6x2x2 Big Cichlid Aquarium

[cheesy feet]

Well,most of you are tired of me rambling along about this 6ft tank,which i will get,with some begging to my dad and some loans taken out .It will be 180 gallon,or bigger if i find a good deal...hehe .I'm going to put big hardy fish together ALL AT ONCE (dont have a heart attack!only adding a few at once),why am i going to do this you ask?In my experience with convics ,texas' and a few other big cichlids and others it is impossible to add another fish when they have settled in.So my plan will be to have my tiger oscar parrot fish(biguns!) and other current fish to be added first of.Then after 2 weeks of settling i might add a texas, green terror,con and jack dempsey.I will have about 5 tanks on stand by if something goes rong though.I'll let them fight it out and establish terretories then if anyone has major injuries put them in a separate tank.Will get some pics and videos of this when i get this beast set up.So excited.I remember the days when i tohught a 4ft tank was big ahahahah.

heres the total fish list,will be overstocked with bottem dwellers but will add so much filteration(i also think this may divert some of the aggresion),i might even nick a small filter out of the pond.There will also be so many peices of slate stacked and siloconed on top of each other you won't be able to imagine it! (my step dad owns a farm and and an old building has a life time supply of 18x6 slate tiles).Pm me if anyone wants to buy some.

FISH;
2 Common plecs,
2 Sailfin plecs,
1 Unidentified spotted catfish,
1 Big raphael catfish(gotta be my favourite fish atm,will be 2 when second one grows on), so coloruful big ,lively (when theres food)and fat!,
1 Silver dollar(will get another 1,one just reasently died )
2 Parrot fish,
1 King kong parrot fish,
1 Tiger oscar,
1 male convict,
1 Rivulatus,
1 Texas,
1 JD.I will try and add the last 4 fish at once to avoid aggresion!......anyone got some money i could have,lol

 

[SamUK]

thats a little overstocked even with heavy filtration mate.


and it would probably be a warzone.


4 common/sailfin plecs is a bit much. id do 3 max and thats probably pushing it if you want alot of other fish.


the SD will need more than 1 new friend. trust me, i have 6 and when there around big fish they freak out big time lol. safety in numbers really works for them.

then id just maybe add 1 each of the other cichlids and skip either the JD or Texas cos im not sure but i dont think they get on.


sounds good tho and youll have an awesome time setting it up!!

keep an eye on ebay. i got my 180g tank and stand for £51.

 

[DiscusAngel]

Yes, overstocked i would go for this,

1 Common plec,
1 Sailfin plec,
1 Big raphael catfish,
6 Silver dollar,
2 King kong parrot fish,
1 Tiger oscar,
1 male convict,
1 Texas,
1 JD

That seems Less aggressive, and less overstocked.

 

[cheesy feet]

The plecs came with the tank,tbh i didn't really want them,might sell a few of them.Atm most of those fish (except upside down catfishes ,oscar ,1 plec plus the last 5 fish) are happily livingtogether.I've also changed my mind about the stocking i'll add 1 buy one and see how to goes.My silver dollar is 10 years old + and it only ever had one friend(it's mate) who reasently passed away .She isn't even skittish by herself.So i think just 1 SD with her will be fine,we will see.

 

[severum boy]

If you wanted big cichlids, but not a phsyco warzone, try south american cichlids as opposed to centrals; they are usually more peaceful.
Have a look for severums, chocolate cichlids, urau, geophagus, festivums of pretty much anything you can find.

 

[DiscusAngel]

The plecs came with the tank,tbh i didn't really want them,might sell a few of them.Atm most of those fish (except upside down catfishes ,oscar ,1 plec plus the last 5 fish) are happily livingtogether.I've also changed my mind about the stocking i'll add 1 buy one and see how to goes.My silver dollar is 10 years old + and it only ever had one friend(it's mate) who reasently passed away .She isn't even skittish by herself.So i think just 1 SD with her will be fine,we will see.

So what exactly came with the tank? as you just said the last 5 fish came with the tank but on your 1st post u said these last 4 fish will be added last all together? once were cleared up on what your have at the moment it will be easyier to decided on your new fish and fish that you may want to return to the LFS

 

[fishnterrapins]

I'd watch the plecs if I was you. We've only got 2 but they're scrapping like little beggers, which is my main excuse for buying a new tank

I dunno every fish is different but when they start to get terratorial it could get ugly without any of the other fish interfering

 

[cheesy feet]

Discus angle i ment that i don't have the the texas cichlid,JD,GT and con but i do have 1 plec, oscar and 2 upside down catfish in a seperate tank(these came with the tank i got,i also got the other 3 plecos with the tank)...if you get what i mean.Then the rest are in my rio 400 with two juwel jumbo filters.I did plan on putting my 2 severums with my discus or just keeping them in their own seperate tank.Anyways i will just start with the fish i got then ill go form there.Btw my fish shops don't usually have these,chocolate cichlids, urau, geophagus and festivums but i know of one which could probably stock them in.I just liked the other cichlids and i had them before.These south american ones you listed won't come under £15 each

 

[t1tanrush]

Build your own tank, then stock it how you want.. So then you don't have to worry about the plecs and it would probably be cheaper!

 

[DiscusAngel]

Discus angle i ment that i don't have the the texas cichlid,JD,GT and con but i do have 1 plec, oscar and 2 upside down catfish in a seperate tank(these came with the tank i got,i also got the other 3 plecos with the tank)...if you get what i mean.Then the rest are in my rio 400 with two juwel jumbo filters.I did plan on putting my 2 severums with my discus or just keeping them in their own seperate tank.Anyways i will just start with the fish i got then ill go form there.Btw my fish shops don't usually have these,chocolate cichlids, urau, geophagus and festivums but i know of one which could probably stock them in.I just liked the other cichlids and i had them before.These south american ones you listed won't come under £15 each

O rite,

so you have

4 Plecs Oscar 2 synos 2 sevs and discus??

Try getting rid of your plecs well atleast 2 of them. i take that the sevs and discus now have there own tank so that leaves 2 synos and oscar But oscars are hard to have companions with as very aggressive. so oyu may want to return him. personally i wouldnt restrain my hopes of a tank because of fish that you have recived from the previous owner. Take them (2 plecs and oscar maybe one syno) to the Lfs and they may give you money.

if you did that it would leave you with:

2 Plecs
1 Syno

Then add the following fish to your list.
1 raphael catfish
2 Silver dollar(Reccomended 6 but if you say 2 is good then your choice)
2 King kong parrot fish,
2 Festivums
2 Sevs (The sevs from your other tank)
1 Senagal Birchir
1 Black Ghost Knife fish or Clown knife fish

All that seems a reasonable stocking. If you had tht if would be fine the only things that have aggression is probably Sevs and KK Parrots but the other fish will be able to stand up for themselfs.

if you ofund something you did like im sure you could work your tank around that.

hope this helps

 

[LisaLQ]

Festivums prefer a planted tank, so I'd knock them off the list as well. That would also be more realistic stocking wise, as the parrots and the sevs will be pretty territorial as it is. I'd also go for the BGK over a clown knife, as they can get to 30-40" so would get too big for the tank - you'd need something in the region of an 8ft tank for one. Although to be honest, I wouldn't pick either, and neither of those or the birchir were on your list - so I might be wasting time telling you this if you dont actually want them lol.

Silver dollars really do need to be in groups of 5-6 or more.

This is what I'd go for:

1 Common plec
1 Unidentified spotted catfish,
1 Big raphael catfish
5 Silver dollars
1 severum (you might get away with both if they're not a particularly aggressive breeding pair?)
2 Parrot fish or 2 King kong parrot fish - if you get three in total - two might pair off and get very arsey with the other one
1 male convict or two females (females are prettier and better tempered if you ask me)

The Texas, JD and GT would all be too aggro with the normal parrots if my pair of parrots are anything to go by - especially if they cant close their mouths like mine, and therefore cant defend themselves. Severums are usually gentle giants too, although there's always an exception to the rule.

