I bought this 75 gallon tank setup in 1992 (the below picture is 4 years old now). I initially stocked this tank with aggressive mbuna couples and trios and that was a very unwise decision. Especially when some trios turned out to be reverse trios. I bought the mbuna small because "if they grow up together then they get alone better"...NOT TRUE in the long run. I tried "overcrowding to reduce aggression" with limited success. After about 2 1/2 years the aggression got pretty bad, most males outlived their females and after 4 or 5 years I was left with an almost all male mbuna tank. Then trying to add anything new to this tank with full grown established residents was nearly impossible. (No amount of "time out", rock rearranging, lights out etc. made even the slightest difference in this tank!) After selling some of the really bad (think Melanochromis) boys, the remaining 10 to 12 mbuna settled down a bit. Although it did kinda work eventually, this is mostly a story of how NOT to keep fish.
75 Gallon (284 liter) Perfecto tank on an oak stand
filtration: Eheim canister filter with spraybar, AquaClear 500 power filter, Penguin 330 (biowheel) power filter,
substrate: Seachem African Cichlid Mix with limestone rocks PH: 7.8
heaters: one Ebo-Jager 150 watt and one Ebo-Jager 100 watt temperature: 78º F
Usually 12 to 18 Cichlids (I do NOT recommend this type of stocking to anyone)
Cichlids kept in the 75 gallon tank at one time or another. (Many before my digital camera.) They were not all in the tank at the same time.
Cynotilapia sp "black eastern" (1M:4F) A bit timid for this tank but a good choice none the less
Haplochromis sp "all red" Lake Kyoga (1M:1F) Not a good choice! Too timid for this tank. Female was killed quickly.
Iodotropheus sprengerae (rusty) (1M) This supposedly peacefull species did quite well and lived for over eight years
Labidochromis caeruleus (yellow lab) (1M) This supposedly peacefull species did quite well with these tough guys
Labidochromis sp "hongi" (1M) An excellent choice in the 75 gallon. I wish I had a female for him.
Melanochromis auratus (1M:2F) When the male got old enough he bred with a female and from that day forward was hyper-aggressive towards every tank resident. He then killed both females and I sold him.
Melanochromis chipokae (1M: 2F) When the male got old enough he bred with one female then soon killed both females. I kept this beautiful male for 5 years and he grew to 7 inches long but eventually I got tired of the fights and I sold him.
Melanochromis joanjohnsonae (1M:1F) An excellent choice in the 75 gallon.
Mylandia (Metriaclima?) estherae (red zebra) (1M:2F) An excellent choice in the 75 gallon.
Mylandia (Metriaclima?) "zebra red dorsal" (2M) An excellent choice in the 75 gallon, however, I was surprised when the second red top zebra turned out to be a male. The dominant male killed the sub-dominant male.
Pseudotropheus demasoni (7 total = ?M:?F) initially an excellent choice in the 75 gallon and they bred many times. But after three years they went on a killing spree and mostly wiped eachother out.
Pseudotropheus elongatus "mbenji blue" (1M) An excellent choice in the 75 gallon, however, this cichlid came with a used tank I bought. Since I didn't really want him I sold him after a short period of time.
Pseudotropheus socolofi (1M:2F) When the male got old enough he bred with a female and from that day forward was hyper-aggressive towards his own kind. He killed both females but then settled down to become an excellent tank resident and lived a long time.
Tramitichromis intermedius (aka Lethrinops intermedia) (1M:4F) Not a good choice! Too timid for this tank so I moved him to another tank.
