Just Reset My Territorys

[GShorty1981]

Just rescaped my tank, thought i'd share some photos with you, the tank is a bit murkey at the mo tho after a big water change/moving decor about.

I have one of those tanks that will make some people pull there hair out, however it works for me

I wanted to make the most colourful front room tank/stocking possible so I broke all the rules and mixed up Africans/CAs/SAs

The decor and Ph/Hardness is all Malawi standard...which works well for the CA's, when I sold my 6x2x2 recently, I nabbed a few of the Severums and a baby Salvini out of it and put them in this tank, all is working well so far.

The guy I sold the tank to didn't want any of the fish, so I risked it instead of giving away some of my fave fish.

I can always give some away later if i have to.

Current stocking

4x2x2/fx-5

3 x Heros Efaciatus (Red, Gold Severums) (2 baby golds will probably be given away)
1 x Male Rotkeil Sev (Heros Sp. Rotkeil)
1 x Electric Blue Jack Dempsey (Rocio Octofasciatum)
1 x pink convict (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus)
2 x Blood Parrot (Amphilophus citrinellus Hybrid)
6 x Electric Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus)
2 x Male Electric Blue Hap (Sciaenochromis fryeri)
1 x Sleeper Hap (Nimbochromis livingstonii)
1 x Salvini (Parachromis Salvini) (will probably give this guy away)
2 x Striped Raphael Catfish (Platydoras costatus)
1 x Featherfin Synodontis
1 x Sailfin Plec

 

[markandhisfish]

oh dear. 4x2x2? 3 heros efasciatus? that alone is pushing overstocked. sorry dont mean to sound rude . beautiful looking tank but dreadfully stocked . crazy mix of fish . needs a drastic rethink

 

[forby3]

+1 i agree with mark
that livingstonii is going to grow in to a canny sized fish and pick off your little fish mate

 

[GShorty1981]

Theres 4 Sevs, but they are only in there cos the bloke who just bought my 6x2x2 didn't want the fish, they are nippers at the mo, will rehome them at some point, also the Salvini will go to...just thought i may as well enjoy them for a while rather than just give them away.

The Livingstonii seems pretty chilled and is growing at the same rate as the Labs/Blue Haps etc, so he should be ok, they are quoted as being a 12" fish but in my experience never get any bigger than 8" and hes half that now.

But again, he will be taken out if need be.

The rest of the stocking works perfect, the Africans i have fit in perfectly with CAs, i wouldnt just put any mbuna in there! they all have the same kind of diet/temperament.

Its basically a peaceful Malawi mix with a couple of Bulky CA's, the SA's like i said before are a temp measure, although I will probably keep the Rotkeil and Red Spot.

 

[GShorty1981]

like i said, the 6x2x2 was only sold 3 days ago, he took my 6" Texas cichlid, Female Parrot and a couple of pink cons but he left 1 x Red Spot Sev, 1 x Rotkeil, 2 x Gold Sevs, Salvini, Gibbi Plec and a Pink Con

So i squeezed them in to my living room tank

My final stocking will be like this

1 x Heros Efaciatus (Red Spot)
1 x Male Rotkeil Sev (Heros Sp. Rotkeil)
1 x Electric Blue Jack Dempsey (Rocio Octofasciatum)
2 x Blood Parrot (Amphilophus citrinellus Hybrid)
6 x Electric Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus)
2 x Male Electric Blue Hap (Sciaenochromis fryeri)
1 x Sleeper Hap (Nimbochromis livingstonii)
2 x Striped Raphael Catfish (Platydoras costatus)
1 x Featherfin Synodontis

then I will add 2 x Bristlenose plecs (my tank is right next to my patio doors so gets tons of green)

Think of it like a stocked Malawi tank with a couple of New worlds.

 

[GShorty1981]

The Fish i'm worried about is the Salvini kicking off, he's still a baby at the mo, most of the fish are about half grown, the Parrot and the Rotkeil are the biggest, the Parrot is 6" and FAT and the Rotkeil is just under that.

The other crazy thing i did was add the EBJD, he was a birthday surprise, back in august, he has fit in very well and is the most aggro fish in the tank.

 

[markandhisfish]

advice my friend is freely given and you are of course free to know better. that tank is a ticking time bomb .

 

[GShorty1981]

Your making it sound like im not taking your advice, i already know what your saying and i agree with the most part.

Its a bit over the top to call it a time bomb, the majority of the fish are 50%-75% grown

THe parrot may get 2" bigger, the Livingstonii will double, the labs and haps have about 2" to grow, the Rotkeil about 1-2"

The tank is established over a couple of years (except the recent additions) run on mature media and 50% twice weekly water changes.

My opinion? its a overstocked tank that is constantly dealt with, look at the other stock list i gave you, that to me, mixed with africans is perfectly stocked numbers wise.

I'm a 10 year fish keeper myself, i do it by the book up till now, so seriously, if my tank blows up from my bad stocking, i'll let you know, but i'll put a wager on it being fine (with the thinned out stock)

I have mentioned multiple times that the stock from my 6x2x2 had to be put somewhere and i told you the story over and over but you seem to be ignoring it.

 

[markandhisfish]

well good luck with it but i really cant see it working long term . lke i said i dont mean to be rude and i mean no disrespect , but that is a rum old mix of fish

 

[GShorty1981]

Yep, but like i said its not the final stocking, you seem to be ignoring that.

 

[markandhisfish]

ok fair point what is the planned final stocking?

 

[GShorty1981]

As mentioned earlier

2 x Sev
1 x EBJD
2 x Parrot
6 x Yellow Lab
2 x Blue Hap
1 x Sleeper Hap
2 x Striped Raphaels
1 x Featherfin Synodontis

I don't really wanna write this again but as mentioned in the first, second, third...in fact all my posts the sevs, salvini, convict and Gibbi are only in there because the bloke who bought my 6x2x2 tank 3 days ago and didnt take the fish.

I'm planning on keep 2 of the Sevs in there because im attatched to them and they have fit in perfectly. (my Rotkeil is 6", the red spot is 4")

The 2 parrots have always been with my Malawis, one of which is a fully grown adult because the big one kept breeding with the female i got rid of.

The EBJD was a surprise present, so i kinda got lumbered with it, he has been in this tank for 7 months and gets on fine, in fact he dominates the other fish.

The Malawis are omnivorous and peaceful, Labs and Blue Haps mix very well with Centrals, the Livingstonii/sleeper Hap has been no problems yet, i have grown his up from .5" to 4.5" that he is currently, he has grown at the same rate as the labs/haps and caused no bother.

Also, don't think i haven't had problems! trust me, i did have Peacocks in here to before the sevs etc were in and they all killed each other....they hated each other from the moment they were put in the tank about a year ago...when there was just africans in there....i lost the last one recently and dont want to try those again.

 

[GShorty1981]

I know its a crazy stocking, i have kept fish for 10 years from Discus to solo flowerhorns to Marine, and i have never really tried to mix stuff until now, and its not like i went out and bought the fish to mix them, just circumstance ended up bringing them altogether.

The final stock is a crazy but peaceful mix.

 

[markandhisfish]

well if its working out all power to you , but you have to admit that on paper thats crazy stuff

 

[GShorty1981]

Yep, i would of never gone out and bought them to be together, like i said, just circumstance (with the EBJD being given to me and the Sevs, salvini, con and plec being dumped when the guy bought my tank)...before that it was pretty normal lol

But seriously, so many of them are nearly fully grown/mature that i cant see what would happen.

If i kept everything i think Nitrates would be the killer, not the fish.