[not1min]

I am a newbie to cichlids and need some advice on stocking my tank. Currently have the fish in my 75 gallon and will be moving some of them to my 30 gallon tank.

Fish that will be moved to the 30 gal. What other fish can I add with these.
2 Swordtails
2 Silver Dollars
1 Red Parrot

I will leave the catfish and 2 unidentified cichlids in the 75 gallon. I want to stock the tank with the following fish so please give me your advice.

2 Pseudotropheus sp.Zebra Long Pelvic
2 Aulonocara Lemon Jake
2 Pseudotropheus flavus
2 Fire Peacock
2 Placidochromis Electra
1 Pseudotropheus demasoni
2 Labidochromis caeruleus (yellow Lab)
3 The Hap/Peacock Assortment Packages
3 The Standard Malawi packages
1 Copadichromis Borleyi red fin
1 Labidochromis chisumulae
1 Maylandia zebra "red zebra"
1 Iodotropheus Sprengerae (Rusty)
2 Bristlenose Pleco

Also need to know if I have enough filteration and if not what would you suggest.
2 - 150w Via Aqua Stainless Steel Heaters
AC110 HOB Filter
AC802 Powerhead
1800 Via Aqua Powerhead
1300GPH Wave Maker

 

[DJRansome]

Oh boy.

Well first I don't think you can add fish to the 30G. Silver dollars get big...maybe overstocked already. But I'm not experienced with non-Africans.

Regarding your filters, look up the gph (gallons per hour) of each filter. You want 7X to 10X hourly turnover.

There are exceptions, but in general, I would not combine mbuna with peacocks/haps. So for example the peaceful electra and aggressive flavus are a mix to avoid.

Malawi are harem breeders and you want 4 females for 1 male within a species. In a pair the male is likely to kill the female. So...you either want a smaller number of species in a 75G if you want male/female. Say four species. Or you want to go all-male with one male fish from each species, and choose fish that look nothing alike.

Packages like Hap/Peacock Assortment or Standard Malawi package may include hybrids or fish not to your personal taste or that will not mix well with others in your tank. I like to buy fish with a full scientific name and collection point so I know exactly what I am getting, and so I can keep the fry. I will do almost anything to avoid euthanizing a fish. :thumb:

Depending on how many fish are in the "packages and assortments" you may have too many fish for the tank size as well. For a 75G rectangle think in terms of 20 fish. It could be more or less depending on the species you choose, but just to get an idea.

 

[not1min]

The listing that I have which one's will you choose.

 

[ridley25]

Can you describe or post a picture of the unidentified cichlids that will stay in the 75? That way no one will be sentencing any potential tank mates to death.

kevin

 

[DJRansome]

This would work. I would get rid of the unidentified cichlids because you cannot predict their behavior since you don't know what they are. And since you did not buy them with a scientific name, identification at this point would be more of a guess than 100% certain.
15 Pseudotropheus demasoni
1m:4f Pseudotropheus flavus
1m:4f Metriaclima estherae (red zebra)
1m:4f Iodotropheus sprengerae (rusty)

But you could also choose all male haps and peacocks. It just depends what you like.

 

[not1min]

Thanks to all for your responses. I will be moving all the fish out of the 75 gallon except for the catfish. I am going to go with the Malwai fish and I have listed my sock list below. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
I need some advice on the filtration and lighting.
Thinking about adding the Eheim Classic Canister 2217.
I have 2 T10 6500k Phillips bulbs and they do not seen to be bright enough. Want to get 10K bulbs but do not know what type I should be considering. This will be a none plant tank.
Thanks again for your advice and suggestions.

Stock List
15 Demasoni
5 Metriaclima estherae (red zebra)
5 Iodotropheus sprengerae (rusty
5 Yellow Labs
2 Bristlenose Pleco

Current Filtration
AC110 HOB Filter
AC802 Powerhead
1800 Via Aqua Powerhead
1300GPH Wave Maker

 

[ridley25]

The stock looks good to me. One of the most common hybrids out there is M. estherae x L. caeruleus, so unless you see a spawn yourself I would not try to save any fry from either of those fish.

If you are adding a 2217 to an existing AC110 then you are also set for filtration.

As far as lighting, if you're not growing plants then what ever colour temperature looks good to your eye is fine. Mbuna could get along fine with nothing more than ambient room light - the lights are so you can see them! I'm not an expert on these things but I think 6500k is more of a plant-friendly bulb. 10k or 'colourmax' might work better. Go to an LFS and ask what temp they run on a set up you like.

Shaping up to be a nice tank!

kevin

 

[DJRansome]

The labs and estherae will crossbreed so don't save fry from either species.

To give advice on filtration you would want to look up the gph of your existing filters, and the 2217 to see if you have achieved the 7X to 10X desirable hourly turnover. Eheim is a good filter. I prefer the Rena Filstar XP filters for ease of cleaning, but I own Eheims as well.

Wavemakers are more designed for a marine tank. Some fishkeepers like power heads to help with gph turnover.

I am not familiar with a T10 bulb. 10,000 will not be brighter than 6500...the number just represents a different color, not a greater intensity. 10000 is more white. 6500 has more yellow-red that plants like.

Fish don't need any light at all, so without plants the lighting is whatever the fishkeeper likes. It seems like 2 bulbs should be sufficient.