Are peacocks suitable in a 55 gallon?

[PoopSmart]

Bought a 125 and moved some fish around and now I have an empty 55 gallon with a penguin 350 and an xp1 canister filter.

Could a peacock community work in there? Or maybe just a male and 3 females and get some breeding? I am not very experienced with anything other than a couple mbuna or pseudotropheus, and my tap water is a solid 8 on the pH scale and hard as a rock, so it seems logical to try some african cichlids while i have the water.

Any suggestions for any other african cichlid setups in a 55?

 

[ikevi]

Yah a 55 is just fine for peacocks. I tend to only use mine for either grow outs or as you said breeding. With adequate filtering and water changes I would say about 9 full grown peacocks or the smaller haps would work well. Here is a little advice on what tends to be good for 55's.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php

 

[JONP]

Absolutely, I wouldn't crowd it though, perhaps 1 male and 2 females is plenty I would think. It shouldn't take long before you'll see some "little ones" roaming around. My experience level in limited as well but on Christmas day I noticed 6 babies in my tank! The mother is a peacock, I'm not too sure who the father is though but it is extremely exciting!

Good Luck,

 

[dexman1349]

The local Afican breeder of peacocks will typically put 2 males and about 5-6 females in a 40 gallon breeder tank. If any of the fish start acting aggressive they'll be removed, but typically he doesn't need to.


ps 100th post

 

[HazMATT]

a 55 gallon should be just fine. just be sure to keep up an your water changes so as to keep the water slightly alkaline. water turns acidic over time and the smaller the tank the faster metabolic processes will debuff your tank.

 

[PoopSmart]

Wow thanks a lot that was very helpful. I wanted to wait until I got the 125 to really get into these since all I had empty until now was a 29. My friend's cousin has a 220 with a bunch of peacocks (even a lwanda) and I see that the rift lake cichlids don't get near as big as the sa/ca cichlids I have been keeping (well at least some of them, I am not getting any B. micropolis or anything like that).

But thank you very much. My LFS specializes in african cichlids (Malawi Aquatics) and they have very many peacocks to choose from. But do all males color up instantly? I see tanks full of growouts from some of the red empress breeders or victorian hap breeders and only 1 of them is colorful out of maybe 40 in the tank. Or is there a possibility some of the drab ones could still be males?

I know egg spots is how you determine the males, but I wasn't sure when the surefire size was to sex peacocks.

Also as far as buffering goes, I have such a hard buffer in my tapwater that it can't even be broken with peat, blackwater extract, or even chemicals (before I tried discus and rams in my 55 and it was way too much work just getting the pH and hardness in check, so thats why I know not to try to fight my hard water, but to instead embrace it.). I will use slate to keep a buffer and maybe some texas holey rock if they give me a nice deal on it at the LFS (they are overflowing with it, it looks like a mountain of it over in the rock section).

Thanks again!

 

[dexman1349]

The dominant male is the one that will be the most colorful. Females typically are a drab brownish grey, although some males on the bottom of the pecking order will also look drab.

If you have the opportunity to pick the fish from your breeder, typically (but not always) the larger ones are males. The male peacocks I have started to show coloration at only a few months old, but after 6 more months are just starting to really color up.

To get the best color out of your males, I would strongly suggest a species only tank with only one or two males with 3-4 females each. A varied diet will also help with coloration.

 

[PoopSmart]

The dominant male is the one that will be the most colorful. Females typically are a drab brownish grey, although some males on the bottom of the pecking order will also look drab.

If you have the opportunity to pick the fish from your breeder, typically (but not always) the larger ones are males. The male peacocks I have started to show coloration at only a few months old, but after 6 more months are just starting to really color up.

To get the best color out of your males, I would strongly suggest a species only tank with only one or two males with 3-4 females each. A varied diet will also help with coloration.

I think that is what I would truly enjoy, a tank with breeding and beauty. Thank you very much.

I would set up 2 main rock habitats on each side, but smaller ones in the middle so the males can each have their own mountain and the other females can swim around in the center. If I get a bunch of fry then I could always sell them back to the LFS.

Now I just have to decide which peacock I really want...Oh I feel like a kid in a candy store...Except all the candy is replaced with fish in tanks...I feel like a kid in a fish store (I always liked them more than candy stores anyway ).

 

[ikevi]

To get the best color out of your males, I would strongly suggest a species only tank with only one or two males with 3-4 females each. A varied diet will also help with coloration.

Eh... I don't agree.

Ok so here is what I see and you can decide which you like best. Remember a 55 is basically maxed at ~9 guys with good water changes.

