Opinions on my 180G stocking

THQ

Jack Dempsey
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Dec 13, 2015
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Hi all, I have an almost 6x2x2 (I think it's actually a weird 165G) with the following, mainly juveniles:

- Gold severum 8"
- Snakehead gudgeon (giuris margaritacea, one of our aussie natives) 10", adult, total pussycat.
- Red tiger oscar 4"
- Green terror (gold edged rivulatus) 4"
- Electric blue acara 4"
- Electric blue JD 4"
- Ellioti cichlid 4"
- Threadfin "heckelii" acara 4"

Based on adult sizes, Aqadvisor says I am 89% stocked, plus the gudgeon which I couldn't find on it makes approx 100%.



My filtration is one, Aquael UniMax 700 filled with seachem pond matrix and sponges, and two AC110s with mechanical sponge and purigen. Aqadvisor says I am overfiltrating at 180%. Originally had an FX6 but was too noisy (tank is in my study).

Water changes currently 75% fortnightly, keeping nitrates around 10-20. I realised will have to do them at least weekly once they are grown to keep < 40. Eheim electric gravel vac every few days to clear the big poo. Water is neutral and soft.

Feeding mainly Hikari pellet food (cichlid bio-gold, tropical sinking wafers, seaweed extreme) and spirulina pellets. Occasional bloodworms.

So far, apart from some initial lip locking with my EBJD and EBA and some expected fighting over food, they are completely peaceful and all leave each other alone.

My aim was to make a mainly peaceful american cichlid tank and have raised all of them together from around 2" from the shop, in correct purchase order from smallest/most peaceful to largest/most aggressive. Do you think I will run into aggression problems in the future when they are fully grown? I heard rivulatus isn't as aggressive as the true green terror so am hoping it won't be a big issue. Also I tried to minimize this by raising them together as well as providing plenty of hiding spaces as well as different water level fish at the moment (ellioti and threadfin scavenge bottom, JD and acara in mid, and oscar/sev seem to hit the pellets at the surface) but I know there won't be guarantees. Do you think I am overstocked?

Any issue with the eventual size diff between the oscar and GT and the rest? I bought my oscar way last but he is already overtaking everything else in growth. Literally he looks bigger every day LOL. Would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

I plan to update the faulty LED lights, put a black background on and add another Unimax 700 that I will be adding shortly. In Aus, it is really hard to get uncommon fish because we are so far away and are an isolated island, so have the strictest import laws on earth (eg., pike cichlids, most bichirs, all arowanas are illegal). It took me a year to find an EBJD lol, that's how bad it is. My LFS which is awesome recently got in rotkeils so I want to trade my gold sev (who was initially a rescue from a closing down LFS LOL) in for one.

20161022_171807.jpg
 
Last edited:

knobhill

Redtail Catfish
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May 2, 2007
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Nice post and nice setup with a great group of fish. My only concern is the eb acara--they don't get very big. At 5" if you're luck. Green terrors can be jerks, so I hope you got a good one.

Ironically, Australian lungfish are very rare here in the usa. Can you get those? The reason I ask is bc so many fish are restricted there but the AUL is so cool, and right in your backyard
 

THQ

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2015
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Nice post and nice setup with a great group of fish. My only concern is the eb acara--they don't get very big. At 5" if you're luck. Green terrors can be jerks, so I hope you got a good one.

Ironically, Australian lungfish are very rare here in the usa. Can you get those? The reason I ask is bc so many fish are restricted there but the AUL is so cool, and right in your backyard
Thx, yeah I'll have to see. Hopefully as adults the oscar/GT will keep each other busy and leave the smaller fish mostly alone.

I have never heard of lungfish being kept privately here, but apparently there is a private breeder who does chip and register them for CITES. Probably more of an issue of how to keep them.
 

Gourami Swami

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Hey man, tank looks good and your stocking should be fine, I dont think you have anything to worry about and have room to add a couple more similarly-tempered cichlids
 

Gaddisautoglass

Exodon
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Aug 2, 2016
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Very nice, I have a similar tank with Oscars, jd's, and red terrors. I like your pot and tile deco, I use cinder blocks, red brick and pots in a lot of my scapes.
 

Frank Castle

Potamotrygon
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Jan 10, 2016
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I would add a couple more Ellioti, Heckelli and Acaras....they are smaller, but will stand up to the big boys if you keep them in groups, preferably 1Male; 2-6 Females

Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 duanes duanes dan518 dan518 Beetlebug515 Beetlebug515 T Thekid tlindsey tlindsey peathenster peathenster Freshwaterpredators Freshwaterpredators axs377 axs377 Andy woods cichlids uk Andy woods cichlids uk
 

THQ

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2015
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I would add a couple more Ellioti, Heckelli and Acaras....they are smaller, but will stand up to the big boys if you keep them in groups, preferably 1Male; 2-6 Females

Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 duanes duanes dan518 dan518 Beetlebug515 Beetlebug515 T Thekid tlindsey tlindsey peathenster peathenster Freshwaterpredators Freshwaterpredators axs377 axs377 Andy woods cichlids uk Andy woods cichlids uk
Thanks, would love to but based on their eventual adult sizes, I am fully stocked.
 
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