75 Gallon Tank 75 gallon mbuna tank stocking

I have a 75 gallon tank with 1 cobalt blue zebra, a group of 4 rusties, a group of 4 maingano, a group of 4 auratus, 1 being an albino, 1 ob zebra, 1 mystery fish. He was white then started to get yellow with black vertical bars. Then I have 1 male and 1 female yellow tail acei and a synodontis valentina which I believe to be a hybrid. I'd like to get 2 or 3 more female yellow tails for the male then I would like to get one more group of something with a lot of different colors. That would put the total at 24 or 25 fish. Im using a fluval fx4 canister filter and wave maker. Would I need additional filtration for 25 fish in my 75?

 

Forget the filtration, the space demand of that combination puts you at very much overstocked already.

And especially the yellowtails are really not compatible with the rest being an open water species from the river estuaries in the lake that have a very special food requirement (aufwuchs on wood) which is almost never met.

 

So do you suggest removing the yellowtail?

 

And possibly about 5-6 others, yes. Or go species tank for one of the smaller species. That would be managable in that tanksize.

 

You don't think i could get away with a total of 20 in the tank? I've heard other people tell me that i can have 25 to 30 in the tank.

 

I've bred and kept Rift Lake Cichlids of Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika for a decade. I'm of the opinion most people keep them, especially Mbuna, in too small dimensioned tanks. (Going by volume is useless with these fish.)
In a tank the size of yours I'd keep a colony of one species of small Mbuna, maybe a species of Labidochromis or Chindongo, with 3-5 males and 6-8 females. Meaning a group of 9 to maybe 12 or 13 individuals.
That's easier to manage and the least chances of overbearing territorialism. In an overstocked mixed species situation you see far too many low ranking fish slowly deteriorating and wasting away, while the territorial dominant ones burn out after some months to a year.
A carefully chosen stocking gives all fish a chance to develop and a much longer livespan. The really successsful tanks are very roomy and not overstocked.

I've heard other people tell me that i can have 25 to 30 in the tank.

No offence to you, but 1ct for every time I read/hear that sentence and I'd be living in a mansion.

 

Yea I thought 25 to 30 was way too much

 

If you want my honest opinion: Return them all to the store or rehome them to someone who knows their Malawi cichlids and start over with a plan.
The label of "Mixed African Cichlids" is these fishes undoing.

How is the tank decorated? Enough rocks?

 

I have more rock I can put in or do you think this is good enough

 

Triple to quadruple the rocks. I realize again how big these fish appear in that tank size. And I see at least two fish in trouble. Bottom front right corner and upper left in the back.

Nice specimens, though...

 

Gotchya. Yea this was taken a couple months ago. I lost the one in the bottom right. I still have the albino auratus which was top left. I find it kinda hard to dtack the rock I have. And I'm always afraid of it falling and cracking the tank

 

Gotchya. Yea this was taken a couple months ago. I lost the one in the bottom right. I still have the albino auratus which was top left. I find it kinda hard to dtack the rock I have. And I'm always afraid of it falling and cracking the tank

Hmm... thought so.

Correct rockwork starts with styrofoam on the glas, the rocks on the styrofoam and then you add the sand. That way the fish also can't undermine the rocks.
And then you will have to build a broad base of the biggest rocks and stack smaller ones further up. It's a lot of work in the beginning, but you have to just try. With experience you get better at this. And as long as you have generally enough rocks, a regular switch-up of the scape is not that bad.

Still... long term you are better served with a longer tank.