help with stocking

[gball]

I am getting a 55g and am new to cichlids. which and how many would be recommended for a fully stocked 55. I am not picky on which lake they come from. thanksthumbs2:

[Red]

Well, what fish fancy you?

[gball]

Well thats the thing, I dont really have a preference. I went to my LFS today and looked at their tanganyika and malawi tanks and pretty much liked everything. I would like a good color variety and maybe a few that are easy to breed. I know that is not very specific, but I really dont know much yet.

[Lab_Rat]

For a very simple, colorful mbuna tank you could do 4-5 cobalt blues, 4-5 red zebras, and 4-5 yellow labidochromis. Other species that would work instead are rustys, acei, zebra red tops, or socolofi. They are all quite easy to breed. You'll want to overfilter the tank as they need clean water.

[hybridguy]

In a 55 i would suggest doing a mixed tank,malawi and tang. You need 1 electric blue ahlie it is very pretty.Maybe a blue dolphine moorii, peacocks are very colorful and very easy to breed.Find lelupi they are very nicely colored, maybe 3 or 4 of them.At least 1 frontosa, it gets large but in a 55 it takes years.Brichardi are really cool to and dont forget the clown loach, they prefer to be in groups of around 3.thumbs2:

[Lab_Rat]

In a 55 i would suggest doing a mixed tank,malawi and tang. You need 1 electric blue ahlie it is very pretty.Maybe a blue dolphine moorii, peacocks are very colorful and very easy to breed.Find lelupi they are very nicely colored, maybe 3 or 4 of them.At least 1 frontosa, it gets large but in a 55 it takes years.Brichardi are really cool to and dont forget the clown loach, they prefer to be in groups of around 3.thumbs2:

How do clown loaches fit into a rift lake stocking plan? I do not think they are compatible at all, not to mention they need 125g and should be kept in groups of 6+. Small synos would be a much better "bottom dweller" sort of fish if that is what you are going for.

The frontosa are also better as a colony fish and need 125g+. I did grow out a couple of them in my old 55g but when they hit 4" I found them a much more appropriate home.

[hybridguy]

I dont know anyone that doesnt have clown loaches in there cichlid tank.As far as grouping them in a trio that is plenty for a 55. Do you know how long it takes a clown to get large,a long long time. I have had a colony of frontosa in a 55 and bred them.A single frontosa would do fine. I am only giving suggestions.thumbs2:

[Lab_Rat]

Really? I've never heard of clown loaches in with rift lake cichlids. No one in my fish club (which is a cichlid club with primarily rift lake cichlid keepers) has ever talked about keeping clown loaches in their rift lake tanks. Or victorian tanks for that matter. Most keep synos in their tanks, are you thinking of those instead?

[hybridguy]

No but the syno cat is fine to i just prefer the clown loach, maybe its a southern thing.