Peacock Cichlid stocking help.

[MineralMagic]

Hello all!

My new fish tanks nitrite is currently reading 0.5, so its not to long before the fish will be in! So, i decided i'd just double check my fish tank stocking list with you guys, here are the measurements:

Length: 4 foot Exactly

Height: 46cm/18inch

Depth: 36cm/14inch

-Stocking list-

7-9 peacock cichlids

3 electric yellows/yellow labs (a breeding pair, i will put fish with eggs into a 2 gallon breeder net)

5 Juvenile yabbies/crayfish/crawfish/crawdads (When they get older i will just keep two and have a breeding pair, the babies are likely to be eaten quickly and thats okay.)

~That is all~

 

[duanes]

Electric yellows (Labidochromis caeruleus) when young will fit. But get rather large for that size tank, I have had then in the 6-7" range. And at that size become very aggressive, much too aggressive for the rather less aggressive Peacocks.
And the 6-7 Peacocks also can get to @5", which would max out the tank themselves.
I would say your tank size will work for the peacocks, or yellows, but not both down the road.
Beyond aggression, with all those fish, in such as small tank, it would be hard to keep water quality under control unless you're planning on doing daily water changes.
If you get them small, grow them together, but then get another tank and separate as adults, you'd be in better shape to see vibrant colors and have healthy (non-tattered) fish.

 

[MineralMagic]

Electric yellows (Labidochromis caeruleus) when young will fit. But get rather large for that size tank, I have had then in the 6-7" range. And at that size become very aggressive, much too aggressive for the rather less aggressive Peacocks.
And the 6-7 Peacocks also can get to @5", which would max out the tank themselves.
I would say your tank size will work for the peacocks, or yellows, but not both down the road.
Beyond aggression, with all those fish, in such as small tank, it would be hard to keep water quality under control unless you're planning on doing daily water changes.
If you get them small, grow them together, but then get another tank and separate as adults, you'd be in better shape to see vibrant colors and have healthy (non-tattered) fish.

Daily?? I've had people say this amount is fine. I will go without the yellows, but i plan on keeping the 7 peacocks, with 30% weekly water changes. I think you might be over reacting

 

[duanes]

You'll notice I said daily, "if" you have all the fish you asked about.
Freshwater fish (cichlids included) are constantly urinating, because they are consonantly taking in water , and although your beneficial bacteria use up much of that, acidification can be the result.
And as you know the rift lakes are hardly acidified.
Water changes remove more than straight water, changes are what removes the urine.
Here's a way to determine if your water changes are enough.
Make a 30% water change on any given day, and after the change, check your pH.
(for example 7.8).
Then wait the week, and before the next water change check pH, if it is 7.1.
That drop in pH is acidification (urine buildup)
The lower pH drops, the more the fish are swimming in urine.
If that example was what happened in my tank, I'd double my water changes.
If pH dropped from 7.8 to 6.5, I'd triple them.
If only 7.8 down to 7.6, them the once per week change would be fine.
Just because someone tells you 30% is fine, each tank is different, depending on stock, buffering capacity of tap water, filtration, etc etc, and only testing your own tank over time will tell you what is needed for your own set up.