Can I add these fish to my tank?

[Complexity]

I currently have 40 fish in my 90g tank, and i'm wondering if I can add a 6" OB and a 5" Sunburst to the mix. Keep in mind that I have a smaller OB and Sunburst in the tank already.

Here's what I have in the tank right now:

• 3 BN Plecos
• 7 Synodontis petricola “Dwarf”
• 15 Yellow Labs
• 1 Geophagus altifrons (Earth Eater)
• 1 Neolamprologus leleupi
• 1 Neolamprologus pulcher "Daffodil”
• 1M Aulonocara koningsi Mbenji "Blue Regal"
• 1M Aulonocara maulana “Bicolor 500”
• 1M Aulonocara stuartgranti “Cobue”
• 1M Sciaenochromis fryeri (Electric Blue Hap)
• 1 Cyrtocara moorii (Blue Dolphin)
• 1M Aulonocara ?? "Red Shoulder"
• 2 Nimbochromis livingstonii (unsexed juveniles)
• 1 OB Peacock
• 1 Sunburst Peacock
• 1M unidentified blue fish with yellow fins (I think it's a peacock)
• 1M unidentified sickly yellow peacock (very thin, but eats, hides a lot, very bullied)

I'm about to add:

• 1M Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (male juvenile)
• 1M Protomelas Taeniolatus "Red Empress" (male juvenile)
• 1M Aulonocara baenschi

All these fish are between 3" - 5". The OB in question is said to be 6" and the Sunburst would be 5" so they would be among the larger fish in the tank. My current OB is the bully of the tank, targeting my beautiful Red Shoulder peacock the most; although, I've noticed that any red fish tends to be targeted a lot in my tank. I'd like to add more red colored fish in the tank to spread the aggression around, but I don't want to make things worse for my Red Shoulder.

Can I at least add another Sunburst? What about the other OB? Or should I work on adding more peacocks to the mix? My main concern is aggression.

[armthehomeless]

Are these fish bigger than your current fish? You should be alright. . . but there is only one way to know for certain. I know how much you like changing your scape when introducing new fish, but you may want to leave the lights out and change up a couple things.

Is your blue fish with yellow fins a Pseudotropheus acei?

[armthehomeless]

Keep in mind alot of these peacocks/haps can get rather large. You may have to thin it out eventually.

[eklikewhoa]

If you want red fish I would get some that are much larger so that they have a chance.

With the overall addition I would triple the quantity, that should really confuse the existing inhabitants and put the tank into a panic till everything settles and by then there will be too many fish swimming around to take any kind of serious beating.

[Complexity]

Are these fish bigger than your current fish? You should be alright. . . but there is only one way to know for certain. I know how much you like changing your scape when introducing new fish, but you may want to leave the lights out and change up a couple things.

Is your blue fish with yellow fins a Pseudotropheus acei?

Tim, yes, I believe the OB and Sunburst are larger than my current fish. I'm already planning a rescape so that's not a problem. I'll be out all day tomorrow looking for new rocks and everything. I've been gathering supplies for a whole new scape. This is partly why I'm willing to add new fish. It's my understanding that the scape needs to be changed up when new cichlids are added to an existing cichlid tank. I'm hoping the new scape will be something I can better manage all by myself for that very reason, as well.

The blue fish might be a Pseudotroheus acei. That means it was mismarked when I got it. From what I'm reading, it might be a female. I'll get a pic and get it identified later on. I've had it since I started the tank about 2 years ago. It got into a fight early on and lost an eye, but has been fine ever since. It's not very aggressive in my tank (probably due to the eye).

Keep in mind alot of these peacocks/haps can get rather large. You may have to thin it out eventually.

Yeah, I've resigned myself to that. It's okay. Either that or make space for a larger tank!

If you want red fish I would get some that are much larger so that they have a chance.

With the overall addition I would triple the quantity, that should really confuse the existing inhabitants and put the tank into a panic till everything settles and by then there will be too many fish swimming around to take any kind of serious beating.

I know where I could get a 3rd OB and a 3rd Sunburst, but they'd be smaller (more the size I have now). I didn't know what red fish were known for being chased like that or I would have gotten much more of them to start with. But that does explain things. I've had more problems with losing my red fish, such as my Red German, than any others. They are chased mercilessly. I think that's why the yellow fish I have is in such bad shape. I think it might be an off-color red colored fish that is just bullied too much. I'm thinking about putting it in a separate tank just to nurse it back to health and then either try to reintroduce it or find another home for it. It's in terrible shape even though it swims and eats just fine.

[eklikewhoa]

I didn't know fish were racist towards color, never seen that before.

Put the bully in a net and starve him for a week or so. then release it back in with the others, it should be too weak to fight and lose its rank amongst the others and become the picked on.

[eklikewhoa]

... or net it out and give it a swift thump. The shock would put it in disarray

[Complexity]

Thanks, ek (err, I think) But you know how it goes. Taking care of one bully only makes room for another bully. It's never ending!

I do think there's some kind of racism going on in my tank because the most chased fish are my red peacocks. They are always chased into hiding so I never get to enjoy them. It doesn't even matter which fish is the bully. I've had several switch off as the dominate, and each time, the most dominate chases the red fish the very most. Before it was the cobue that did the chasing. When I put him in a time out for a month, the bicolor got into the act. Now the OB has taken over. I'm sure if I took out the OB, one of the others would do it.

At least my sunburst is swimming around in the open now. The OB was trying to bully him into hiding, but it's not working on him. My poor beautiful red shoulder peacock, however, is hiding on the side of the tank between the rocks and tank where no one can see him, not even me. :(

[eklikewhoa]

I would stuff the tank full of red fish then that are much larger in size, IME to curb the bullying overstuff the tank full of fish.

[Complexity]

Sounds like a good plan... only one problem. Where to get the fish? Shipping is very expensive and you don't get to see the fish first.

[eklikewhoa]

If you buy a ton of fish then shipping cost would be worth it.

You pay less per fish compared to a LFS and if you get the box limit then shipping cost is split per fish which I'm sure would still be cheaper than the LFS. As for seeing the fish first, that's the chance you take unless you are willing to pay a little extra. Online vendors don't have as much overhead as LFS to make up for and there's also the money saved on tax if bought out of state.

I know some sellers on aquabid list with actual photos as well as some online vendors.

[Complexity]

I might be game. Let's say I went with adult male peacocks. About how many would I need to consider buying to make the prices worthwhile? Where can I find all the fish in one place? Every place I've looked only had a few available at any given time.

I drool over the fish on aquabid until I see the prices. When you add in shipping, they're easily around $100. And then the ones I really like are coming from Hong Kong which scares the bageezies out of me. So I just drool and pass.

[eklikewhoa]

I wouldn't know since I never cared for peacocks so I wouldn't know what they are worth or are going for. I know damn well I would not pay $100 for a lake full of peacocks moreless one of them but that's me.

Search online, there has to be someone out there that deals mainly with that kind of fish.

[Complexity]

Well, that's the rub. It's great in theory, but when you get down to the actual details, no one knows of any place that has the fish. This is why I haven't added more red peacocks to my tank.

[Crude]

I have no answers, but you did inspire me to head to fish gallery