[Malawi Mac]

I have a 135 gallon tank with 6 male utaka, 7 male peacocks, 5 Pseudotropheus acei (2M/3F), and 4 Synodontis schoutdenai (that I seldom see).

My fish are a wide variety of colors. Red, yellow, blue are all well-represented. But the one thing that I am missing is an albino fish.

Can anyone offer suggestions?

I had an albino Taiwan Reef in the tank once. My non-albino Taiwan Reef didn't care for him. So that is out.

I've considered an albino Dimidochromis compressiceps, but I have no predatory haps in the tank, and I'm not sure I want to go that route.

Albino Eureka red peacocks? It seems like most males of this species are quite aggressive. Also, I already have a Lemon Jake in the tank. Not sure if I should have two Jakes in the same tank.

I've also considered adding an albino mbuna species, but obviously I would want a more peaceful species.

I have a group of six albino Cynotilapia afra cobues in a growout tank. But that is a dwarf mbuna species. I'm not sure they'll get big enoough for this group. (One of my haps is already 7-8".)

My LFS has some albino red hood Macs, but it looks like most of the ones he has left are males. So that would probably mean adding a single male as opposed to a small shoal. I'm not sure about the temperment of this species. Don't have much experience with them.

I've also considered snow white Socolofis. But even the males I've seen don't seem to have much orange/red color anywhere.

Bottom line - if you were in my shoes, which albino species would you be most inclined to add.

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone cares to offer.

 

[noki]

I don't understand your reasoning for not having an albino Taiwan reef, do you also have Taiwan Reef's in there?

If you want an albino, that is a personal choice. With all the choices out there I don't find them to be a necessary. You can get albino Peacocks. I would avoid Mbuna. The Dimidochromis compressiceps may be fine, there really isn't that big a difference in keeping them and you've got a big tank.

 

[benny71]

I don't understand your reasoning for not having an albino Taiwan reef, do you also have Taiwan Reef's in there?

I had an albino Taiwan Reef in the tank once. My non-albino Taiwan Reef didn't care for him. So that is out.

Sounds pretty self-explanatory to me. :-?

But yeah, it's all personal choice...I, personally don't like albino fish at all; they kind of creep me out.

 

[cichlid_baby]

How about an albino Firefish peacock ???

 

[limpert]

 

[cichlid_baby]

Or a WHITE KNIGHT ahli ..... these are very stunning as well...

 

[haywood]

you could get one of these....

 

[dielikemoviestars]

Haywood, that's not an albino fish. No red eyes.

The OP already expressed hesitations about predatory fish, so that Dim. is out, too.

I'm confused about the Taiwan Reef thing, too. You said you have 7 male peacocks, but a TR isn't a peacock. Do you mean peacocks/haps?

Lastly, do you want something albino? Or just white?

 

[Malawi Mac]

Haywood, that's not an albino fish. No red eyes.

The OP already expressed hesitations about predatory fish, so that Dim. is out, too.

I'm confused about the Taiwan Reef thing, too. You said you have 7 male peacocks, but a TR isn't a peacock. Do you mean peacocks/haps?

Lastly, do you want something albino? Or just white?

6 utaka and 7 peacocks already in the tank. Plus 5 Ps. acei and 4 Synodontis schoutdenai.

I prefer something albino, though a good bit of orange/red pigment is desired. As I mentioned, I once had an albino Taiwan reef, but I already had a normal Taiwan reef when I picked up the albino, and the incumbent didn't think much of the newcomer. The normal TR is one of my most beautiful fish and he ain't going anywhere.

Probably the primary consideration is aggression, or lack thereof.

 

[dielikemoviestars]

Guess I took a literal definition of Utaka - technically only 2 genera, neither of which TR is in.

All I can think of for white are a couple mbuna... Or maybe an OB peacock with a lot of white in him.

 

[Malawi Mac]

Guess I took a literal definition of Utaka - technically only 2 genera, neither of which TR is in.

All I can think of for white are a couple mbuna... Or maybe an OB peacock with a lot of white in him.

Well, I learned something today. I thought any Malawi hap that is not a piscavore is a utaka.

Never too old to learn, I guess.

 

[pkut]

You could try an Albino Ruby Red Peacock. They're a nice looking fish. Here's a male I have.

 

[dielikemoviestars]

Guess I took a literal definition of Utaka - technically only 2 genera, neither of which TR is in.

All I can think of for white are a couple mbuna... Or maybe an OB peacock with a lot of white in him.

Well, I learned something today. I thought any Malawi hap that is not a piscavore is a utaka.

Never too old to learn, I guess.

I had no idea what it was, so I looked it up. I, too, learned something new.

I went to a breeder today who had albino Dragon's Blood peacocks. Not quite as stunning as that Ruby Red, but an alternative option.

 

[Malawi Mac]

Well, I bought a quad (M/3F) albino red cap Macs tonight.

I've kept this fish once before, but only had a single pair because the store where I had found them had only a single female for sale. They were pretty low on the aggression scale in my mbuna tank even though I had generally shunned aggresssive species.

But what I'm reading on the web suggests they are more aggressive than I have experienced.

I'm not really seriously considering adding them to my male/hap peacock tank. I have other places to keep them after they pass the quarantine period. I'm not too worried about my big haps, but I'm afraid they would stress out my peacocks.

So I'm still pondering an albino presence in my show tank. Thanks for all of the suggestions I have received so far.

 

[thunderridge127]

I would highly recommend you picking up a Albino Flavasent Peacock. I have one in my Hap/ peacock tank. Very beautiful non aggressive fish. I got mine from cichlidlovers in Tuson, Az. You can see photos on their photo gallery. lol :thumb: