General Aquaria Discussion • Starting up a 45g. Help with stock?

[sm1ke]

Hi everyone. Getting back into the hobby after many years away. I picked up a nice 45g tank (48Lx12Dx18H) which came with a bunch of rocks that I thought would look good in a cichlid tank. The substrate is a mix of new PFS and used "cichlid sand", and I have an AC110 and a Fluval 406 for filtration (can replace the AC110 with a Fluval 306 if necessary).

Now, I know I did this backwards as most sane people would pick the fish first, then scape the tank accordingly, but I couldn't help myself after being stuck in the house most evenings. With all that said, what cichlids would work in a tank this size? I was thinking about a group of T. Duboisi, but my tank will probably be too small for them.

I would like to have some colourful, active fish in this tank. They don't have to be cichlids, but I do like how active and colourful most cichlids are. I would like for there to be 7-9 fish in this tank (or more). Are there any cichlids that would work? They don't have to be species-specific - I would be open to having one of 7-10 different species if that would work.

Here's a picture. The light is a Fluval Aquasky 2.0, it was in midnight mode at the time. I would really like to keep cichlids, but if this isn't realistic, please let me know. Thanks

[DJRansome]

The tank is not quite the ideal size for tropheus which is 48x18.

The scape looks like Tanganyikans but many of them are not knock-you-down brilliant as far as color.

Then the scape could suit haps and peacocks, but 48x12 is smallish for all-male. (One of each and no look alikes would be all male.)

So my pic would be haps and peacocks with 3 species and 1m:4f of each. With haps and peacocks the females are drab but he males are very colorful.

If you fill up the tank with rocks you could do mbuna and find species with colorful females that would work.

[sm1ke]

The tank is not quite the ideal size for tropheus which is 48x18.

The scape looks like Tanganyikans but many of them are not knock-you-down brilliant as far as color.

Then the scape could suite haps and peacocks, but 48x12 is smallish for all-male. (One of each and no look alikes would be all male.)

So my pic would be haps and peacocks with 3 species and 1m:4f of each. With haps and peacocks the females are drab but he males are very colorful.

If you fill up the tank with rocks you could do mbuna and find species with colorful females that would work.

Thanks for the reply.

What do you think about stocking the tank with a group of Paracyprichromis nigripinnis or Cyprichromis leptosoma, and one single Tanganicodus irsacae? If this doesn't work, I'll look more into haps and peacocks.

[DJRansome]

I don't know the gobies so hopefully a Member will chime in. There are two articles in the Cichlid-forum Library and one says lots of rocks.