180 Litre Stocking

[Christoff]

Could anyone help me with some stocking advice please? I've a Rio 180 (180 litre, 3ft tank) which I'm thinking about stocking with Malawis. Would 12 Pseudotropheus Demasoni and 3 Labidochromis Caeruleus (1m 2f) work? I'd put a lot of rock work in with them. Is there any scope for bottom dwellers too with Malawis?

 

[guidedbyechoes]

Could anyone help me with some stocking advice please? I've a Rio 180 (180 litre, 3ft tank) which I'm thinking about stocking with Malawis. Would 12 Pseudotropheus Demasoni and 3 Labidochromis Caeruleus (1m 2f) work? I'd put a lot of rock work in with them. Is there any scope for bottom dwellers too with Malawis?

I think your gonna be overstocked as it is. Mine is a 4 ft with the same number and I want to upgrade to a larger tank. You also need to take into account that the rocks will displace water.

 

[Always Learning]

You might even struggle with 12 and end up with the lone survivor.. They're a bit hit and miss and can wipe a tank out in no time. Maybe look at something like Saulosi, which are again on the smaller side but a lot less aggressive than the Demasoni. Males are a stunning blue and females Orange.

You could possibly go with a couple of species in there, providing you have good filteration, then you want to overstock it anyway. Just stick to the dwarfs but I personally wouldn't start off with any less than 20 Demasoni.. though I know less has worked for some.

 

[Christoff]

I'm getting an Eheim 2075 so I should have pretty good filtration. Will look into the Saulosi. When you say a couple of species, do you have any specifically in mind?

 

[Christoff]

You might even struggle with 12 and end up with the lone survivor.. They're a bit hit and miss and can wipe a tank out in no time. Maybe look at something like Saulosi, which are again on the smaller side but a lot less aggressive than the Demasoni. Males are a stunning blue and females Orange.

You could possibly go with a couple of species in there, providing you have good filteration, then you want to overstock it anyway. Just stick to the dwarfs but I personally wouldn't start off with any less than 20 Demasoni.. though I know less has worked for some.

How many Saulosi would you recommend?