TBH, stocking lists and cichlids dont generally go together - cichlids are known to be individuals and you cant really tell what would work without trying. But I'd lessen the risks by removing the main offenders (JD, GT, Texas).

 

[cheesy feet]

No offence ,but discus angel you havn't even owned half those fish on the list .I'm doing what i want! .Oscars arnt aggresive anyway(on a cichlid scale). And yeh festivums won't be hardy enough for the tank,i would think they would be scared and get bullied,or one or the other.My parrot fish have never really been aggresive,just fought when the challenge was brought to them.They were in a 40 gallon tank paired of together with a male convict with them and two catfishes!No problen atall.Sevs ,I probly still might keep seperate as they do spawn alot.Lisa i know what you mean all cichlids are different.Thanks for the advise both of you but as i said i will just add the fish i've got first.My dad should be going out today to buy a silver dollar,i think i might get a couple more.She seems lonely without her mate( i saw them mating alot) who she has been with 10 years + .They always usto swim up and down the tank with the parrot fish O yeh the parrots,although can't fight very well scare bigger fish when they go round in there group.Haha it's awsome to watch them shouling(SP) like neons.

 

[SamUK]

No offence ,but discus angel you havn't even owned half those fish on the list

jus wondering but how do you kno that?


and doing what you want when its not good for the fish isnt gonna go down too well here so id atleast keep it quiet if you plan to overstock.

 

[DiscusAngel]

No offence ,but discus angel you havn't even owned half those fish on the list .I'm doing what i want! .Oscars arnt aggresive anyway(on a cichlid scale). And yeh festivums won't be hardy enough for the tank,i would think they would be scared and get bullied,or one or the other.My parrot fish have never really been aggresive,just fought when the challenge was brought to them.They were in a 40 gallon tank paired of together with a male convict with them and two catfishes!No problen atall.Sevs ,I probly still might keep seperate as they do spawn alot.Lisa i know what you mean all cichlids are different.Thanks for the advise both of you but as i said i will just add the fish i've got first.My dad should be going out today to buy a silver dollar,i think i might get a couple more.She seems lonely without her mate( i saw them mating alot) who she has been with 10 years + .They always usto swim up and down the tank with the parrot fish O yeh the parrots,although can't fight very well scare bigger fish when they go round in there group.Haha it's awsome to watch them shouling(SP) like neons.

Fair enough. im just trying to help as thats what youved asked for and giving you ideas. You are doing what you want as its your tank but all i am doing is giving you options telling you about fish you may have not heard off. as your 1st stocking options sounds abit like a bloodbath. but then again it could not be like lisa said all cichlids are different some nice some nasty. some bully some dont. you just take what ever takes your fancy, if they live together well that thats good but there is chance they wont. so you pcik what you want and let us know how it goes.

You dont have to own a particular fish to know what there like. i read up on fish as i thought about many cihclids and decided i didnt want them. do all your research on bigger cichlids and then maybe pick out the less aggresive. or go completly osuth american where there not as aggressive as central american cichlids.

dont think in anyway im being nasty because im not im trying to help you. and the welfare of your fish you have at the moment or the fish you are thinking about getting as no1 likes to see a dead or injured fish.

 

[Gatorbait]

No offence ,but discus angel you havn't even owned half those fish on the list .I'm doing what i want!

That's pretty impolite. Discus Angel was only trying to help. Even if the advice given was wrong you shouldn't be like that. If one takes the time to reply it's because they care and want to help.

Happens to be that pretty much all the advice in this thread is right anyways.

South American cichlids would be the best bet but stay away from the festae. They are very mean and about equal to Central American cichlids.

Oscars arnt aggresive anyway(on a cichlid scale).

Generally, no. They can be though. If you mean by umbriferum, dovii or labiatus "psycho-ness" then no but some can be pretty boisterous and not do well with others especially if overstocked.