Ready To Stock

[Breezyod]

Alright I finally have done a full cycle on my Tank. I am now ready to stock it. I want to stock it with some Peacocks thinking a male and some females to keep aggression down. I was thinking either Aulonocara koningsi Mbenji ''Blue Regal'' or Aulonocara sp. ''Stuartgranti Maleri'' Maleri Island both of these options are from DavesFish and are each 1.5in. I also went to my local fish store today to look and see what they had kinda just browsing. What I found was they had some small Peacocks that haven't even began to show there colors. I will include a picture of one of the tanks in the store for a size reference. What I am trying to figure out now is what size would be good to start out with. I already have a decent size Yellow Lab in my tank which is kind of a problem. He is pretty big and I don't want to get any fish that he will just be able to pick on to the point they will die... or he will just eat. What size Peacock would be ok to put in this tank with him? About how big would you say my Lab is? Any help would be great as I want to get my tank going with some more fish as soon as possible.

 

[king of peacock]

The yellow lab looks like he is about 2 inches and how big is that tank.

I love malawi cichlids!!

 

[Breezyod]

Its 45 gallons I know its small but I am pretty sure from my research what I want to do should be ok. I plan on upgrading after I buy a truck to something like 75-90. So no one has suggestions on how big the peacocks should be? Would growing them out in a 20long work, or would that stunt there growth. If I was to try to grow them out this is the tank they would be in. I would prefer to buy some already big enough to join the bigger tank.

 

[Jmoore]

What type of peacock were you looking to get at the store?


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[Breezyod]

What type of peacock were you looking to get at the store?


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Blue Regal and I don't know what else. But the Local store only has very small ones and I could grow them out in a 20gallon but I don't know if that would stunt them. I am almost positive my Lab would kill them if I put them in the big tank.

 

[Tony]

They will be ok in a 20L when small, but not for long. Stunted growth is less of an immediate concern than aggression. Once he becomes dominant, the top male will beat on everyone in that size tank - potentially killing or chasing them out of the tank. Add a bunch of rock from the get go. Lots of hiding places and maybe some tall plastic plants as sight breaks.

For long term, you're going to want either a 40B as a minimum with a 55 being a better choice imo. If you want to add a 2nd (or 3rd) breeding group of Malawi chichlids, I'd go 75. More yellow labs and a Copadichromis species would be great choices.

Stuartgranti or koningsi will be better suited than some of the larger, more aggressive peacocks. Your one picture from the pet shop has lemon jakes in it. These are one of the more aggressive species (jacobfreibergi) and should be avoided if tank space is a concern. They can be pretty savage and will not work in a 40B like some of the others will (I've tried with both lemon jakes and caroli with neither situation ending well).

Also, I am sure you already know this, but do not mix peacocks as there is s high likelihood of crossbreeding.

Good luck.

 

[hollyfish2000]

I've got peacocks on a 40 breeder and a 45 high. The first is stocked with ruby reds -- two males and too many females and babies to count. it works because it's heavily planted and there is a "house" on each side for each male. The sons have to be pulled when they get to be teenagers. I used to have a blue orchid peacock colony from Dave's in a 45 high. It's a wonderful, quiet, peaceful peacock. I did 3 M and 5 F for a long time until one boy got beat up and died.

I absolutely would NOT just buy random peacocks from a LFS when you're dealing with such a small tank. I'd also pull the lab. While labs and peacocks do fine together, I think they really need a bigger tank to co-exist well.

The other peaceful peacock that would be OK in such a small tank is the maylandi.

 

[Breezyod]

So I should get rid of my lab? And would a male blue regal work with some females. Also there is a lot of caves and hiding spots in the tank with the rock I have in there. And also adding other male peacocks would be bad I assume. If possible would a ruby red male and a regal male with females work or just stick with 1 type?


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[Tony]

You can probably leave the lab in there until you see that there's a problem. Wiithout knowing its size, tough to say.

One type of peacock unless it's all males. But to do that, you'd need a 4' tank.

 

[Breezyod]

You can probably leave the lab in there until you see that there's a problem. Wiithout knowing its size, tough to say.

One type of peacock unless it's all males. But to do that, you'd need a 4' tank.

Alright so basically I should find a type of Peacock that I like and get a male and around how many females? And I don't have to remove the Lab unless I notice problems correct?

 

[Tony]

Juveniles (1.5") will not be showing color. You'll start to see color on them at around 2"-2.5" depending on the species and their tank mates. Even then, sub-males will look like females. Most folks just start with a group of 6-8 and get rid of extra males as problems arise. This will land you at the ideal ratio of around 1M/3-5F.

Extra males are easily sold when colored up and will help defray the initial investment on the group.

 

[Breezyod]

Would it be smart to grow them out in my 20gallon long since my lab is so big? Should I try to get them from a lfs or order online. I could also just trade my lab to the lfs for store credit and grow them out in my 45tall. Thanks for answering my questions just want to make sure I am doing everything correctly


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