Advice on keeping mbunas with peacocks?

[ajm1961]

Does anyone keep a mix of mbuna with peacocks and other haplochromines?
I have a 135 gallon tank, currently with... well you can see in my signature below...
So far everything is peaceful, but many are juvies. But I'm not sure this will last.
Any advice or experience with:
- feeding (different diets for different species)
- possible aggression issues down the road
- other issues...?
Let me know - I'd like to learn from you 
Cheers all...

[limmer]

Hi,
I have had no problems mixing in my 100 gal.
I have basically everything you have except kingsizei.  I also have cyrptocara moori, otopharynx lithobate, ahli, RxR Zebra, Placidochromis electra, red empress,and some others.  I moved my aulonocara out to try and breed them.  These have been together for a number of years and all full grown.  There were more when I started but because of aggression within the same breed some died off or I moved them out and I was left with pairs.
I know some people like to keep the same type or lake together not mixing.  There are also some that keep just males.
You do have to be carefull of cross breeding but I have never had that problem.
Here is a handy link for peacocks. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mixing_peacocks.php

[ajm1961]

Thanks 'Limmer' - took a look at the article, Marc Elison is a credible resource for sure. Glad that you have had no big problems. I guess with cichlids it's difficult to foretell how they will all interact as they reach maturity. Aside from the labs and kingsizei, my strategy right now is to have single males of various species known for peaceful to mildly-aggressive behaviour. I was going to order (see RoxyDog's post for Spencer Jack Order) the following hap/peacocks:
- AULONOCARA SP. STRAWBERRY
- AULONOCARA BAENSCHI "BENGA"
- COPADICHROMIS TREWAVASAE "NSISI"
- LETHRINOPS SP. NYASSAE "MBAWA" (black fin)
- TRAMITICHROMIS INTERMEDIAS
I've copied some pictures below for reference. The 'Tram' is particularly intriguing - I had a hard time finding consistent pictures - there is a great variety of colours... there is also some controversy as to genera it should belong to...
What do you think...? Is the mix too weird or risky?

[attachment deleted by admin]

[robt18]

I've had the fish in the tramitichromis intermedius picture before, but I bought it as a lethrinops intermedius. I've actualyy got one right now. From my experience they aren't very agressive, but when they're happy they do look like that.

[ajm1961]

Thanks for letting me know Rob - I wasn't sure what I'd be getting. At some point the species was in fact described as Lethrinops Intermedius
link: http://malawicichlids.com/mw08108a.htm

The picture in the above article was taken by Spencer Jack. Hopefully his fishes are consistent (or better) with the colouring on this one - they look awesome!
Here's a particularly nice specimen from the 2008 Minnesota Aquarium Society Tropical Fish Show - it took First Prize in one of the cichlid categories:
http://www.minnfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9236

Cheers (by the way any luck breeding some German Red Peacocks?)