I'm getting my 65G (36"x18" footprint) setup within the next couple of days but have no clue what to stock it with. I'm leaning toward Malawi's, but I really just want any combination with nice color and that work together. I could use some suggestions so I can start researching
I think that a 36" tank is unsuitable for both peacocks and Acei, due to the size of these fish once mature. Acei also like living in groups of atleast 4 and 3 feet of swimming room simply isn't enough.
Some people have had success with a single species tank of 4-5 peacocks consisting of 1m and 4f for breeding purposes, but even then we are limited for choices due aggression and size of these fish
Your best bet in a tank that size is a species only tank of Ps. Saulosi. A dwarf mbuna that only grows to about 4" females are yellow and males are blue. These fish have excellent personalities and are very social. 2 males 8 females would be ideal to cut out aggression and makes for a very attractive tank.
Another choice would be a species only tank of Demasoni. Again a dwarf mbuna only with a really bad attitude. It's best to keep these fish in groups of atleast 12 because they are known to kill each other. You could throw 3 or 4 yellow labs in that mix to but in it does become crowded and you would have to stay on top of water changes. This would be quite a challenging tank so only do it if you very keen.
Another choice would be some of the shell dwellers check them out to
Thanks Gibbs I was afraid that the 3' tank would be a problem. I considered doing a species only tank at first because of the size but my girlfriend and I ruled it out (mostly her ) mainly because we wanted a lot of color. Your suggestion of the Ps. Saulosi species only looks like a great option because of the color variants. How close to overstocked would the tank be with 2 males and 8 females?
Also, we have a common pleco that is about 5-6 inches long that we rescued from a friend that had him in a 5G tank :x Would he do ok with the Ps. Saulosi?
Not being a bad influence
I have 15 Saulosi in my 3 foot, they are still sub-adults but i'm not expecting to off load any of these guys unless my male/female ratio is off.
2 and 8 will be fine but you could add a few more females to end up with about 12.
Are you planning on breeding, because once they hit maturity these guys go off with a bang.
Your pleco will be fine will be fine with them to. Saulosi are usually to busy loafing about to worry about much :thumb:
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