1 Yellow Lab Dead, pH Lower Than Usual

andrewr2488

Thanks coolj, Yeah right now they arent too terribly bad but I know aggression will come with age.. Tis the reason I'm planning my rockwork now to keep them from being too overly aggressive. I'm wondering whats the most i can fit into the 50g. I've had various answers, from 12 being the most to 20 being fine with proper filtration.

MoneyMitch

its all about hiding spots filtration and w/c frequency. . .

andrewr2488

Would adding 3 white labs, and 3-4 cuckoo catfish be too much? I'm running an emperor 400 right now and in january I'm buying a rena xp1 to go along with the 400. They say having 8-10x flowrate would be good, mine has a flowrate of 8x the gallons of water, 50 gallons and 400gph. adding the xp1 will help with that quite a bit so I'm planning to add the cuckoos in january.

1077

I fear although the cuckoo catfish is good fit for many cichlid tanks , that a larger tank would be in order if cuckoos are to be kept as adults. I have three and they're adult size is near seven inches.

andrewr2488

Ah, I heard they grow to around 6 inches.. I'd like to find some sort of catfish that I can add, Any Suggestions?

rrcoolj

I agree althoug most people will say around 12-15 fish people have kept more than 20 mbunas in a 55 but they use a ton of filteration and huge water changes frequently. synodontis petricola are small and work well with mbunas but they can be pricey.

andrewr2488

Excellent, Excellent.. The Synodontis Petricola is the perfect fit for my tank, Thanks for the suggestion coolj!! I plan on buying 2-3 white labs and 3 petricolas. Towards the end of the summer I plan on buying a 75g tank. I'm going to be attempting to make a custom built stand, So I'll make it to fit a 75g tank. Fish are now doing fine, I'm about to do a 25% pwc. I'll be adding more CC to the other side of my emp 400. pH is lingering at about 7.6-7.8

rrcoolj

Sounds like a good plan!