Different shaped Cichlids for my 90G peacock tank?

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Omrit

Piranha
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Nov 13, 2015
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I currently have a group of male peacock cichlids in a 90. I like them, but they are all about the same shape. Is there any cichlid with a different look that I can add with them? I think some shape diversity would add a lot to this tank.

For some examples the Malawi Hawk, eyebiter, and Malawi Trout all have a different shape from my peacocks while still being nice colorful fish. I don't think my tank is large enough to house any of these for life though, so I was hoping there was something else I could get. The stream lined shape is nice, but a tall body fish would be cool as well if one exists really just anything that is not the peacock shape.
 
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Omrit said:
I currently have a group of male peacock cichlids in a 90. I like them, but they are all about the same shape. Is there any cichlid with a different look that I can add with them? I think some shape diversity would add a lot to this tank.

For some examples the Malawi Hawk, eyebiter, and Malawi Trout all have a different shape from my peacocks while still being nice colorful fish. I don't think my tank is large enough to house any of these for life though, so I was hoping there was something else I could get. The stream lined shape is nice, but a tall body fish would be cool as well if one exists really just anything that is not the peacock shape.
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I'm not that experienced with African Cichlid but I was thinking maybe fish from Lake Victoria.
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S. petricola are only found in Lake Tanganyika. The cats found in Malawi are S. njassae, are not easily found, and due to their adult size not really suitable for this set up.
 
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You might look at mid sized Haps, such Tiawan Reef & Red Empress. They usually go well with Peacocks. Here's pics of ones I've kept.
20210117_194149.jpg20201107_063838.jpg
 
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Stephen St.Clair said:
You might look at mid sized Haps, such Tiawan Reef & Red Empress. They usually go well with Peacocks. Here's pics of ones I've kept.
View attachment 1510816View attachment 1510817
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I know very little about lake Cichlids this is my first time with them, I bought mine as "Assorted Peacock Cichlids" but I 100% already have that blue fish or something extremely similar. I will get some pictures of what I have now I wonder if they are peacocks at all.


RD. said:
How many males currently in your 90? Sometimes just one more fish can tip the scales. Every African tank is a balancing act of sorts, just something to consider. Another tank might be a better idea.
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I have 7, they are sub-adults currently.
 
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Cyrtocara moorii (blue dolphin can also be found as albino) or Placidochromis Phenochilous Mdoka (mdoka white lipped) both have unique body shapes.
I find that my Venustus (giraffe cichlid) has a different shape than my peacocks.
If you can find one Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus (Malawi Barracuda) is a very unique fish.
As with any African cichlids temperament could be an issue dependent on the individual fish.
 
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Imo that's the thing with Malawi cichlids, there's absolutely some beautiful species, but mostly variations of a few basic types. That part of it is more interesting if you expand beyond some of the common peacock species and get into some of the less common hap species vs the more common (or "mixed African") species a lot of lfs have. Malawi predator haps, including Dimidiochromis (eyebiters), are cool fish, make impressive display tanks, and are a bit more diverse, but you need a bigger tank. I super enjoyed Malawi cichlids for about 15 years, did a lot of breeding, etc. Then, mainly because so many are variations of a few basic types, I felt like I'd been there, done that and (aside from Cyphotilapia) mostly went back to my earlier interest in new worlds.

Imo Victorian cichlids are similar in most of them being variations of the same theme; I found many of them to be similar to mbuna in temperament, not always a good fit with peacocks. Among African cichlids Lake Tanganyika cichlids are a lot more diverse than the other lakes, sizes, shapes, color patterns, behavior, etc. Even now there are some Tanganyikans on my wish list.

...Some Tanganyikans will mix okay with Malawi cichlids, something I did from time to time.
 
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