Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and to keeping Cichlids, so I'd appreciate your patience with any newbie questions I might have. I've had experience with seveflake community tropical fish tanks in the past, but had to shut them down due to moving and work commitments. Now that I have more time on my hands, I'm looking to set up something a bit different from the usual neon and guppy tanks.

I'm thinking of setting up a 55-gallon tank with Yellow labs, Acei, and peacocks cichlids. I'd love to hear your thoughts - are there any changes you'd recommend making to my list, or any suggestions for the ideal number of each species to keep?

Any advice or information you can share would be really helpful - thanks in advance.

I'm also relatively new to cichlids, and I've heard that combining haps with other types can be challenging due to their aggression. Acei and Peacocks are haps, while Yellow Labs aren't. However, I've had a pretty smooth experience with my OB Peacock and Yellow Lab - they coexist peacefully. Maybe you'll have a similar experience, who knows? As for stocking numbers, I've come across the general guideline of one inch of fish per gallon. You could use the maximum size of each species as a rough estimate and aim for a total just shy of 55 inches. My own 45-gallon tank is home to five mbunas, one OB Peacock, one Yellow Lab, a daffodil, and a synodontis multiplicatus catfish.

You might want to look into the synodontis multiplicatus - they're great tankmates for cichlids, and they originate from Lake Tanganyika, just like some cichlid species. Having one or two could work out nicely.

I've had great success mixing labs and acei with peacocks over the years. For stocking, I'd recommend starting with 1 male, 3 females for both the labs and acei, then consider adding a few different male peacocks to the mix.

I've had similar success with peacocks and labs. Temperament plays a big role - it's not just about the species. Overcrowding can actually help, as it makes it harder for them to establish territories, and if one fish is being bullied, it can find refuge in the crowd. However, this approach requires more frequent water changes, since more fish means more waste. With peacocks, it's a good idea to get males of different species to reduce aggression, as mentioned earlier.

You could also consider swapping out some of the peacocks for smaller hap species, this might help with reducing aggression and adding some variety to your tank.

I'd like to clarify that Acei aren't actually classified as haps, they're a type of mbuna.