180 stocking moving help!

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jvc66

jvc66

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jul 10, 2015
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NJ
Hi everyone,

I am in the process of moving to a new house and will be moving in around March 7. With that being said I am going to be getting rid of the 90 gallon tank I have with most of the basic freshwater community fish, giant danios, columbian red fin tetra, cories, and rainbow shark that will all be going to my friend whose starting a 55gallon. In my 90 I also have 4 bala sharks which were my first fish that I bought when I got into the hobby a few years back that I am kind of partial too and would love to keep but would aslo like to see them go to a good home since I plan on upgrading to a 180 gallon and would like to have a CA/SA stock.

I would like to have two or three possible tank stocking options.

1. SA Biotope with the sharks, geos, severum and any other fish you can suggest.
2. A mix of SA/CA. Jack Dempsey, severum and anything else you suggest.
3. All CA mix.

I am looking for color and movement. Would like combos that have fish on all three levels. I am not a big fan of vieja or midas or parrots. Fish dont have to be gigantic since I want a decent amount in the tank rather then just one species. Oscars are ok but would like to try without.

Any pics of your setups and stocking would be greatly appreciated!
 
Cool.

Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 duanes duanes dan518 dan518 please chime in.

Jvc66 and i were talking abut this off line. I wanted him to get a wider range of opinions
 
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ragin_cajun ragin_cajun robham777 robham777
 
Geez guess everyone is out emjoying their sat night.

+1 has theost lickly hood of easily succeeding but number 3 is most appealing lol

Have you looked into cryptheros types like sajica, namolutes, and panamensis ?
Also aquidens are one of my favirote SA.

Maybe a big bocourti and some smaller cryptoheros would look nice
 
jvc66 said:
Your the man J jaws7777 thanks for the help. I am really loving the real JDs and GTs cause of their bright colors. But all depends on if I can find a good home for my balas around me. If not biotope is the way to go
Click to expand...

Lol not me bud. I think its best to hear many opinions vs just mine..... since i would probably have issues keeping two guppies from killing eachother in a 500 gal tank
 
In my opinion a CA community is much harder to pull off than a SA community tank. The CA I am partial to are in the parachromis family, and imo not suited for a community tank. JD and Rivulatus seem to work well for some in their CA and mixed tanks, but I have never kept them except as solo fish. I am currently trying to work out a stocking plan for a SA biotope and am growing out some festivum, chocolates, and severums for potential candidates. I am also looking into some caquetaia, willimara and crenicichla as possibilities. Take a look at the thread mrrobxc mrrobxc has on his SA biotope

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/south-american-cichlids.681902/

Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 has had some succesful CA community tanks as well as cichlidfish cichlidfish
 
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A 180 is a real good size tank. I tell people all the time don't buy a 125, a 180 is the same tank, just wide enough to keep big fish in it. So A+ on getting a 180.

The way I see it, all 3 of the stocking options mean you'll have no plants. If you're not gonna have plants, then I'd go with a male Trimac, and some other Amph's in that tank. Maybe they'd get along, maybe they wouldn't and you'd end up with a big fish in a 180 by himself. But it'd be a very cool fish--mean, too.

You could raise a big Jaguar in that tank--feed him frogs and mice.

If you're gonna get an even bigger tank later, then you could start with some Argentea and Regani now, let them grow out for a year or so, and then move what's left to a bigger tank or spread them out among other tanks you get later.

Another option you should seriously consider is a tank with Herichthys. A breeding pair of Carpinits, possibly a harem of Carpintis? Or, H. Labridens in breeding color would be the height of cool--and I don't think anybody here at MFK has those breeding in a tank. Labs only get about 8 inches I think. And they might not tear up plants.
 
Or, you could do a bunch of Pleco's in that tank.
 
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