FishProfiles.com Message Forums

how many electric yellows and other fish could i put in a 55 gallon

I would go with one male and 6-8 females.

If you have a species tank of only electric yellows - I'd say 15 maximum (with really good filtration!)

If you want a couple of other species in there (mbuna only, or possibly aulonocara, but I'll suggest numbers applicable to mbuna, and I recommend only keeping 2 or 3 different species in a 55 gallon), then I'd say around 5 of each species (for 3) or 7 of each species (for 2). If you choose a more aggressive tankmate for the other species, I'd adjust the numbers so that there are more electric yellows, then they can hold their own. But try to keep at least 4 of each species, with 1 male to 3 females, and keep it at 15 max altogether.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

10 is max, any more would be overstocked (based on the surface area rule; the inch per gallin lets you have 11). With 10 Labs you could have nothing else. Don't worry about the male-to-female ratio, it doesn't really matter to these species.

I would say that with electric yellows they aren't as hard on females as other species, but they still do like to shove them around and it is best to have at least 3 females per male. Also if algae becomes a problem in your tank, you could probably get away with a bristlenose pleco. Remember though that some mbuna actually like to eat algae. I moved some baby zebra cichlids to a tank that had an algae problem. I noticed them tugging on the leaves and rocks and after a day they had cleaned up a significant amount of algae.