For the max amount of color nothing, beats and all male tank. Now to get the best all male tank you have to be prepared to spend money and time. Aggression has to be dealt with and well to be honest like all fish some look good and some just don't turn out well. (This will be the long slow route that can take up to 2 years to get a great tank going, but when you have it... you will love it.) I must stress that it will involve you needing to be able to either return fish that aren't working out, or at least to have multiple tanks... Now the type of behavior you have will be basically males flexing there mussels. Some fun pecking order fights but mostly all should be calm in a good tank. (Though of course all but the most dom male will have slightly nipped fins.) BUT again you will have the most color... I mean you can pick 3 peacocks, and say 3-4 haps and that tank would look great. Now the males will likely not always have there full mating colors up, but there will be much more colors, and at least one will be fully dressed. (And the plus is that they will change who is full dressed as time goes on.)

Now if you like the matting dances, well ones that actually have real matings... (IE in an all male tank the guys will sometimes try to get other guys to get it on...) And you want ONE really really nice looking male in the 55. And you want to have the fun of fry 1 male 3 females is the way to go. I actually would start with 2 males, and sell the one that turns out not to look as good. And the cool thing is the male will be gorgeous given time. His fins should get huge, he should be displaying almost constantly and well they are just fun to watch.

Personally I couldn't decide what I like better so I do both... But well I think you get my opinions on the matter. Either way will be a win win. The 1 male 3 female means you get 3 fairly ugly fish... Which lets be honest on fish that people like to keep female peacocks are one of the least liked. (And remember you really can't tell different female peacock types... you just get brown drabs that will lay eggs and hold them and that is about it.)

So yah I honestly would start with an all male tank and then decide if you want to start breeding later. Especially if you are just starting. (Yes it is cool to have fry... but well people will not believe you when you say your tank is fresh when they see and all male tank of Malawis.


Ok have fun, like I said whatever you pick will be a winner. (The all male will take more time. It is best to get them young and have them grow up together, though you can pay more to get them at the age where they are older but then you might have more aggression.)


And note in a 55 with females and say 2 males... one male will be pounded till he really shows no color. Plus they likely are to cause damage to each other. They don't like sharing...

 

[PoopSmart]

Eh... I don't agree.

Ok so here is what I see and you can decide which you like best. Remember a 55 is basically maxed at ~9 guys with good water changes.

For the max amount of color nothing, beats and all male tank. Now to get the best all male tank you have to be prepared to spend money and time. Aggression has to be dealt with and well to be honest like all fish some look good and some just don't turn out well. (This will be the long slow route that can take up to 2 years to get a great tank going, but when you have it... you will love it.) I must stress that it will involve you needing to be able to either return fish that aren't working out, or at least to have multiple tanks... Now the type of behavior you have will be basically males flexing there mussels. Some fun pecking order fights but mostly all should be calm in a good tank. (Though of course all but the most dom male will have slightly nipped fins.) BUT again you will have the most color... I mean you can pick 3 peacocks, and say 3-4 haps and that tank would look great. Now the males will likely not always have there full mating colors up, but there will be much more colors, and at least one will be fully dressed. (And the plus is that they will change who is full dressed as time goes on.)

Now if you like the matting dances, well ones that actually have real matings... (IE in an all male tank the guys will sometimes try to get other guys to get it on...) And you want ONE really really nice looking male in the 55. And you want to have the fun of fry 1 male 3 females is the way to go. I actually would start with 2 males, and sell the one that turns out not to look as good. And the cool thing is the male will be gorgeous given time. His fins should get huge, he should be displaying almost constantly and well they are just fun to watch.

Personally I couldn't decide what I like better so I do both... But well I think you get my opinions on the matter. Either way will be a win win. The 1 male 3 female means you get 3 fairly ugly fish... Which lets be honest on fish that people like to keep female peacocks are one of the least liked. (And remember you really can't tell different female peacock types... you just get brown drabs that will lay eggs and hold them and that is about it.)

So yah I honestly would start with an all male tank and then decide if you want to start breeding later. Especially if you are just starting. (Yes it is cool to have fry... but well people will not believe you when you say your tank is fresh when they see and all male tank of Malawis.


Ok have fun, like I said whatever you pick will be a winner. (The all male will take more time. It is best to get them young and have them grow up together, though you can pay more to get them at the age where they are older but then you might have more aggression.)


And note in a 55 with females and say 2 males... one male will be pounded till he really shows no color. Plus they likely are to cause damage to each other. They don't like sharing...

Hmm I thought to myself no more than 1 male in a 55 if breeding. I actually thought a 55 was too small for breeding in the first place. But I saw a red empress with full fins doing the shakey mating dance next to the female and she looked drab, but he was absolutely stunning. I know african cichlids are really smart though. They are good at hiding and competing. And I figure an overstocked male tank would be alright, but I really enjoy breeding behavior.

But this is going to be hard to decide. If I do all male it will run me quite bit of cash (20 bucks a pop for males at the LFS).

Also I think they will believe its saltwater anyway becasue the back of the tank is blue and sand is the substrate (everyone always did when I had my flowerhorn in there). I really don't like saltwater though (sorry I don't know, it seems like my cichlids are smarter or at least more owner responsive).