbochromis Venustus. At what size should they start coloring up? Should I get more?
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16362

Malawi Trout???
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16358

Some pics from the last batch:
Johanni:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16356
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16355

R.I.P.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16352

Yellow Lab:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16346

And a pic of the marble peacock:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1168&pictureid=16354

There's 13 fish in there now. What else should I get?

[MoFish78]

The fish in the first 2 pics is a Copadichromis borleyi and i think your malawi trout is a Sciaenochromis fryeri...commonly known as the Electric Blue.


is the blue striped one a johanni or a maingano? been tryin to figure out how to tell the difference.

[angeltc]

The fish in the first 2 pics is a Copadichromis borleyi and i think your malawi trout is a Sciaenochromis fryeri...commonly known as the Electric Blue.


is the blue striped one a johanni or a maingano? been tryin to figure out how to tell the difference.

Alright that's good about the electric blue not being a "Malawi trout.". I'm not sure whether the blue striped one is a johanni or a maingano. It was sold as a johanni, so I'm gonna go with that for now.

[chrisk]

Very nice

[bobgobucks]

Perhaps a Aul stuartgranti maleri, a lethrinops, a copadachromis azeuris, and a super red empress would be great.
I also like taiwan reefs. (protomelas)
Just focus in on Malawi Haps and look for varietal colors.

[greenearthlawns]

"Alright that's good about the electric blue not being a "Malawi trout.". I'm not sure whether the blue striped one is a johanni or a maingano. It was sold as a johanni, so I'm gonna go with that for now."

They are called Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos according to google,
If google is correct, yours is technically a Maingano... the males and females look similar but the males will have more darker blue and be bigger and more colorful...


http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:oEJ6w5wFpkzhyM:http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/3169685482_fc3d586d14.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/3169685482_fc3d586d14.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/26549397%40N08/3169685482/&usg=__ZSlmS64fS-BY5cnwTBtQ5ppvoSo=&h=375&w=500&sz=108&hl=en&start=13&um=1&tbnid=oEJ6w5wFpkzhyM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmaingano%2Bcichlids%2BMelanochromis%2 Bcyaneorhabdos%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN)http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:56cpnQVJh1FNIM:http://www.livefish.com.au/images/melanochromis_maingano1.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.livefish.com.au/images/melanochromis_maingano1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php%3Fmain_page%3Dproduct_info%26products_id %3D1231&usg=__RMFQx3qv72KQlCyOZzVolpLNm_w=&h=320&w=570&sz=17&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=56cpnQVJh1FNIM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmaingano%2Bcichlid%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den %26sa%3DN)





here is the johanni they have some vertical bars and horizontal ones ontop... the females are yellow/orange
http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:61wqc93D9jPr3M:http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/johanni1.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/johanni1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_johanni.php&usg=__yZPQyvR8K6IHW64HIxQE38gEzK0=&h=199&w=315&sz=13&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=61wqc93D9jPr3M:&tbnh=74&tbnw=117&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djohanni%2Bcichlid%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den% 26sa%3DG)http://www.akvaryumdoktoru.com/akvaryum/files/images/johanni.JPG

[greenearthlawns]

I think yours has great color looks like a male... I think I have a female one so if your ever looking for a female let me know....

[greenearthlawns]

this is a malawi trout...Champsochromis caeruleushttp://www.gcca.net/fom/fom_pix/Champsochromis_caeruleus-M-lo.jpg

[angeltc]

I think yours has great color looks like a male... I think I have a female one so if your ever looking for a female let me know....

Which fish are you talking about?

[greenearthlawns]

THE BLUE STRIPED ONE THE MAINGANO...

[greenearthlawns]

Angeltc, Your Copadichromis borleyi looks to be a female... I have a male just got him on Valentine's day for my bf... a beautiful fish!! seems to be a pretty good selection at your lfs.... ;)

[angeltc]

THE BLUE STRIPED ONE THE MAINGANO...

K well thanks for the offer, but I want him to be the only melanochromis in the tank to keep aggression down.
As far as my lfs goes, it does have a pretty good variety. Some of the fish are labeled incorrectly or labeled vaguely though. I also wish that the staff could sex some of the fish, especially the sexually nondimorphic species. Other than that, it's great!
So the copadichromis borleyi is a female, not just a juvie that hasn't colored up yet? At what size do the males start coloring up?

At what size do venustus males start coloring up?

[greenearthlawns]

I know what you mean, I also wish the lfs would lable them better, Its almost like they dont want you to know much about them... dont know why... and it's aggrevating that they always seem to have been given hormones bc many times when you buy them, it looks male and turns out to be female. or has full color when so small but I dint think that is natural coloration... I think they may not naturally color up until 6 months or so.... depending on tank mates also!

[angeltc]

8 more fish added!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pics to come soon