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New Member
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Last Login: 11/30/2008 9:28:46 PM
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| I have a 55 gallon (48" long, 12.5" wide, and 23" tall) aquarium with 9 demasoni cichlids. Right now they are 2" long.Is this fine to keep them in here, is it overstocked, understocked, or just fine. Please let me know. 
Brittany
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Senior Member
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Last Login: 7/18/2010 10:31:18 PM
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| Hmm...I think you're all right as far as stocking goes. You can't really "understock" a tank, because having fewer fish doesn't have any real negative consequences. In fact, having a tank that is under its maximum capacity is a good thing, at least in my opinion, because it gives you more of a buffer space when it comes to water quality. Demasoni cichlids top out at 3 inches for the males and around 2.5 for females, so your 55g tank is a good space for them. Now, these fish are aggressive. The dominant fish will chase and harass others in the tank to maintain his "alpha fish" status. So having more of these guys is always a good thing because it helps disperse that aggression. You could actually add a few more by that account, provided that there's stocking room in the tank. With that said, fish stocking is actually a pretty technical process. A lot of factors play a role, from the type of fish to the filter stats to the live plant count (if any) in the tank. So for a real statistical answer beyond my "It should work" statement, I advise you to go here: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ddtdmxtn2dm This should take you directly to the download site of Math-only Aquarium's Freshwater Stocking Guide. You can also navigate to it from the link "Freshwater Stocking Guide: A Reference for Beginners" within the Pinned Topics, but there are quite a few files for download under that page. This is an Excel spreadsheet that lets you input your tank/fish information and will then give you stocking data on the tank. So by putting in certain stats about your setup (I have X number of cichlids and they're X inches long, etc) you can get data like how much potential you have left in the tank. It can be intimidating at first, but I really love using it to figure out what's going on in my tanks and to plan new additions. If you can't complete the download or figure out the file but still want the information it gives about your tank, just let me know and I can do it for you. Well, I hope that helped. Don't hesitate with more questions or comments, and welcome to FishChannel! 
At Home with the Wild: Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute 
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New Member
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Last Login: 11/30/2008 9:28:46 PM
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Thanks for the information. That is an amazing website, i have never seen anything like it. Helps alot with stocking questions.
Brittany
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 1/1/2009 5:59:14 AM
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| Your fish need hiding places. The goal is to have every fish have its own "home". This can be accomplished with rock, pvc or pre-made caves. My cichlid tank has lots and lots of rock. In the morning before the lights come on,no one is floating in the water column they are all in their beds. I turn my room light on before the aquarium light and they get to wake up slowly. They like that.
--Fisher
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New Member
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Oh, yeah, I have pleny of rocks they can go in and hide. I know cichlids need their hiding places, because they are territorial. I try to make my tank as natural as possible to their own environment.
Brittany
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Senior Member
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Sounds great. And feel free to post pictures of the setup in the Photography section - we'd love to see the tank.
At Home with the Wild: Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute
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New Member
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Last Login: 11/30/2008 9:28:46 PM
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I sure will. I will post pictures tommorow.
Brittany
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Advanced Member
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I know that this has been said already, but make sure that you have more than enough hiding places for each fish. Some fish can turn out to be extremely territorial and claim more than 1 hiding place for themselves. That's happened to me before, just not with african cichlids.
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 2/28/2010 3:25:31 PM
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In a standard 55G tank, you'd do well to start out with roughly 12-14 dems. But you could also add a couple more species to the mix. You could add 6 yellow labs and 6 rusties or acei to that tank. As long as you have adequate filtration and keep up with your water changes, that would be a healthy and great looking tank.
140G Malawi Tank
Demasoni, Acei (Msuli) , White Top Haras, Yellow Labs, Hongi SRT Kimpuma, Albino Socolofi, Daffodils, 1 Bristlenose Pleco50G Male Hap/Peacock - German Red, Lemon Jake, Blue Orchid, Albino Eureka Red, Sunburst, OB Peacock, O. Lithobates, Venustus, P. nyeri, Firefish 29G Growout - Electric Blue Fryeri, Polits, Compressiceps Yellow Kasanga, Albino Blue Eyed Bristlenose Plecos
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