Stocking tank

[MDami]

Hi everyone,

Been coming here for years to find advice and learn, thanks to everyone's input. However, I have a question that I would rather have answered ahead of time rather than finding out the hard way.

I have a 200 gallon freshwater tank that I currently have (1) green texas approx 8", (1) female Jag approx 7" and a butterkoferi that's about 4".

Given the size of the tank I was hoping to add one of my oscars that is currently about 7" that is residing in a 75 gallon with a couple of other cichlids.

What are your thoughts? If leaving the oscar in the 75 is the right thing to do, what other larger cichlids would you recommend in my 200 gal tank?

I am currently running a FX6 and a Fluva HOB 110.

As always, thanks for the input.
Matt

 

[duanes]

To me a 75 gal is too small for an oscar, so adding it to the larger tank would seem apropos, although if the current residents have set up territories it may be dicey to try to add any new cichlid.
And a future thought, at 4" the buttikoferi is probably still fairy docile, but soon it may become quite aggressive, and easily kill all the other fish in the tank.
If it were me, I'd give the buttikoferi its own tank, rather than try to go against its normally aggressive, loner nature. Although under good conditions, buttes can easily reach 20" over the years.

 

[MDami]

Ok, sounds like a better idea would be to move the Oscar to the 200 and use the 75 for the Butti. What other larger type fish would you recommend in the 200? Perhaps a GT or Convicts?

 

[duanes]

You have many options with a 200 gallon tank.
The rule I try to go by is never to put similar appearing cichlids together.
To me this means, never more than one of each genus, or same coloration.
I never put 2 species of Parachromis together, or two different species of Vieja together.
If I have a blue spangled cichlid in a tank, I don't add another blue spangled cichlid.
I also like to compare mouth shape, if 2 cichlids have a similar mouth shape, it may mean they see each other as competitors for the same food type.
Why you ask????
Because two cichlids that look alike either see each other as mates, or as competition.
And I personally try to avoid aggression, and hybridization at all cost,
So a convict type (and there are many in the genus Amatitlania and Cryptoheros) would probably work,
Below Cryptoheros myrnae.

as would a Chuco (micropthalmus below)

, or even a Vieja , breidhori below

The above are all Central Americans
if you don't care about being geographically correct, the list goes on and on, as there are probably 7,000 species of cichlids in the world
like the Mesoheros ornatum below

or Madagascan, Paretroplus maculatus below

or African like Nimbochromis livingstoni below

 

[MDami]

Thanks Duane, I never really thought of the color/ mouth types as potentially reducing aggression. I have had some unfortunate hybridization in the past, and while is was interesting at first, it became quite the hassle.