Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my experience with my new African cichlid tank, set up about 2-3 weeks ago. I'm pretty new to these fish, but I've done my research and thought it'd be a fun project. I knew the basics - lots of rockwork, crushed coral or aragonite sand/gravel, high pH, and stocking multiple fish to reduce aggression. So far, everything's going great with my 6 fish.

I've got 2 D. Compressiceps - I know they'll get big, up to 10-12 inches, especially since the larger one is definitely a male. Then there's my 2 Red Empress - Fawni, a male and female. The male has colored up nicely and is the tank's leader. I've also got 2 OB Zebra Mbuna - both are males, and I'm thinking of trading them for a male Fuelliborni.

I'm planning to swap out the female Red Empress, the smaller Compressiceps, and both Mbuna for a Fuelliborni, a Yellow Jake Peacock male, and a male Acei. As you can see, I'm aiming for an all-male tank - it's an interesting concept, and I've seen it done before. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Sexing acei can be super tough, I mean, the females have the same colors as the males and even display egg spots. It wasn't until my female was holding eggs that I was able to sex mine with certainty.

It's tough, I've been looking through and searching, and now I've got so many possibilities - not just an all male peacock tank. One thing's for sure though, my Compressiceps male and Red Empress male are staying put.