180 gallon stock

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Lazybum34

Lazybum34

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 19, 2024
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Toronto,Canada
Hey guys, I'm going to pick up a 180 (6x2x2) soon and I was wondering what I could stock in it. The fish I have now that I want to put in there are

1x oscar
1x endlicheri bichir
1x senegal bichir

What i want to put in the 180

2x zebrina pike
1x blue acara

Thanks in advance for the info.
 
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Nice stock list

My only reservation would be the zebrina. I had one that was 13" and they are a big stocky fish at that size and a 6x2x2 isnt that big really particularly with an oscar in there too.

Growing out would be fine but I think long term the tank would be too small for the upper water fish you suggest
 
I agree with Simonas, you may be fine for quite a while, but I don't see a 180 as that large,
I have a 180 now, and looking at it, as if it were stocked a couple adult zebrinas and an Oscar that amount of space, would seem to be quite limited.
I would also be concerned about mixing similar shaped fish such as the pike, and bichirs, which may see each other as conpetitors for the same resources,
and come into conflict.
I also wonder if an acara might be thought of as prey for an adult pike.
In my 180 I tried to keep Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus, with a predatory Gobiomorous dormitor (very similar in shape and evolutionary convergence to large pike cichlids) and as the Goby grew, the Acaras slowly began to disappear.
The Andinoacara below, hit about 7" as adults
IMG_5624.jpeg
Below the goby, about 12" reaching up to 16"
IMG_0067.jpeg
IMG_9669.jpeg
This predatory goby, also didn't hesitate to consume other gobies and some plecos half its size, like the Awaous below
IMG_1490.jpeg
It can be perilous to combine similar shaped predatores in the same tank, even what may consider a large tank, by human standards
 
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Another thing you may want to consider, is that zebrina pike cichlids prefer waters with lots of current., and if they are wild caught, from a blackwater river such as the Rio Negro, or Orinoco, may require a very low pH to remain healthy (4 to 6).
These conditions may also be contrary (flow and pH) to what needed for the Bichirs.
My preference woud be to keep them in separate tanks, for those, and the convergent evolutionary and territoriality mentioned above.
I find Pike cichlids do best when kept with high bodied cichlid species.
 
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duanes said:
Another thing you may want to consider, is that zebrina pike cichlids prefer waters with lots of current., and if they are wild caught, from a blackwater river such as the Rio Negro, or Orinoco, may require a very low pH to remain healthy (4 to 6).
These conditions may also be contrary (flow and pH) to what needed for the Bichirs.
My preference woud be to keep them in separate tanks, for those, and the convergent evolutionary and territoriality mentioned above.
I find Pike cichlids do best when kept with high bodied cichlid species.
Click to expand...
duanes said:
Another thing you may want to consider, is that zebrina pike cichlids prefer waters with lots of current., and if they are wild caught, from a blackwater river such as the Rio Negro, or Orinoco, may require a very low pH to remain healthy (4 to 6).
These conditions may also be contrary (flow and pH) to what needed for the Bichirs.
My preference woud be to keep them in separate tanks, for those, and the convergent evolutionary and territoriality mentioned above.
I find Pike cichlids do best when kept with high bodied cichlid species.
Click to expand...
What kind of fish would you recommend? I'm looking for some kind of catfish or predatory cichlid
 
How big is your Oscar now. If biggsay 8in plus it may be hard to find something that the O won't try and eat a time or two. I had mine with a pimelodus ornatus and it worked out well. He ate all the leavens from the O messy eating style and was not just sedimentary all day. Would be out and about hunting food.

20180830_172229.jpg20180830_172323.jpg

Yes he would at times sit in his hide and swim in place. 20180904_191742.jpg
You can see him under the piece of wood bottom left of the picture. Ornatus and Pictus are the most active cats I ever had. Problem with pictus is they top.out at 6in where as Ornatus grow to a foot in length.
 
Since we do not have a fix on your tap water parameters, its hard to make an educated guess.
If you just want normally bred aquarium strain fish species, that's one thing, and they will adapt to to most water.........but..if you want more exotic, wild caught species (like when mentioned zebrina pikes)
that's a totally different set of circumstances.
Many of the pike cichlids, are not readily mass produced, so are wild caught, and have stiff water quality parameter needs such as soft, low pH, flowing water, with painfully low nitrate levels to stay healthy.
Some cichlid species need hard, high pH water, and low nitrates in fast flowing, some not.

I keep wild caught, species that require high pH (above 8) hard water, and need fast flowing extra well aerated water, so beyond normall filtration, I use sumps with minimum 1500 gallon per hour flow, maintain nearly zero nitrates
whats good for me, doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you, or anyone else,
so unless we know water parameters, minimally pH and hardness of your tap water, any recomendation is pure conjecture.
 
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