Stocking suggestions with my 125g SA tank

[Murrayjane]

I currently have an overstocked SA tank that I’m trying to reduce to help make it last for the long term. All fish are under 6” right now and I am running one fluval fx6 (I have a second one I recently got and could set up for the same tank). The tank is the maineland 6ft x 18”. The goal is to have long term success with a set stock.

I think the primary consideration is yesterday, I came across a very nice green terror and as it’s my favorite cichlid, I had to pick it up. So far it’s going great, but I know this will change in time.

Please help me refine my stock to something that could work long term. All suggestions are appreciated.

Note: I recognize that I am overstocked, I do have a 40g breeder empty tank I could also use, or simply rehome some of the stock. I have been keeping fish for over 20 years so feel free to give it to me straight, I seek ideas from other experienced keepers on what can/will actually work and what I should address in the short term versus long term.

My current stock:
Main cichlids
1 Male Green Terror
1 male yellow spotted severum
1 male red spotted severum
3 tiny Rokteil severums (plan on establishing a pair and removing 1)
4 chocolate emeralds (plan on establishing a pair and removing 2)
1 male thread fin acara
3 rainbow cichlids
3 electric blue acara (plan on establishing a pair and removing 1)

Eartheaters
5 red head tabajos
3 geophegus sveni
1 gophegus abalios

Catfish
5 cuckoo catfish
1 featherfin catfish

Schoolers
8 Congo tetra
4 silver dollars
4 spotted silver dollars
4 rose line sharks

Plecos
L333 king tiger pleco
Golden vampire pleco
L379 Alenquer Tiger pleco
Jumbo Golden Nugget pleco
Albino bristlenose pleco

 

[FJB]

Lots to think about in terms of what kind of fish you like most, and then set up to raise them to adulthood in the best conditions.
The fish you listed as current stock are enough to fully populate several 125g tanks!
Filtration is not the main or the only issue. It is the fish biomass included, and their needs of space and specific areas of the tank. Good luck!!

 

[Murrayjane]

Lots to think about in terms of what kind of fish you like most, and then set up to raise them to adulthood in the best conditions.
The fish you listed as current stock are enough to fully populate several 125g tanks!
Filtration is not the main or the only issue. It is the fish biomass included, and their needs of space and specific areas of the tank. Good luck!!

I agree. I would say that the main priority is the new male green terror along with keeping some of the severums, and chocolates. Fine rehoming a few to keep it to three severums and one or two chocolates.

Middle priority would be the geophegus sveni, roseline sharks, thread fin acara and the electric blue acaras.

Last down the pecking order would be the red head tabajos, the Congo tetra, silver dollars, rainbows, gold barbs.

For the plecos I’ll probably narrow it down the 3.

Let me know if you or anyone else on this thread thinks this might work.

- remove all 5 red head tabajos
- remove two severum to keep the number at 3
- remove 2 of the 4 chocolate emeralds
- remove one electric blue acara
- remove the 4 regular silver dollars
- maybe add a few more geophegus sveni for a healthy group to have a total of 5.

Feel like that might make it more spacious and less crowded. Mostly worried about the GT long term aggression.

 

[HUKIT]

What is your water chemistry like?

 

[Murrayjane]

What is your water chemistry like?

Everyone is still small, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, low nitrate, low 7’s for PH, running it at 80 degrees.

 

[HUKIT]

I agree. I would say that the main priority is the new male green terror along with keeping some of the severums, and chocolates. Fine rehoming a few to keep it to three severums and one or two chocolates.

The water chemistry works for your fish so that’s a good start. With regards to stocking, with your main priority would be already heavy. The temporalis are capable of 10-12” and the severus are good for another easily 8-10”(another I’ve had a few pushing 12”), and rivulatus are good for another 8-10”(with a few coming close to 12”). I tend to overstock my tanks personally.

You could try,
1 rivulatus.
2 temporalis.
2 severus.
1 bristlenose
1 L33

Even this will ultimately be a very heavy bioload so I’d prepare to do a lot of water changes in the future. Realistically I’d leave either choose the temporalis or severus. I know they’re small now but a 12” fish makes a 125g look small very quickly.

 

[duanes]

If it were me, I´d remove species that don´t fit together geograpically first, those not from similar biotopes.
Since rainbow cichlids are not S American (they are from Costa Rica, and Nicaragua), and prefer higher pH hard water, to me don´t fit in with soft water Amazonian S Americans.
Since green terrors are found (only endemically) west of the Andes, a totally different area of S America, where few only cichlids are found together,
to me they don´t fit in to your predominently Amazonian Biotope, they also prefer slightly differents water parameters..
Since Congo tetras are African,and the Denison Barbs are from highland of Asia, in cool water, fast flowing streams (temps in the mid 60sF)
These would be others to go for me.
Then I might consider the Geos you mention that generally prefer faster flowing aomewhat rheophillic conditionas, and minimally require 6 ft tanks, and severums generally prefer more sedate slow water biotopes, I´d consider separating the into 2 tanks, with different flow rates