compatibility?

[lukenewton]

hey guys I am looking into what to stock in my currently empty 260 gal tank (84"x30"x24"). so far i am looking at some larger cichlids. Here is a list of my thoughts not certain on all of them.

• green terror
• festae
• jack dempsey
• oscars
• severum
• texas
• jaguars
• salvini

also would like to add a group or 2 of geophagus maybe jurupari and brasiliensis. is ther any fish here people think will completely not get on well in the tank? or any other thoughts of fish i could add? any thuoghts welcome
Thanks
Luke

 

[LogiBear]

hey guys I am looking into what to stock in my currently empty 260 gal tank (84"x30"x24"). so far i am looking at some larger cichlids. Here is a list of my thoughts not certain on all of them.

• green terror
• festae
• jack dempsey
• oscars
• severum
• texas
• jaguars
• salvini

also would like to add a group or 2 of geophagus maybe jurupari and brasiliensis. is ther any fish here people think will completely not get on well in the tank? or any other thoughts of fish i could add? any thuoghts welcome
Thanks
Luke

Any of the fish tou have will fit, though not altogether.

Start with the Eartheaters- might not want to put with Centrals (or Festae) due to different aggression issues and water parameter differences. Centrals can be considerably more agressive and are better adapted to compete with others (aka fight) so i would be careful. Also im not sure about the schooling compatibility of Brsiliensis. GTs, Eartheaters, Oscars, and Severums are a pretty compatible grouping.

If you want to go Central you could put something from the Thoricthys grouping as an Eartheater of sorts. However, they arent well adapted to grappling with pthers but if you give them places to hide and put a good few of them in there you could be ok with some smaller/midsize Centrals (not Amphs or Parachromis)

Im not really into Southerns, put maybe a couple of GTs, an O, and a decent group of Tapajo Eartheaters could look great if you ask me.

Jack Dempseys are *******s if you put them in charge, but otherwise they are good for going with other fish. Salvini are beautiful, but they are worse than Dovii in germs of wanting to kill... I had a 3" male with my 6" extremely aggressive Texas male and he destroyed it in a matter of 15 minutes after introduction. This was a Tex that would rip into my arms when i did water changes. Like, drawing blood constantly.

Personally i would do this for a Central tank-

1x Hericthys Carpintis (Green Texas) pair, with Escondido variety being very beautiful
6x Firemouths (preferably male so no breeding) or other Thoricthys to act as Eartheaters
1x Jack Dempsey (shouldnt be a bully with Texas in tank)
Maybe a Salvini if you could find a calm one

Add in a lot of current and driftwood to tire out the fish and provide hiding places.

 

[MonsterFishCreeper]

I would do as mentioned above and stick more to a region. The SA tank will generally be calmer but they're still cichlids. I love severums and GT are my favorite cichlid of all so I would be partial to GT's, severums, earth eaters, and an Oscar. Would make for a tank that has some nice big colorful fish swimming around and would probably not end up not having much fighting going on.

 

[lukenewton]

I would do as mentioned above and stick more to a region. The SA tank will generally be calmer but they're still cichlids. I love severums and GT are my favorite cichlid of all so I would be partial to GT's, severums, earth eaters, and an Oscar. Would make for a tank that has some nice big colorful fish swimming around and would probably not end up not having much fighting going on.

okay, so if I go down the SA route and add maybe 2 oscars, 2 GT's, 3/4 severums. also what earth eaters would you recommend? if I did a pair of brasiliensis and possibly a group of 4/6 jurupari would that work? also is there any other fish that will fit well into this group?

 

[LogiBear]

What are the dimensions of the tank?

For this i will say its 8 long feet but im not sure if that is correct

I would stick with just 1 oscar. Two could work with some other stuff but not all the stuff youve said... I mean, they are pooping machines. Like, its disgusting actually how much they can defecate.

From there you could either do a pair of GTs or 2 females or just a male, i would try to get bigger ones so they dont get dwarfed by the Oscars quick growth. At that size you might be able to sex them. A pair will probably be the most aggressive but you will get the best colors. A male will look wonderful and still probably be the boss of the tank. 2 females can still look very nice and will most likely be the least aggressive.

Severums can be iffy... Ive heard of them being really mean or really passive, which can be said for any of the American cichlids. Personally i would either go with a pair of any sexes, or with 4 of one sex if at all possible... If not then prepare for breeding aggression to the others. Some can get pretty big but they dont all get to a foot from what ive heard, so its up to you.

Personally i would not go with Jurupari. I do not have personal experience, but as a general rule most eartheaters should live in groups, and a group of six 8-10" fish is a lot even for a 250 when you add in Sevs GTs and Os.

Tapajos are a bit smaller and would work better if you ask me, again im lacking in experience here.

This is what i would do for an overall stcoking

1x Tiger Oscar
1x Male GT
2x Green Severum or Rokteil
6x Red Head Tapajo Eartheater
6x Silver Dollars
2x Golden Nugget Pleco

Might be considered a bit heavy but it should be ok

 

[MonsterFishCreeper]

Others here would be better off chiming in on the earth eaters but you have an 8 foot tank so I don't see any reason that you don't have enough space to support 2 oscars and a decent sized group of severums. The severums will probably end up in the 7-8 inch range with some potentially ending up larger. GT can get up to ten but that would be a pretty huge one. If you end up with two male GTs they very well may spar but I believe with a tank as big as yours you can get away with more than someone with a 75 or 125. Just make sure that your filtration can keep up with the bio load of what you stock and keep in mind that you may have to move a fish out if they get too rough with eachother. For a 8 foot tank you're probably best served with a good sized sump.

 

[lukenewton]

Yeah as far as filteration goes I have a 4 ft sump and have 3 externals I can add to the tank! So plenty of filteration! Anyone that can give me some advice on what earth eaters to get?!

 

[lukenewton]

And the tank is only 7ft will that make a difference?

 

[Frank Castle]

hey guys I am looking into what to stock in my currently empty 260 gal tank (84"x30"x24"). so far i am looking at some larger cichlids. Here is a list of my thoughts not certain on all of them.

• green terror
• festae
• jack dempsey
• oscars
• severum
• texas
• jaguars
• salvini

also would like to add a group or 2 of geophagus maybe jurupari and brasiliensis. is ther any fish here people think will completely not get on well in the tank? or any other thoughts of fish i could add? any thuoghts welcome
Thanks
Luke

L LogiBear kind of covered mostly everything, I would only change less driftwood and more caves made from rock, PVC pipes, etc......driftwood is good, but it doesn't break visual a barriers like caves ....."out of sight, out of mind" = aggression diffuser

My stock for that tank , I would just do all the species you mentioned, and start w/ 2-6 of each and keep the ones you prefer, then sell, rehome or move the others to new tanks, pair them up, or whatever. That's how I make pairs. I have all those except Severums, but I keep feeling like I want to try them for the experience.

You COULD have problems w/ the Festae or Jags, but it doesn't have to be....depends on the individual.

 

[LogiBear]

Yeah as far as filteration goes I have a 4 ft sump and have 3 externals I can add to the tank! So plenty of filteration! Anyone that can give me some advice on what earth eaters to get?!

And the tank is only 7ft will that make a difference?

7 foot should be ok. A 4 foot sump is good as well. What kind of media system (wet/dry, fluidized, etc) are you using?

Something else i would say is add in some current. Current serves a few purposes-
1) increases oxegyn due to miving water at surface
2) moves around debris so it can be filter
3) tires out fish so they are less likely to fight. Ive actually had really good results in the past with a crapload of current keeping aggression down.

L LogiBear kind of covered mostly everything, I would only change less driftwood and more caves made from rock, PVC pipes, etc......driftwood is good, but it doesn't break visual a barriers like caves ....."out of sight, out of mind" = aggression diffuser

My stock for that tank , I would just do all the species you mentioned, and start w/ 2-6 of each and keep the ones you prefer, then sell, rehome or move the others to new tanks, pair them up, or whatever. That's how I make pairs. I have all those except Severums, but I keep feeling like I want to try them for the experience.

You COULD have problems w/ the Festae or Jags, but it doesn't have to be....depends on the individual.

I wouldnt try it with 2-6 of everything even as juvies... You have so many different aggression levels, sizes, and growth rates shoved in there as well as potentially different water makeups that i highly doubt it will go well... I would say that Jags, Festae, and Salvini are at the top in aggression and at least should be kept out of a mixed tank like that... Texas, GTs, And JDs are a category below, and Os, Sevs, and EEs are often pretty peaceful. Then you have growth rates, with GT espicially slow growing, and the rest medium with Oscars being at the top.... As they get bigger faster other cant compete well.

I would still say primarily driftwood for that tank esp if he foes for SA. Rocks catch more debris and ive had times where they cause damage to scuffling fish if they have edges at all, although not often... Driftwood adds to the natural look IMO and makes caves if you get enough piled together. Some verieties sink right away and come of more block-like shapes which create many hiding spaces