Tank Setups • Help with stocking list

[Storiwyr]

My husband and I are probably going to buy some tanks this weekend, though we're not going to be setting them up for another few months. We made a list of fish we really like the looks of, and what I want to know is which ones can be housed together and in what size tanks.

This is the list of fish we want:

Pseudotropheus demasoni
Pseudotropheus gallireya (white top)
Iodotropheus sprengerae
Lethrinops mbasi
Sciaenochromis fryeri
Neolamprologus pulcher
Neolamprologus sexfasciatus
Tropheus duboisi
Tropheus moorii
Paratilapia bleekeri
Pelvicachromis pulcher
Pelvicachromis taeniatus
Pseudocrenilabrus philander

I know some of them are Malawi and some are Tanganyika, but I've heard some of you brilliant people say that the two can be housed together if you choose the right species. If you had to house all the above, which ones can go together? Are they all 1:6 or 7? What size tanks?

We both love Demasoni, and so our plan is to start with that ... can a breeding group of Demasoni be kept in a 55 gallon tank? Is there any species that can usually be kept successfully with them? We're fine with doing a Demasoni only tank if necessary, we like them THAT much.

We're planning on doing our own backgrounds as well, and I was wondering if they notice the colors of the surroundings, in terms of willingness to breed. I know that in general aquarists keep them in tanks that mimic their natural habitat. Is this necessary to their health/happiness or just a matter of aesthetic preference? I plan on a lot of hides and the like, I mean more in terms of coloration of the background.

[Anthraxx8500]

i personally wouldnt mix the lakes myself. youve got some awesome choices already there, the demasoni and white tops shouldnt get mixed (mine didnt work out well at all together) keep to mbunas and a cpl centerpiece peacocks as you said. get urself a 55 if you wanna do the pulchers aka brichardi they will create a neato family dynamic that in a big enough tank is really fun to watch. tropheus keep to themselves as diet requirements dictate it along with a decent lvl on con-specific agression a 75 would do nicely for a large group 2-3m w/ like 10+ females is a good start. havent had much experience with trophs so im sure someone else will chime in. bleekeri make WONDERFUL wet pets i managed to keep one in a 55g for awhile pretty much alone. loved how much that fish would interact with me and getting it to bite houseguests was always a blast . with the kribs your gonna want a planted tank type setup with a lot of caves. ideally limit them to only a pair.

PS: didnt read much into your post past possible stock lists, demasoni are a nice fish but again are very aggresive towards their own, having something more passive in there to break up the fights is a great idea. demasoni also prefer a lot of rockwork to play in so consider that into your equation. i personally would reccomend u get a 6footer if you want to do the demasoni. i had them in my mixed mbuna 125 setup and they did okay but my f1 white tops just didnt like their stripe patterns so they had to go. yellow labs and rusties are great filler for many mbuna setups given their peaceful demeanor also if you go big enough acei are another nice choice. as for backgrounds theres a guy pretty close to you that sells premade precut 3d BG's for really cheap prices compared to others. PM me for more info as mods prefer it this way. GL with all your choices i know anthony at the wetspot in portland really knows his stuff, give them a call and consider talking to him, that or go down there. also consider hitting the local club scene for cheap fish. theres a lot of people up here in the NW that have awesome stock.

[Dawg2012]

Hey Stori let me know if you find anything cool with respect to BG's... or anything else around our area for that matter!