Fish for the upper part of the tank

qguy

Piranha
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Nov 10, 2009
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Got an 80 x 26 x 28 tank (L x W x H in inches) stocking is demasoni, yellow labs. assortment of peacock. Now most of the fish seems to stay on the bottom of the tank. What can you recommend to put that will stay on the upper part of the tank ?
 

qguy

Piranha
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Nov 10, 2009
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They dont go up to the higher part of the rock work, only about 8 inches high, rock work goes up to about 18 inches Maybe i need more fish :)
 

Narwhal

Jack Dempsey
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Jan 11, 2017
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are they new to the tank? if new they will hide more, once they get used to the tank they will be at all levels. some people do try dithers/target fish such as giant danios, rainbows, and barbs, but you will probably loose plenty to them, so only the cheapest and more robust species.
 
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DJRansome

Aimara
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Mar 16, 2008
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Agree with Narwhal about Q if they are new. Or also if they are young.

Once they settle in and start spawning they will be at all levels 24/7.

It has been said the best dithers for Malawi are more Malawi. But you are already full to over full.

It's also possible they are sticking to the rocks out of fear because of the large number of fish. But if they are too new or too young to spawn, I would wait and see.
 

qguy

Piranha
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Nov 10, 2009
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Their all new.

What is the recommended stocking for a 250g ? I have 46 now, i read 250 / 2 = 125 would be the ideal stocking, is this correct.

I saw a 210g tank on youtube with 150 fish and it looks right to my eye :) i need a 100 more :) ;) :)

anyways i ordered 10 more yellow labs and 5 mpanga.

The Yellow labs are nice their very active, sadly the 5 strawberry peacocks are always hiding, no more strawberry peacocks for me...
 

DJRansome

Aimara
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If we are talking all male I would want 20 individuals assuming they mature <= 6".

If we are talking mixed gender I would want six species with 1m:4f of each (depending on species), so 30 fish.

I stock Malawi by length of the tank, not gallons.
 

skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
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May 16, 2011
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hello; Not sure where I picked this up but it may hold true. It may be that the positioning of the mouth is an indicator of where a fish makes a living in the water.
An example may be the cory catfish. The mouth is very downturned. They make a living feeding on the bottom.
Maybe looking for fish with a turned up mouth in the size range to fit with your other fish. I hope I am getting these right as good examples. I think the hatchet fish, the butterfly fish and the archer fish may be examples.

Fish whose mouths are more to the font of their face may be prone to mid water but can feed top or bottom. I am thinking of small fish right now and think I have noticed a school of zebra dainoes seem to spend more time towards the upper regions.

Not sure how much confidence I should have in these statements, but they are what I think.
 
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