Help me decide my stock!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
When I first started I had mixed a few bumblebees with jack Dempsey of the same size. They were all from Petco when I put them in my tank they did fine till I did a water change and they died the same night.


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So basically all Africans are okay with other Africans as long as they are Africans... Right? Haha


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Not that simple haha. Malawians can typically be put with Malawians. Mbunas can typically be keep with Mbunas. Tangs can typically be kept with tangs.


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So basically all Africans are okay with other Africans as long as they are Africans... Right? Haha


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even considering just Malawi cichlids, i would not mix any mbuna with some of the less aggressive peacocks...or mixing small mbuna with large predatory haps...you still have to mix with compatibility in mind, not just put any Africans together without research
 
okay so I have done a little research, but its so hard to do research when different websites tell you different things, so I learned basically not to mix Kenyi/Pseud with Labs. I also read that yellow labs should be kept in groups of at least 6? .... So breaking it all down I tried to put my options into two groups. Please feel free to adjust the groups as needed or make suggestions to additions. Group A: Yellow Lab x 6? , Peacock Apache ( how many? ) , OB Peacock ( how many? ) ... What else will work ? Group B: Pseud Kennyi ( how many? ) , Pseud Zebra Blue ( how many? ) , Peacocks? ... Where can the Masioni Reef Zebra go? Also, I plan to maybe add a Bristlenose Pleco or two as I read that would be okay. I would like to have the most fish as possible without being overstocked. Advice is wanted and appreciated! Thank you!
 
If you want personality as someone else said a solo medium-sized CA cichlid will be the way to go.

If you're going with lake Malawi cichlids make sure the species you keep aren't going to cross-breed. As far as colour for your tank size goes a mix of yellow labs and P. demasoni would be nice, at least a dozen of each (probably more dems) and plenty of rocky hiding spots. Use crushed coral or aragonite for your substrate and don't stress about your water (it isn't the pH that really matters anyway). You WILL need good filtration and good sized regular water changes.

I'd leave the bristlenoses out, they don't really do as well in the hard water and can get picked on by the more belligerent cichlids.
 
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