how many Lake Tanganyika cichlids can I put in a 75 gallon aquarium?

Question
Okay, I have already setup my aquarium for these type of cichlids and established it. I have been told that you need to fully stock the aquarium all at once to cut back on aggretion but I can't find a clear answer any where on how many fish I should put in it.

   Also I am thinking of buying my fish online. The fish dealers around my area never have good quality fish. I want to start off with juveniles. Any suggestions on sites to buy my cichlids from.

Could you give me some examples of good combinations of species to try for a 75 gallon aquarium? I want alot of color and fish that will evenly distibute through the tank(like top, middle, bottom)and one more question what is a good cleaner fish to put in with cichlids(like a plecostumus...).Thanks!!!  

Answer
Hi Robyn,
 I don't know where you read that you should fully stock the tank all at once, but that is pretty much guaranteed to kill all the fish.  

 The way a fish tank really works is that there are various kinds of bacteria in the gravel, water, filter etc that help to keep the tank healthy.  These take time to build up.  They feed on fish waste.  If you throw a whole bunch of fish in a tank all at once, they will overwhelm the bacteria, and the tank will crash, killing all the fish.  

  Start with a few and add a few at a time.  

  Sorry, but I don't recommend specific dealers.

  When you say that you "want a lot of color" are you sure that you are thinking of Lake Tanganyika fishes and not Lake Malawi fishes?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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