[jeremypb]

6 yellow labs
4 ahli haps
4 red zebra
2 clown loach

I have a 55 gallon 48 x 12.7 x 36 i know your suppose to over stock the tank but i dont know if im over doing or under doing it or if this would be good?! sorry guys i dont have the scientific names down yet!

so what do yall think im new to africans so be gentle!

:-?

 

[PfunMo]

Not only should we be gentle. We should show respect. We were all new at one time.

I have had each of those at one time or another and see no current problem with keeping them together in 55. Over time things do change and there is no way to predict totally which might grow into a trouble maker but we might make some guesses. The labs and ahli, I have kept and had breeding in a tank at the same time. The zebra is the one who I might suspect would be the first to possibly cause trouble. They tend to be rougher by nature. Is that a problem to worry about now? In my case, I try the fish I like, knowing that they look nice and please me now but at some point I may have to change. I never start with the thinking that fish are forever. They change and I change as well. I never have trouble moving fish out when I need to do it. With local shops, Craigslist and friends with tanks, I find it easy to move fish.

Get lots of small rock and go for it!

 

[dielikemoviestars]

The Red Zebras will cross-breed with your Yellow Labs. Also, you want at least 1 male and 3-4 (preferably more!) females of each species you stock, so maybe think about 6 Red Zebras, too, if you go with those. The Fryeri get a little large for that size tank, and if you have 1m:3f, you're going to have one bright blue fish and 3 very dull others.

Clown loaches like to be in groups of 5-6+, usually, as well.

 

[kitkat123]

clown loaches prefer to be in bigger sholles but 2 is ok

 

[jeremypb]

:thumb: THANKS for all the advice and support and i will take all the help i can get but the only thing im worried about with the loaches is that they tend to grow bewteen 10-12 in right? if so i dont think my tank can handle all of them if i got more than 2!?

 

[Floridagirl]

For the best long term success, I would do 8 Lab, 8 Hap Ahli (aka S. Freyeri), 8 I. Sprengerae(aka Rusty), and 6 Synodontis Multipunctatus. IMO, the clown loaches get too big for a 55. The Freyeri will be pushing in size as well. And the Labs and Estherae are a bigger crossbreeding risk than the Labs and Rusties. The Rusties will give you a little orange. As the fish mature, I'd pull extra males to try for a 1/3or 4 male to female ratio.

 

[jeremypb]

ok thanks for the response and ill take the catfish into consideration :wink: