What NW Cichlid to get?

[Undawada]

You can read about my progress with my blackwater tank by clicking the link in my sig.

I am making a blackwater biotope aquarium, considering the Rio Negro in Brasil as the theme.

So far I've chosen Brochis splendens (Emerald Catfish) and Hemigrammus rhodostomus (Rummynose Tetras) as the inhabitants.

The tank will be 75 gallons (most likely) with plenty of filtration. The water will be low current with peat added and lots of bogwood, so a low PH, low KH and a nice tannin colouration.

I am thinking about either Rams, Angels or Cockatoos.

Does anyone have experience with these species? I am worried that Angels will get too agressive during breeding... but I don't know if Rams or Cockatoos come from the same area. Being a biotope, they would all have to come from the same place.

Come on Dwarf Dude, Juanvaldez or any of the NW Cichlid experts, I know you can help me

 

[betta_breeder]

You could add a shoal of about 6 young angels and let them grow out! this would cut down the "pecking order"!

 

[parker313]

You could add a shoal of about 6 young angels and let them grow out! this would cut down the "pecking order"!

I agree. In a 75g, you'd have plenty of room for 6 angels. If they somehow form into 3 pairs, you may need to re-home a pair, but there should be plenty of room for a couple angel territories.

 

[Undawada]

Would the angels leave the rummynose tetras alone?

I might also look into getting cardinals.

I know angels and neons go together like Jughead Jones and hamburgers, would I end up with some really fat angels in an empty tank?

 

[parker313]

It depends on who you talk to

Some people contend that angels will eat neons and other similarly shaped tetras, no matter what.

Some other people will say that if you get the angels as juvies, raise them with the neons/tetras and make sure they aren't lacking for food, then they won't bother the neons.

Personally, the angels I've had were small enough that they weren't looking for neon snacks yet so I can't prove or disprove either theory.

 

[juanveldez]

or you could do some apistos, with my personal fav being triple reds, just don't have the time, tankspace, or an LFS near by that carries them to get them, right now I only have one avalible tank to add another fish and that might get taken up today depends on what the LFS has that I am planning on going to, too often people around here get into the large cichlids without knowing about them and this store knows me and will often point them out to me when I walk though the door.

 

[sylvia]

IMO, it's generaly best not to risk the tetras' lives.

However, I believe that it is possible to have the two species living together in harmony it just isn't guaranteed to work out. In the past, I have kept neons with angels only to have them eaten, so I personaly wouldn't risk it again whether or not I think it's possible to have them living in harmony if you keep the angels with them from a young age.

Even if it did work out, if at some point you removed the angels and then re-introduced them or you re-aranged the tankmates and ended up splitting the angels from the rummies for a period of time and then re-introducing them, more than likely the angels will see the little tetras as snacks again - whether they grew up with them or not.

And what if you decide you want more tetras? The new additions may well get eaten. The same applies if you add more angels at some point down the line - you'll probably want similarly-sized fish to those you already have if you want to introduce new angels and that'll mean adding a mature angel to your tank - bye bye rummies.

Fact is, these two species do live together in the wild and it is natural and instinctive for an angel to eat small neon-shaped fish. If there are tetras with black-phantom type body shapes that will suite your biotope, I would go for them instead so you can still keep angels and not need to worry about them snacking on their tankmates.

 

[Dwarfs]

Some Uarus would do well in a 75g blackwater set-up Despite their large size, they aren't known for eating tetras or other small fish, and live near angels in the wild