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i have got my hands on a really good deal on a 4ft whole setup for a cheap price.. the guy is a mate of mine and i will be buying it soon... so i just want to get a stocking list together to plan(save) for.
i have had two in mind

African Male show setup:
x1 Male Rubins Red
x1 Male Sulpher crested Lithobate
x2 Gold Comps
x1 Taiwan reef
x1 Red empress
x2 Lamprologus stappersi(pair m/f?)
x1 pleco not sure what type maybe a sailfin
x3 clown loachs

coral sand, driftwood, and maybe some slate

or

rift lake cichlid setup
x8 Tropheus
x8 Cuckoo Catfish
x1 Pleco

gravel, plenty of rock work..

dont know what to pick from.. all comments a suggesion will help greatly!!

cheers

Last edited by r0b3y at 21-Jul-2005 00:36

All male setups dont really do good in smaller tanks like a 50g. For your first list the taiwan and red empress will get to big and the clown loaches. Also its not a good idea to mix lakes so the comps and stappersi are out. Finally a sailfin would get to big but a BN plec would be good. I would suggest going with breeding groups of the red rubin peacock and lithobates. The problems with your second list is that tropheus need to be kept in a bigger group because of agression also cuckoos wouldn't be good with tropheus since of the agression factor with tropheus. Also A plec most likely will be picked on so there not a good idea.

I would go for a Malawi or Tanganykan setup, but don't mix them togeteher.


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ignore the x2 Lamprologus stappersi(pair m/f?) suggestion.. stupid idea .. all malawi setup would be best

the tropheus setup i would have to disagree with u on because we have the exact same setup in a 4ft(48"x 18" tank exactly like mine.. although there is more tropheus and more cuckoos that i have listed.. they are all doin good and the tank has been with no problems for the last 4 or more years with the tropheus even spawning many times.. there is also a pleco in there and he is unharmed.. although he poops everywhere lol...

im not to sure on the exact volume of the tank.. dimensions are 48" x 18" x 14"
..


Last edited by r0b3y at 18-Jul-2005 04:01

Well the first list is outta the question(and I hope is a joke). The second list is possibly workable. I hope you donot keep "red" Tropheus. Drop the numbers on both, and it could be doable. Trop. are brutal. Cats wont spawn with them, and they are not as active in the day. Tropheus are best kept in smaller groups in BIG tanks with other fish(non-breeding tank) or solitary breeding tanks with alot of them. If not you may end up with 2. Otherwise I've kept together myself and had no probs(community tank). But your Cuckoos will not likley "parasite breed" so to speak.Sounds like a groovy tank, Just lower the #'s and pick the right Tropheus. BN for your Plec. And some "dither fish".

thanks for the replies.. the tank is actually 65gal.. sorry miscalculation.. ive dropped both list and thinking of just getting a benga colony with 1 male and 6 females..

picking up the tank tomorrow.