75g bio-type

I am going to go with a malawi bio-type. What kinds on plants grow there? Anubias? Vals? I am hoping to have a few plants.
I am trading a goat skull for a 75g straight up and I am going to want to stock it with some african cichlids and I think have a bio-type. Because the person I am buying the tank from makes all his tanks (has a website and everything) I am asking him to make it a little bit deeper for the cichlids/syno's. Now I need your help stocking it.

I have no clue on what I stock it with and any advice would be appreciated. What about this stocking list?
1m-Protomelas taeniolatus (red empress)
1m,2f-Aulonocara sp. "Maleri" (orange peacock)
1m,2f, - Pseudotropheus estherae (red zebra cichlid)
1,2f - Pseudotropheus socolofi (Powder blue cichlid)
1m - Pseudotropheus demasoni
1 -Synodontis njassae
1m,2f - Pseudotropheus elongatus
1m - Melanochromis joanjohnsonae ('Pearl of Likoma')
1 (not sure I would be able to sex it) - Cyrtocara moorii


What do you think? Fairly stocked I think....

If it is over-stocked please tell me, if there are ANY incompatibilities please tell me! I have a 55g I plan on sticking some fry in to raise, which ever breeds first I guess, all the other fry will be culled or will be eaten by the other fish. I have a LFS that wil take them or I can ship them out as I have done that before with other fish and inverts.

Thanks,
Caton

That above stocking list I found out is waay off and bad.

What about this:
5- yellow labs
5-Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
5- odotropheus sprengerae
1- Synodontis njassae ?

I want to keep a syno :)

Labs, acei, and rusties! Sounds like a good combo to me. You could probably even put a few more of each species and still be ok with stocking. A group of Synondontis petricola would also be nice.

Sounds nice to me too!

Putting a syno cat in the tank will not make it a Malawi bio-type

I read that Synodontis njassae is the only syno from malawi and that it needs to be kept in groups so I will be keeping 4 of them.

I think I can get 5 more of a different species, what would add?

You will need 20-25 fish of about that size in there to spread out the aggression.
Cichlids want more floor space than depth. And over filter the dickens out of it!

Here's some malawi aquascaping idea Very simple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlH4oDClKuA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Hv2MbTNy8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDgoPKHzjVQ


So many blotched mbunas in there, I will have difficulty sorting them out, but will definitely enjoy it...When the time comes for me to dive and fish Malawi

I am set on the scaping part of it, local slate rock backround :)

I am thinking:
5- yellow labs
5-Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
5- Pseudotropheus saulosi
4- Synodontis njassae \
1m- Aulonocara stuartgranti (Ngara)
1m- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka"
1m - Aulonocara stuartgranti (Hai Reef)
1m -Lichnochromis acuticeps (maybe to big? I want a single "large" fish)
1m - Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Tanzania"

You need to stick with either all males or 3-4 small colony's. That m:f ratio with 'spare' males will result in lots of fighting.
If you want a large mild tempered fish get 3 cyto mooriis in there, they are large but tend to not harass the smaller guys and will still put those acei's in line when they need it.

I don't think peacocks will work so well in there....

This?

8- yellow labs
8-Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
8- Pseudotropheus saulosi
3-Cyrtocara moorii
4- Synodontis njassae

I believe that will work, you will want more feedback than just mine though.

I am posting everything I say on cichlid-forum, thats where the cichlid outcasts hide

wow
Oh and if you do decide on the cyto mooriis you can get them either from me or Jack D for pretty cheap!

I will take you up on that offer in 2 months :)

I have a LFS that has really good reveiws and I think could order all those in. I don't know if she will have the syno though...it appears to be kinda rare or at least uncommon.

I guess MTS starts with cichlids?

Hmm, lets see here...I got a 30g and a 55g, if I change my 29 over they can be for cichlids...get rid of my betta that will be a extra 20g...I guess I could breed

Yup that's where it tends to start
If you don't manage to find that syno I bet my lfs can get it in, my boss is awesome like that!

I think I can get it in, Barbie is the name of the person who runs my LFS and she is a mod on planetcatfish....

Fern wrote:

Yup that's where it tends to start
If you don't manage to find that syno I bet my lfs can get it in, my boss is awesome like that!

I bet he is..

Here is the final stock list:

8- yellow labs
8-Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
8-Cyrtocara moorii
3-4- Synodontis njassae


What do you think?

Oh, and when the time comes which fish should I add first?

I think I might get a another HOB filter or two for my 55g that I need to repair so I can have a quarantine tank.

No more than 3 on the moorii, that's all that you can really fit in a 75g with other fish. 1m:2f is fine for them to breed, they are machines once they get started. Moorii's last, they can take the harassment and 'make' themselves at home

I would guess add the synos then the lab's then the acei and the mooriis last.
Let your synos get established first for sure!

I heard ( I know, forum advice crossing :P) that I should add all the fish at once. If I were to just make it so that the tank can eat up 5ppm of ammonia overnight I should be fine...right?

I am thinking about not getting the acei...whats a malawi fish that would go good with the labs, moori and syno's and is not a blueish color.

Add the synos first the mooriis last and everyone else at one time between em. Theres no plausible way to kick the tank to take that bio load all at once

Okay.

Any ideas for fish?

I saw rustie cichlid but the females look dull (unless pictures don't do it justice)