# 55g Peacock Tank - Looking for stocking suggestions



## boulderer (Jun 21, 2010)

I'm currently stocking an all male Peacock cichlid tank. I'm looking for some stocking suggestions. I don't want to deal with breeding/fighting over females, that's why the all male tank.

Currently I have

1 - Yellow Lab (Not a peacock I know)
1 - OB Peacock
1 - Sunshine Peacock
1 - Electric Blue Peacock
1 - Red Peacock

What other peacocks should I be on the lookout for? Or are there any other non-peacock variety that will play nice?


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## SophieThomas (May 12, 2010)

Have you ventured into doing this yet? I do not know enough to make suggestions to your stocking but I would love to see some pictures


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I'd get some of those Firefish Strawberry peacocks that some other member is breeding. Very recent thread, you should search for it. Beautiful red coloured peacock.


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## redsnapper (May 12, 2010)

with only a 55 gal tank I would say your pretty limited for adding much more,,and you have yellow , blue and red or strawberry ,, may be a hap or two. go see Tom


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## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

IF it were me, I'd sick with what you have listed, add female peacock’s this will encourage your males to show more color, and since they aren’t similar in color the aggression should be fairly low, you could probably even ad a couple more males as well and still be in the clear. 

I'd also ad a Sciaenochromis fryeri, an adult males will show full color alone, or pair it up, but it will not only ad a nice active electric blue fish to the tank, but they also are fairly good hunters, help's keep the fry numbers down


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

-DC- said:


> IF it were me, I'd sick with what you have listed, add female peacock's this will encourage your males to show more color, and since they aren't similar in color the aggression should be fairly low, you could probably even ad a couple more males as well and still be in the clear.
> 
> I'd also ad a Sciaenochromis fryeri, an adult males will show full color alone, or pair it up, but it will not only ad a nice active electric blue fish to the tank, but they also are fairly good hunters, help's keep the fry numbers down


I dont think adding females is a good idea in a 55gallon. 2 issues with it:
1. More female fish = less males
2. Females = colorful males = more aggression towards other males due to possible breeding attempts = dead fish

Its best to stick with what he has for now, or upgrade to a bigger tank. I wouldn't even suggest Peacocks or Haps for a 55 gallon. Dwarf mbunas work best for 55 gallon tank.

EDIT:
boulderer, how big are the fish in your tank? If they are only 3" size, you could temporarily add 2-3 more peacocks (any type is fine as they are all around the same in terms of aggression). If the peacocks are 4"+, then maybe you can add 1 peacock around 4" or bigger. This is not preferred as they will need more space once they get to adult size. A 75G could be considered minimum (more width compared to 55G). I keep my Peacoks and Haps in a 6 feet 125gallon tank and I still feel that it might be a little restrictive for them (depth wise).


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

Smiladon said:


> I dont think adding females is a good idea in a 55gallon. 2 issues with it:
> 1. More female fish = less males
> 2. Females = colorful males = more aggression towards other males due to possible breeding attempts = dead fish
> 
> ...


shellies 
after recently getting these i wish i woulda gotten them long ago instead of the mbuna, its way cooler watching fish working together than watching them fight constantly imo

as for peacocks, the eureka red ones look awesome
heres a list of peacocks you can check out all the pics and see what u like.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=3


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## boulderer (Jun 21, 2010)

Smiladon said:


> EDIT:
> boulderer, how big are the fish in your tank? If they are only 3" size, you could temporarily add 2-3 more peacocks (any type is fine as they are all around the same in terms of aggression). If the peacocks are 4"+, then maybe you can add 1 peacock around 4" or bigger. This is not preferred as they will need more space once they get to adult size. A 75G could be considered minimum (more width compared to 55G). I keep my Peacoks and Haps in a 6 feet 125gallon tank and I still feel that it might be a little restrictive for them (depth wise).


I've been reading over the replies and thinking about things. I'm going to stick with the 5 peacocks that I have now. They are all under 3" but will grow larger. A 55 is a small "big" tank, so I'd rather give them lots of room than try and cram more fish in there. I look at the fish I have now and if I imagine them as 5-6" each it does seem that a 55 is already too small. An upgrade is down the road (at least a 125g).


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## AfricanCichlids (Sep 13, 2010)

if this is a 55 long, I would say you have lots of room as long as the water is changed more frequently. And if the peacocks are still smaller, now is the best time to introduce new occupants. Add a few mild mbunas, or a few haps.
I am not a fan of all male setups, but if thats the plan, better to start it when the fish are juvies.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

A nice long tank, like a 6 footer would do very nicely for all your peacocks as they grow bigger. I had a 135g before which was great but I did regret not going for the 180g, same dimensions mostly except deeper. That depth really allows you to give the fish more turning room and also more importantly lets you do some proper aquascaping to provide the fish with territories.


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

boulderer said:


> I've been reading over the replies and thinking about things. I'm going to stick with the 5 peacocks that I have now. They are all under 3" but will grow larger. A 55 is a small "big" tank, so I'd rather give them lots of room than try and cram more fish in there. I look at the fish I have now and if I imagine them as 5-6" each it does seem that a 55 is already too small. An upgrade is down the road (at least a 125g).


If they are 3" in size now and you are planning to upgrade to 125Gallon later, then feel free to add a few more male peacocks or haps 
Stick with peacocks if possible. Yellow labs and Blue Dolphins can also be a good addition.
Go with a 180Gallon if possible as Tony mentioned. Depth also plays a big role for these fish.


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