Lake Malawi Species • Thoughts on direction of a 55g please.

[GregK204]

Hi All,

Bit of a lurker. This is my first post. I have kept fish for well over 20 years but have just recently gotten into Malawi mbuna. I would like to ask for some advice.

A bit of background on the tank. Standard 55g. Fully cycled and partially stocked. Filtration is handled by a Fluval 406 and an AC70 HOB. Lots of rock (mostly slate) with all kinds of nook and crannies for hiding. Current stock is as follows: 6 Electric Yellow Lab and 6 Rusties. My question is this: I need a third species. I love the Demasoni but know that I need 12 to minimize aggression. Having a dozen of these added to my current stock would overstock my tank somewhat but I think I have enough filtration to handle that. Water changes aren't an issue as I do at least 20% weekly (sometimes bi-weekly if time permits). Do you think I could get away with adding that amount of Demasoni? Can someone else suggest a similarly colored/sized species with less aggression?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated and many thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Greg

[Michael_M]

White top hara 1m 4f or maingano 1m 7f

If you were heart set on the demasoni I'd remove the rusties for them.

[DJRansome]

I'd do demasoni before I'd do maingano in a 55G. I'd give it a try as a third species. The labs and rusties are on the small side.

[GregK204]

Thanks for the advice. Food for thought for sure. I'll have a look at the big picture and plan my next move carefully.

Cheers,
Greg