Uaru and angelfish in 75 gallon? Other ideas?

[Pudmuppy]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your great help so far - I am still waiting to get my new tank, gotta paint the house walls first, so am expecting to get it up and cycled in about a month. The wait is terrible, because I keep changing my mind about what I want to do... I am alternating between angelfish and guianacara/geophagus, or going the Discus route. The discus are a lot harder, as the water quality here is poor with chloramines in the tap, and I don't want to do RO - currently doing some tests to see the best way to proceed. I am really interested in Discus but worried that I will get bored with being unable to add many other species to the tank down the line. I do really, really like guianacara and geophagus and my beloved angels, so I suspect this is the route I will take!

I have also just found out about Thorichthys sp so would love to hear stories on these guys with Angels and guianacara. Particularly interested in T aureus and pasionis - I am hearing they may be suitable to keep in groups? Other reports say once they pair they will do the cichlid thing and beat up everyone else, but others have reported that if they are kept in large enough groups they will be a little less awful. Interested to hear! (Will also have a look around the forum more).

There is also a strong likelihood that I will be upgrading to a 120g+ tank in the reasonable future, as husband was eyeing one up and nearly bought it for me instead of the 75 - the only issue is that it would be a pain to move, so have agreed that we will upgrade once we decide if we are staying in this house or moving in the next couple of years! Still - it's exciting to know it is a possibility in the future!

 

[adamsfishes]

Stanzzzz7 has kept Thorichthys for a long time, and I know he has had pairs form without any major issues. Maybe he will chime in. Some Thorichthys are more aggressive than others. His helleri seem to be pretty chill. I kept mixteco, and they were chill. I've heard aureus is ok too. I've not kept them, but I've heard that maculipinnis/ellioti are more aggressive, as are meeki. Also, fine sand substrate is a must with these guys.

Having said all that, most people don't mix CA and SA cichlids. It could potentially work if you get one of the more peaceful species. Thorichthys will stay on the bottom.

PS. Yes, I would keep Thorichthys in groups of at least 7.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Stanzzzz7 has kept Thorichthys for a long time, and I know he has had pairs form without any major issues. Maybe he will chime in. Some Thorichthys are more aggressive than others. His helleri seem to be pretty chill. I kept mixteco, and they were chill. I've heard aureus is ok too. I've not kept them, but I've heard that maculipinnis/ellioti are more aggressive, as are meeki. Also, fine sand substrate is a must with these guys.

Having said all that, most people don't mix CA and SA cichlids. It could potentially work if you get one of the more peaceful species. Thorichthys will stay on the bottom.

PS. Yes, I would keep Thorichthys in groups of at least 7.

Pretty much agree with what Adam has said.
Thorichthys are very entertaining kept in groups and will form pairs and spawn a few inches apart from each other. They do have little squabbles but it rarely amounts to anything. Great fish to keep and fully grown males are stunning.
I can't recommend them enough. Having said that I'm a big fan of angelfish too. Ultimately its just a matter of taste. Both groups of fish are attractive and can tolerate a wide range of tank mates.

 

[neutrino]

There are what look to be a nice strain of Guianacara geayi on Aquabid at the moment. I'd be interested myself if the timing was right (don't have a spot to grow out 1" fish just now). It's a regular aquabidder, so maybe they'll have them for a while. Some Guianacara species aren't especially colorful and, from what I've seen, some species, like geayi, vary in color according to catch location.

https://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1565046740

 

[ryansmith83]

The pictures of his adult fish are stolen. I know this because he stole peathenster’s pictures of Uaru that he got from me and was using them to peddle fish. Aquabid told us they couldn’t do anything about it.

 

[Pudmuppy]

Pretty much agree with what Adam has said.
Thorichthys are very entertaining kept in groups and will form pairs and spawn a few inches apart from each other. They do have little squabbles but it rarely amounts to anything. Great fish to keep and fully grown males are stunning.
I can't recommend them enough. Having said that I'm a big fan of angelfish too. Ultimately its just a matter of taste. Both groups of fish are attractive and can tolerate a wide range of tank mates.

Thank you Stanzzzz7 - it was your tank that introduced me to Thorichthys actually, thought they looked amazing! Thank you for the information. I am slowly narrowing down my list! It seems like these guys might be harder to find, but I see that WetSpot carry them on and off - or good old aquabid might.

 

[Pudmuppy]

The pictures of his adult fish are stolen. I know this because he stole peathenster’s pictures of Uaru that he got from me and was using them to peddle fish. Aquabid told us they couldn’t do anything about it.

Oh dear, that isn't good. But I also haven't ever seen Guianacara on aquabid before, so I am not too sure what to do! I basically need something to shove me in a direction (any direction) to make a decision on which way I want to go - Discus or Other - and I think I would have snapped those guys up if it wasn't for the image issue.

