[Joe_570]

I have a 55 gallon tank. Stock list as follows: (4-??) Yellow Labs, (2-female) Red Zebra, (1-female) Bumblebee, (1-??) Albino Zebra, (1) Pearl Gourami, (1) Cory Cat, (1) Pleco (some of these left over from tropical setup). My filtration consists of an Eheim Pro2 2028 canister and a Fluval 3 Plus internal filter. I perform a 12 gallon water change weekly. The tank has been running well over a year.

I would like to add some ‘blue’ to the tank. Could I add 1-3 Pseudotropheus Acei to the tank or should I stick to my current stocking list? I do not want to overstock the tank. I have 3 tanks to maintain and I do not want to have to increase my water changes (my wife complains the way it is :x ).

 

[copasetic]

main thing you need to ask yourself first is do i want breeding going on in this tank? and what will i do with the fry?.. the zebras and yellow labs have a high chance of cross breeding, but to answer your question a few acei would do fine in this tank and work as a great dither fish, the acie might outgrow the 55g as they get large tho.

 

[Joe_570]

Thank you for the fast reply!

All of the fish except the albino zebra have been in the tank over a year. So far there has been no breeding in this tank. The aggression level is very low also (since removing a few fish over time). If I do get any holding females I’ll just let them spit in the tank and let Mother Nature take over.

Does the Pseudotropheus Acei get along by their selves? Maybe I could just put one in my 55 gallon tank and one the 65 gallon tank.

 

[copasetic]

i cant say for sure but i think they would be happier together as they are a active schooling species when together.

 

[Dewdrop]

Yes, acei like to be in groups. I have 3 in my 55g. tank and would like to have a couple more. Hopefully by the time I get a bigger tank I can find some. Of course it depends in your nitrates and maybe with that filtration yours are fine but I use 2 HOB filters and have to do AT LEAST a 50% change weekly to keep the nitrates under 40ppm.

 

[Joe_570]

Thanks for all of the inputs.

I decided to add (3) Pseudotropheus Acei to my 65 gallon tank. This tank is in my living room and everyone that comes over is drawn right to it opcorn: . I picked up the last two Acei from my LFS yesterday. I’ll pick up another one as soon as they get more.

The 65 gallon stock list is as follows: (4 ??) Yellow Labs, (1 Female) Red Zebra, (1 Female) Blue \ Orange Peacock, (1 Female, 1 Male) Red Peacock, (2 ??) Fuelleborni, (1) Opaline Gourami, (3) Tiger Barb, (1) Pleco, (2 soon 3??) Pseudotropheus Acei

I have an Eheim Pro 2 2028 canister and an Emperor 400 Bio Wheel Power filter on this tank. It has been running for about 8 months now. Do you think I am at my limit or should I add another Acei and make them a group of 4? The dimensions of the tank are 36Lx18Wx24H, the largest tank that I can fit in that area.

 

[DJRansome]

I don't think filtration is your problem, I think the challenges you face are: (1) your tank is 36" long, and (2) you are mixing single specimens with pairs and groups. Malawi are harem fish, each male needs multiple females of his species to prevent him from killing her.

I think in a year when they mature you are going to have aggression problems. I would not add more fish. All your fish are full size (not dwarf). The fuelleborni may eventually be too large/aggressive for the tank. The zebra will have no one to breed with but everyone else. The blue/orange peacock may be a male, female peacocks are brown. The two species of peacocks in the same tank will crossbreed, producing hybrids. Peacocks in general are timid and may not show their potential in a tank with fish like zebras and fulleborni.

I would enjoy the tank the way it is for a couple of months, making sure I have a hospital tank on hand and an extra filter running on the main tank at all times ready to transfer over. Check the females daily for hiding behavior (swimming at the surface, behind filter intakes or heaters) and remove as necessary for their safety.

Meanwhile, have a long-term stocking plan in mind. Once the fish hit 2" you may need to act. Maybe keep the peacocks in the 36" tank and move everyone else to a nice 75G and add lots of females!

 

[Joe_570]

Thanks for the head up!

I figured at some point I would have to move the female red zebra into the 55 gallon tank with the other 2 female red zebra (hopefully upgrading to a 75 gallon later this year). I already had to pull out the male red zebra I had in there.

There is only one colorful peacock, the other two are blah (one brownish and one mostly grayish), I figured I could always take them back to my LFS when my tank started to get overcrowded. I was hoping to keep the fuelleborni, they are beautiful fish! When it comes down to it, a semi-peaceful tank is my main priority. At least my LFS will let me trade my larger fish in for smaller fish.

How can I tell when the fuelleborni are too big for the tank? Is it purely aggression or is there a max size for the tank? If they were both females maybe they would not get too aggressive. I would hate to keep them in a tank that is too small . If I do upgrade the 55 gallon upstairs to a 75 gallon will this be a good size tank for the fuelleborni?