265 gallon stocking advice

[Shark75]

Hi, originally I was going to convert my tank into an all male hap and peacock tank with some of the yellow labs I have mixed in. After doing extensive research on this forum as well as others I have decided to go a different route. I'm thinking about 3 or 4 less aggressive species of mbuna and maybe adding 1 or 2 from Lake Victoria. Also, would like to add 2 or 3 medium large hap or peacocks for fry control and different color. As I previously stated, I already have the yellow labs and would need to cut the group of 35+ down significantly. The sizes range from fry to full grown adults. I also have six Syno Multipunctatus. I'll give you my proposed stocking list and let everyone dissect it for me:

Mbuna- most certain

Labidochromis Caeruleus
Pseudotropheus sp. Acei Yellow Tail
Metriaclima sp. Dolphin- Giant Demasoni

Lake Victoria possibilities:

Paralabidochromis chromogynos- I like the interesting look of the females but might be a little meek to be kept with mbuna.

Christmas Fulu, Kyoga Flameback, Hippo Point Salmon, Pundamilia nyererei or any other red hap that anyone can suggest. My only dislike of any of these fish is that the females seem to be pretty drab.

Haps/ Peacocks- main purpose to provide different shapes and colors and also help with fry control

S. Fryeri Electric Blue- seem to coexist fairly well with mbuna, keep their color even when not the most dominant and don't get big enough to pose a threat to adult mbuna

Eureka Red, Lemon Jake and/ or Lwanda peacocks- probably the most feisty of the Aulonocara

Another mbuna I would be interested in but might be too aggressive is Labeotropheus Trewavasae Red

If keeping 4 or 5 different species what is a good number of each to shoot for? Was thinking about 10-12. Thanks for any thoughts, experiences and criticisms you might have to share.

 

[dr exum]

i’m not sure if it’s your first go with victorians...

the red fin piebald i have, seem similar to what your looking at, these guys are super aggro... batch of fry shredded two bristlenose...

good luck! sounds fun!

 

[Shark75]

Those guys look cool. Are the females colored like that too? I remember reading your thread when you were setting your tank up. You got them from Davesfish.com right?

 

[Shark75]

and yes would be my first time with Victorians.

 

[Shark75]

Where are all the African cichlid keepers? Maybe my first post was too long. Really just want to know if anyone has kept Giant Demasoni successfully with other more peaceful mbuna. Same question for the Paralabidochromis chromogynos or the Paralabidochromis sp. Red Fin Piebald or if anyone has recommendations for any other Vics that would fit. Thanks

 

[qldmick]

S. Fryeri Electric Blue are piscivorous in nature and Syno Multipunctatus are also meant to be great at eating up any fry in the tank.
I wish we had red finned piebald's in Australia.

 

[A201]

So many possibilities. Look at the Steveni Tiawan Reef Hap, Red Empress, Virginals Gold Blaze Hap & Yellow Rock Krib Hap (Lake Victorian). No problems keeping Red Top Trewavasae. I keep two males in my 120 gal.
Some interesting Mbuna, look at any of the Afra varieties & the Zebra Chilumba, one of my favorites. Here's a few pics of mine.

 

[DJRansome]

Dr. Exum is keeping the piebalds and reports above they are super aggressive. If giant demasoni are your focal point, I would skip the super aggressive Victorians.

 

[Shark75]

Thanks, Stephen. I love the Steveni Taiwan Reef but didn't think they would be assertive enough or stay colored up with mbuna. That Zebra Chilumba looks awesome. Is that an all male tank?

 

[Shark75]

Dr. Exum is keeping the piebalds and reports above they are super aggressive. If giant demasoni are your focal point, I would skip the super aggressive Victorians.

Yeah, I see that. Just curious if that aggression is more conspecific or in general? Also, looking at the species profiles on www.cichlid-forum.com they are listed as mildly aggressive/ aggressive which is the temperament of most of the fish im looking at. Obviously, outliers of individual fish occur and nothing is guaranteed. Curious if an an aggressive Lake Victoria hap is equal in temperament to a Lake Malawi mbuna. Thats why i was hoping someone would weigh in with their experience. I thought it was more acceptable to keep some Lake Victoria species with some from Lake Malawi as opposed to Lake Tanganyika but I could be wrong.