 

[Pudmuppy]

Stanzzzz7 has kept Thorichthys for a long time, and I know he has had pairs form without any major issues. Maybe he will chime in. Some Thorichthys are more aggressive than others. His helleri seem to be pretty chill. I kept mixteco, and they were chill. I've heard aureus is ok too. I've not kept them, but I've heard that maculipinnis/ellioti are more aggressive, as are meeki. Also, fine sand substrate is a must with these guys.

Having said all that, most people don't mix CA and SA cichlids. It could potentially work if you get one of the more peaceful species. Thorichthys will stay on the bottom.

PS. Yes, I would keep Thorichthys in groups of at least 7.

Thank you for your comment! I have heard that ellioti are a bit obnoxious so I would avoid them for sure. I was going to do sand with a large grain, do you think going for fine pool filter sand may be more appropriate?

I am still flip flopping all over the place - I keep deciding Discus will be just a bit too much work with the extra water changes (although I do tend to do 20% every couple of days and then a 50% at the weekend anyway) and am trying to work out if I just want to keep Discus for the challenge or if I will actually enjoy their behaviour and not get bored after a year.... and then I see more photos or videos and change my mind again I basically need three more fish tanks.

There is a video on Youtube that is exactly what I would love to do - discus with guianacara and cories. However, I even notice that over the passage of time, the tank reduces the number of discus to a pair with large guianacara which I find interesting. Am I allowed to link to someone else's youtube video? I am also wondering if I should perhaps get a bonded pair of discus which will be a lot more hardy, less work to raise, and then have them with guianacara, angels, or geophagus or Thorichthys.

Half the fun is in the planning, am I right? Or in persuading husband that I really do need more than one show tank. I just upgraded my goldfish tank so it may be a bit of a wait...

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Thank you for your comment! I have heard that ellioti are a bit obnoxious so I would avoid them for sure. I was going to do sand with a large grain, do you think going for fine pool filter sand may be more appropriate?

I am still flip flopping all over the place - I keep deciding Discus will be just a bit too much work with the extra water changes (although I do tend to do 20% every couple of days and then a 50% at the weekend anyway) and am trying to work out if I just want to keep Discus for the challenge or if I will actually enjoy their behaviour and not get bored after a year.... and then I see more photos or videos and change my mind again I basically need three more fish tanks.

There is a video on Youtube that is exactly what I would love to do - discus with guianacara and cories. However, I even notice that over the passage of time, the tank reduces the number of discus to a pair with large guianacara which I find interesting. Am I allowed to link to someone else's youtube video? I am also wondering if I should perhaps get a bonded pair of discus which will be a lot more hardy, less work to raise, and then have them with guianacara, angels, or geophagus or Thorichthys.

Half the fun is in the planning, am I right? Or in persuading husband that I really do need more than one show tank. I just upgraded my goldfish tank so it may be a bit of a wait...

Have you considered biotadoma cupido?
They would be good in a group, they are pretty fish especially with a bit of age on them. They are also peaceful and would go well if you went down the discus route.

If you decide you want one of the thorichthys species, then the finer the sand the better. They are substrate sifting cichlids, much like the geophagines.
However I would not recommend any thorichthys as tank mates for discus. Conflicting temperature and water chemistry requirements.
Thorichthys would be great with livebearing fishes like swords or mollies or fish preferring cooler and harder more alkaline conditions.
If your really torn between what to keep and its just on a coin toss, I would let your water chemistry help influence your decision. Most fish look sharper in thier preferred conditions.

 

[adamsfishes]

Thank you for your comment! I have heard that ellioti are a bit obnoxious so I would avoid them for sure. I was going to do sand with a large grain, do you think going for fine pool filter sand may be more appropriate?

I am still flip flopping all over the place - I keep deciding Discus will be just a bit too much work with the extra water changes (although I do tend to do 20% every couple of days and then a 50% at the weekend anyway) and am trying to work out if I just want to keep Discus for the challenge or if I will actually enjoy their behaviour and not get bored after a year.... and then I see more photos or videos and change my mind again I basically need three more fish tanks.

There is a video on Youtube that is exactly what I would love to do - discus with guianacara and cories. However, I even notice that over the passage of time, the tank reduces the number of discus to a pair with large guianacara which I find interesting. Am I allowed to link to someone else's youtube video? I am also wondering if I should perhaps get a bonded pair of discus which will be a lot more hardy, less work to raise, and then have them with guianacara, angels, or geophagus or Thorichthys.

Half the fun is in the planning, am I right? Or in persuading husband that I really do need more than one show tank. I just upgraded my goldfish tank so it may be a bit of a wait...

Yes, you can link other peoples' youtube videos.

Planning is fun, but it can be stressful too ... I still haven't decided on stocking for my new setup.