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How many African cichlids would you say i could put in a 55gal I'm thinking Rift lake mostly. I'm unsure exactly which ones due to our stores only having assorated african tanks, with a few species tanks. I looked as some electric yellows,Auratus,Electric Blue Johannii,Kenyii. Well atleast those were ones I could pick out. And is it best to get them when they are young small/medium?

well...one advantage to get them when they are little is to watch them grow.its kinda fun...but its whatever you the keeper wants.just dont get a big agressive fish with a little one or well, they may be lunch.

So about how many would you say?

well that would depend upon which kinds you would want,their temperment,and their max size when completely grown?

Im thinking Rift lake. Most I've seen are around 4" full grown some 5"

you could probably do about 6-8 and a a good functioning aquarium, dont forget my numbers are a bit down from the 1" fish per gallon rule because rift lake cichlid like those rocks ugh, i cannot think of the name now but, they raise up the pH.they like alot of places to hide and rocky things such as caves.after you have added the decor, that shoud be about right if the fish you chooe get between 4-5".if i was you i would pick the kind that you want, make sure if you have different types they are compatible, and go ahead and plan the aquaria ahead of time taking in to count the adult size of the fish chosen.

Wow really thats all? I know I like electric yellow and johannii. and a few other malawi lake cichlids

you could probably do more, that is simply just what i would do. remember 5" fish x8= 40 Inches of fish, plus substrate, and decor....just something to keep in mind.it would also depend upon your experience and dedication to water changes and things.i would do about 8 probably. but you could probably get away with 10 if you kept up with the water changes, plus im guessing your not doing all the same kinds so they should be various sizes. im guessing some may be smaller than 5".

So Is there a certain way to stock cichlids? I mean do they need to be in pairs/trios? Or can I get one of each type I like?

i do not know with out doing some research, i mean some may like to have fish of the same species live with them, well most in my guess would be fine solo. it would all depend on there tolerance. if you picked out a couple you liked and provided me with there names i could do a little research for you.the only rift lake cichlids i ever kept were a pair of electric yellows, they lived for about 6 month and died from stress of moving to my new home.im more of a central american cichlid person personally.my favorite is the oscar, but anyways back to the rift lakes cichlids, mine were 3-4 " and in a heavy rocked tank, i had all kinds of rocks and cave structures which i built in a 30 gallon, i forget the rock names but they made my pH go up to the desired amount and the lady who i was friends with at the lfs told me to get them. what they did was break down int he water to make ph rise, so they fish will be in their natural environment.just something to consider.i wouldnt have done more than 3 in my 30G, they are semi-aggressive and need alot of hiding spots to establish territory, and id rather have under the carrying capacity of my tank, than right at it or over it and be overstocked.good luck.cichlid

These are some fish im intersted in! Electric yellow,Auratus,electric blue Johanni,Red Zebra,Kenyii. I'm also Intersted in Convicts,severums,parrots. Is there any combination of these I could use? as I know some are african and some american?????? I feel in love with the convicts and severums!

could I have a convict or severum in the mix? or maybe 2. With my africans?

With the Rift Lake cichlids you fall into several catagories when stocking them. For the tank size you are talking about these catagories all count.

1) Fish aggression. Several of the fish you have mentioned become extremely aggressive and basically you may, or most likely will end up with just one male fish in that tank. Such as the auratus, the johanii, and the kenyii. If you have a pair of any of these fish, I could almost guarantee you will not have anything else left alive in a 55 gal for very long.

2) Fish aggression again. Depending on which lake, one way to contradict the aggression is to overstock your tank. With the fish above, overstocking can spread out aggression. Now to do this, you will need to have extra biological filters going, and do more water changes like 35% twice or three times per week. As the nitrates will build up very quickly. And take note, that if you have a biological bacteria crash in the tank, you can run into many more problems as well.

3) Mixing fish from different continents/areas. The main concern here, is that fish do have a language that they speak to each other. Not in terms of talking, just body signals. Fish from different continnents/areas, have different signals that they understand. So mixing them in the same tank, can be hazardous. They will not understand signs/signals for aggression, and may end up dieing because of mixed signals. For instance, some fish will open their mouths showing how large it is and/or how many large teeth they have. While others will flair their gills making them seem to have a large head.

4) Fish color and shape. Many fish will only be aggressive towards fish that they deem competition in the breeding world. Many times this includes fish that are the same size and shape they are, and/or the same/similar color that they are. So placing several red/yellow/blue/etc fish that are different species in the same tank, can often be hazardous to their health.

My suggestion is to keep fish from the same area/continent, or better yet from the same lake or river system together. And research each type of fish's aggression and behavior to be sure they are compatible.

In a 55g, the electric yellows will be fine together and fine with many other fish, especially most other Malawians. Just not the others you have mentioned. With the others, you can try some combinations, but I would suggest you have a tank divider or two ready on hand just in case you need to separate them out.

As for the convicts, well they will be great as a pair or so in that size tank. Just be ready in a week or two, as you will have a few hundred convicts in that tank, lol. Convicts are the rabbits of the water. They will spawn almost monthly.

My suggestion, do some more research and try to decide which area/continent fish you would like to keep. For ease of keeping them, check your water quality for ph and hardness and go with fish that come from areas that are the same or very close to your tap water. This saves time in trying to control your water perameters. Next research the aggressive behavior of the fish you are most paticular in liking. But have some backups picked out as well.

As for how many fish in that tank, I usually tell people that for fish that stay under 5 inches, to go with the 1 inch per gallon rule. This is if you have a good filtration system on the tank with plenty of biological filtration media too, such as biowheels or multiple sponge filters. As well test your parameters weekly, like ph and hardness. And do regular water changes to control the nitrates.

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There is always a bigger fish...

So there is only certain rift lake cichlids I can mix as well? Is there a larger one I could mix with the smaller 4" ones. Maybe blue dolphin????

It depends on what you are calling larger. 99% of the rift lake cichlids available in the hobby, stay under 5-6 inches. A few availible get larger than that, but I would not suggest them in a 55, even if they are the only fish in there. As the larger than 5-6 inch fish, are open water fish and need room to swim and "jet" around the tank. (personally I hate 55 gal tanks, they are just too thin. 75 gal tanks open up a whole new world of fish keeping) And the larger cichlids should be in a 125 gal min. Besides, a group of 4-5 inch fish will make a much more active and much nicer looking tank, than one that has one big cichlid and one or two small cichlids. Most cichlids are skittish. The fewer you have in the tank, the less likely you will see them very often. The more you have in the tank, the more likely they will be out and about with each other.

As for size and such, the majority of the rift lake cichlids fall into full sizes of 1-2 inches and about 5 inches. Not much inbetween there, and not much over that. There are a few available in the hobby that get about 8-12 inches. And I am talking about full sized males, as several of the available rift lake species have females that are much smaller than the males, and even some that are less than half the size of the males. In fact one shell dweller (can't remember the name) the male reaches 10-12 inches, while the females stay under 2-3 inches. These are in the hobby, but very rarely seen.



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There is always a bigger fish...

This may be a dump question now that I've looked at the profile. But would a frontosa work in there, with a few of the smaller ones? The fronts we have in our store are maybe 3-4" Right now!

IMO, I would say a front needs at least a 75, and a 125 or 150 for a pair or several of them.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Any thought on putting a few peacocks in with a yellow lab,red zebra,blue johannii

I was thinking 1-yellow lab,1-red zebra,1-blue johannii. And like 5-6 peacocks?

Man. Take the time to read the posts that ACIDRAIN has kindly written for you.
Johannis would run amok in that tank. Aulonocaras are something totally different again.