Non cichlid tank mates for yellow lambio

I am new here and I have a question, what non cichlids can be housed with 1 male and 2 female yellow lambios in a 55 gallon tank. I also have 2 albino bushynose Plecos. I was thinking about some clown loaches or some Congo tetras. What do you guys think.

 

Lambio? Is that a genus?

Assuming you mean "yellow lab" (Labidochromis caeruleu) I don't like the idea of mixing African species with American. The parameters are different and the cichlids would likely kill them, and they have vastly different feeding requirements.

Clown loaches reach a foot or more in length. They require shoals of 6+ and a 180 gallon minimum.

 

Thank you for the help

 

Well, neither Clown Loaches nor Congo Tetras are American, and he already has the Bristlenose, which a lot of Malawian Cichlid keepers use for algae control because they do prefer hard water. Bristlenose actually come from harder water than a lot of SA catfish, and have been aquarium bred for so long that they are well adapted to pretty much any conditions.

However, as noted, Clown Loaches get quite large. They have a reputation as slow growers, but I suspect that is because they are so often kept in tanks that are too small. Congo Tetras are from Africa, but they are from West African rivers, and the water has very different chemistry. Mostly they prefer slightly acid conditions, which are in opposition to what your Mbuna prefer.

Some good fish to consider are Rainbowfish. Several species get good sized, and are much more tolerant of hard, alkaline water. Best kept as 2-3 pairs. Also Giant Danios, which are just a tough surface dwelling fish that prefer groups of 6 or more. These are all very active fish, but give the Cichlids the impression that everything is safe because they are moving around at the surface. That's what dithers are supposed to do.

 

Synodontis eupterus, multipunctatus, petricola, and lucipinnis all make good tank mates for African cichlids, as well as some other less common synodontis species.

 

Thank you all for your help everyone!