First casualty on a new setup

[Danny 1018]

I setup a new 55 gallon peacock tank. Started with 4 males and appeared to be fine over the past 10 days. Woke this morning to see one of the 4 was beaten up and swimming sluggishly.....don't know who flipped a switch became a butthead.

How should I proceed with the next batch of 4 fish ? Buy similar size ? Buy smaller size ?

 

[DJRansome]

IMO a 55G is too small for a guaranteed-success all-male tank. But having 4 is too few to manage aggression.

How did you cycle? Adding 4 doubles your bioload and may overwhelm your beneficial bacteria.

What species are the first 4? Size should not matter. Don't forget to quarantine future additions.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

IMO a 55G is too small for a guaranteed-success all-male tank. But having 4 is too few to manage aggression.

How did you cycle? Adding 4 doubles your bioload and may overwhelm your beneficial bacteria.

What species are the first 4? Size should not matter. Don't forget to quarantine future additions.

I agree. I would personally go for a Mbuna setup if you want African cichlids. Peacock males get large and aggressive; they need a minimum of 75 long-term.

 

[Danny 1018]

IMO a 55G is too small for a guaranteed-success all-male tank. But having 4 is too few to manage aggression.

How did you cycle? Adding 4 doubles your bioload and may overwhelm your beneficial bacteria.

What species are the first 4? Size should not matter. Don't forget to quarantine future additions.

The Aquaclear 70 filter was seeded with biomedia from my established fancy goldfish tank.
I picked up the 4 peacocks from another hobbyist who is downsizing. This was after visiting a fish store that was selling adult males for 60-70 dollars a piece. The employee said peacocks are doable in a 55 if buy 4-5 fish each week of so. Said I could house upwards of 15 if I do regular and heavy water changes.

The four peacocks I have are around 4 inches. Two are OB Peacocks. Not sure what the other 2 are.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

The Aquaclear 70 filter was seeded with biomedia from my established fancy goldfish tank.
I picked up the 4 peacocks from another hobbyist who is downsizing. This was after visiting a fish store that was selling adult males for 60-70 dollars a piece. The employee said peacocks are doable in a 55 if buy 4-5 fish each week of so. Said I could house upwards of 15 if I do regular and heavy water changes.

The four peacocks I have are around 4 inches. Two are OB Peacocks. Not sure what the other 2 are.

I hate to say it, but the guy at the fish store is nuts, seriously. He surely must have meant mbunas because 15 peacocks in a 55-gallon is a giant, fat goose egg. Now if he were talking about mbunas, he would be correct. But peacocks....nope, nope, nope.

 

[Danny 1018]

I agree. I would personally go for a Mbuna setup if you want African cichlids. Peacock males get large and aggressive; they need a minimum of 75 long-term.

I was researching on the net and was lead to believe peacocks were a bit calmer than mbuna. I did ignore one YouTuber that said one can keep up to 20 peacocks in a 55. I also like the peacocks tend to be open swimmers.

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

That's a very wide generalization. SOME peacock species can actually be MORE aggressive than SOME mbuna species. It's also about the size they grow to, compatibility, and the fact that they like open swimming space.

OB Zebras are hybrids and can be really aggressive actually. 4 is never going to be enough to make them play nicely together, and I agree that a 55gal is just too small for an appropriate sized group of peacocks.

 

[Danny 1018]

That's a very wide generalization. SOME peacock species can actually be MORE aggressive than SOME mbuna species. It's also about the size they grow to, compatibility, and the fact that they like open swimming space.

OB Zebras are hybrids and can be really aggressive actually. 4 is never going to be enough to make them play nicely together, and I agree that a 55gal is just too small for an appropriate sized group of peacocks.

The initial goal was to add another 6 peacocks to the 4 within two weeks.
I just bought a 90 gallon setup yesterday...undecided what fish to raise in it. If I put the 4 in there, how many more can I add to minimize aggression and casualties ? Would buying unsexed 2-inch juvenile peacocks be a mistake ? Buying a dozen 60-70 dollar adult males is a bit cost prohibitive for me .

 

[tlindsey]

Would buying unsexed 2-inch juvenile peacocks be a mistake ?

One female can cause more problems imo.

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

What size are the 4 you have now? And without knowing the exact species you have (all 4), it's hard to advise.