What do you think of my stocking?

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G

glenbo

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 26, 2008
853
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England
How does this sound? tank is 4ftx2ftx2ft running 2 oversized external filters and 50% weekly water changes (plus hospital/fry tank in cabinet set up and running)

Mbuna Tank

15 x Labidochromis caeruleus (Yellow Labs)
5 x Labidochromis perlmutt
5 x Labidochromis Hongi
5 x Pseudotropheus estherae (Red Zebra)
5 x Pseudotropheus socolofi
1 x Pseudotropheus Demasoni
5 x Pseudotropheus Elongatus Mpanga
3 x Pseudotropheus Elongatus ruarwe (Neon Spot)
1 x Pseudotropheus Kingsizei
5 x Pseudotropheus callaninos (Cobalt Blue Zebra)
2 x Pseudotropheus Greshakei (Ice Blue zebra)
3 x Pseudotropheus acei Msuli (blue with yellow fins)
10 x Melanochromis auratus (1 male,9 female)
1 x Melanochromis Johanii
1 x Female Bumblebee cichlid (Pseudotropheus Crabro)

Dithers/non Mbunas

2 x Hemichromis bimaculatus (Jewel Cichlid) (1 red 1 bronze)
2 x Archocentrus nigrofasciatus (Convict Cichlid) (1 normal,1 white)
1 x Chromobotia macracanthus (Clown Loach)
4 x Ancistrus Sp. (Bristlenose Plec)
1 x Featherfin or cuckoo Synodontis catfish
1 x Blue Dolphin (Moori)
1 x Hemichromis bimaculatus (Rusty Cichlid)
1 x Firefish
 
You might get away with that stocking if the fish are all juveniles but once they start to grow out....you are going to be asking for trouble.
 
Ditch the Clown Loach, they need groups of 5 or better.
 
He was in a group of 5...they got killed by the Mbuna ;) I have nowhere to ditch him now and he is fat and healthy....plus he never interacted with the group anyway.

Can somebody sift thru the stocking and give me a rough idea on how many to stock?

This isent my actual stocking...this is just my proposed stocking.

My true stocking is

Mbuna Tank

5 x Labidochromis caeruleus (Yellow Labs)
2 x Labidochromis perlmutt
2 x Labidochromis Hongi
1 x Pseudotropheus estherae (Red Zebra)
2 x Pseudotropheus socolofi
1 x Pseudotropheus Demasoni
2 x Pseudotropheus Elongatus Mpanga (purple with yellow fins)
1 x Pseudotropheus Kingsizei
4 x Pseudotropheus callaninos (Cobalt Blue Zebra)
2 x Pseudotropheus Greshakei (Ice Blue zebra)
2 x Melanochromis auratus
1 x Melanochromis Johanii

Dithers

1 x Hemichromis bimaculatus (Jewel Cichlid) (male)
1 x Archocentrus nigrofasciatus (Convict Cichlid) (female)
1 x Chromobotia macracanthus (Clown Loach)
1 x Ancistrus Sp. (Bristlenose Plec)
 
One melanochromatis male will probably kill the one from the other species and possibly every other male in the tank. This is not guaranteed to happen but it does happen sometimes. Johannis and auratus are very difficult to control as far as aggression-require tons of space and can be very intolerant of males of any species.

You should decide what labidochromis species you like and keep only it. Likewise with the pseudotropheus. Some of the fish you have listed are now cosidered metriaclima. You should keep only one species from this genus as well. Keeping several species from one genus in a tank together leads to constant warfare and hybrid fry. My all male tank is stocked this way. I am not a hypocrite. I am telling you these things because this tank has been a two-year long headache. I say sell your juvies back to the lfs and start from scratch. Ask members of this forum what to do before you restock it. You may think I'm full of B.S. now, but a switch will turn on in the head of on of your auratus when it matures if it is male. This switch will tell him to kill.
 
Ive kept Lab hongi and lab caeruleus together for years without issue or interbreeding.
I would cut that list down to 4 or 5 species of mbuna,appropriate groups of each.You could try for all those species if its an all male tank.Doesnt always work but its possible.
 
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