Who Gives A Fish Forums

So my tank's a bit of an odd shape - 45.5 inches long, 13 wide, 19.5 high. I've got a well-planted community setup in there at the moment, but to be honest, keeping a nice planted tank is a lot of work. I've been doing this for almost a year now, and I'm starting to think it's time for a change. My water's as hard as rock, so I'm thinking African cichlids could be the way to go.

I've got a few ideas - I really like Pseudotropheus saulosi, the colors are great and both males and females look awesome. I was thinking of keeping a largish group of them as the main attraction, and then maybe adding a couple of other random fish to the mix. What do you guys think - is this doable in a 45-inch tank?

I also like the look of Astatotilapia latifasciata - a trio of them could be nice. Cynotilapia afra are pretty cool too. Anything else that's not blue or yellow like the Saulosi would be great - I just want something with a bit of color.

Oh, and would one Synodontis nyassae Catfish work, or is that a bad idea? Also, keep in mind I'm in the UK, so if I've suggested any fish that are impossible to get here, let me know.

You'd probably need to create a high rock structure like a marine reef tank to make it work. I'd suggest getting a dozen Pseudotropheus saulosi, with 3 males and 9 females for a good balance. I'm not too familiar with Astatotilapia latifasciata, so I'm not sure if they'd be a good fit. On the other hand, I've had great experiences with Cynotilapia afra - I'd recommend the ndonga chiwindi or hara varieties, they're both stunning.

Thanks for the input slyzen, anyone else got thoughts on this setup? Would a single Synodontis nyassae Catfish be a good fit, they do get pretty large though?

What are you planning for filtration, by the way.

I think Astatotilapia latifasciata can work well with malawis despite being from different lakes, but decent ones are hard to find at the moment. A nice group of saulosi should be fine, I agree with Rifty that hara or chiwindi cyno afra are beautiful options. I'd say 3 species in groups of 6 to 12 will create a more natural scene rather than having lots of species mixed together. Just make sure there's enough rockwork for the males and females to retreat to.

The Syno catfish might get a bit large, but I've never kept them so I'm not sure. There are other alternatives like Synodontis petricola or Synodontis multipunctatus that stay smaller.

As for stocking, I'd go with:
Saulosi - 2-3 males, 6-10 females
Cyno afra - 1 or 3 males, 4-6 females (depending on the species)
And as a third species, maybe some Pseudotropheus Elongatus or pseudo long pelvic - they're really nice fish. There are so many species to choose from, but you just need to pick the right ones for a well-stocked tank.