350 SA tank and 180 Community

[Manning99]

So I'm moving to a house in the next month or two, where I can manage to fit a 8x3x2(Roughly 350G) alongside bringing my current 180.

Note* I have a 6ft long 70g~ tank that will be used as a sump on one of the systems.



The plan is to split my current fish into South American (350g) and Asian/African (180)

Definite fish for the 180:
2x Burmese clouded archers
2x African butterfly fish
1x Red tail black shark
1x Black spotted eel
1x Delhezi bichir
1x Senegal bichir
1x Ropefish
1x Leopard ctenopoma

Possibly might add 180:
2x more Burmese clouded archers
2x more Ropefish

Now with the 350 I could do with some recomendations, some of the planned additions I have never kept before and want to be confident with the compatibility.

Definite fish for 350:
3x Blood parrot
2x Rokteil severum
1x Oscar
1x Black ghost knife
1x Electric blue acara

Possible for for 350: (Priority at top, just thoughts will not stock everyone of them)
1x Red wolfish
1x Retictulated Stingray
1x SA Lungfish
2-4x More Electric blue Acara
1-2~ Smaller pike species
3x Pink tail Chaleus
Other SA oddballs

 

[bkfamus]

Sounds awesome and good luck with the move. ?

I moved earlier this year and set up a fish room as well.. I'm no expert so will defer to others with more experience, but as much as I love my PTCs I had all out war when I tried more than 1 per tank. I tried 6 and 7 in a 240.. Maybe the lack of space, I don't know.. But I now have 1 in two separate tanks (240 and 180) and they same very content patrolling the top solo... Awesome fish.

Re: the rotkeils, I have 6 juvies in a 180 community w/ Geos and they seem to get along well.. I have 2 young adult H. liberifer in the 240 with a GT harem and they seem to get along well also...

 

[Rocksor]

There's a large chance the pike and wolf fish will hate each other. It's more miss when trying to mix these 2 species. I'm assuming the smaller pike species are those in the medium range like from the saxatilis family and not any of the dwarf pikes (e.g regani, etc.)

If you are set on pikes, you need a group of 8 initially to get a bonded pair of the same species.

The redtail shark is pretty territorial when it gets on size, and may harass your bottom dwellers in the 180

 

[Manning99]

Aye was unsure whether the PTC would be better solo or in a reasonable sized group, 1 should do.

Good to hear, my Rokteil are only about 2" atm but I camt see them being the aggressors in the tank.

I had concerns over the pike and wolfish compatibility due to similar niches/shapes.

Correct though I was thinking regaini or zebrina but would rather have the wolfish than either.

The red tail is already full grown in the 180 with most of the fish listed (excluding the oscar and 2 severums who are grow outs), and shows very little aggression so I am not too concerned about him.

 

[Tj203]

So I'm moving to a house in the next month or two, where I can manage to fit a 8x3x2(Roughly 350G) alongside bringing my current 180.

Note* I have a 6ft long 70g~ tank that will be used as a sump on one of the systems.

View attachment 1464471

The plan is to split my current fish into South American (350g) and Asian/African (180)

Definite fish for the 180:
2x Burmese clouded archers
2x African butterfly fish
1x Red tail black shark
1x Black spotted eel
1x Delhezi bichir
1x Senegal bichir
1x Ropefish
1x Leopard ctenopoma

Possibly might add 180:
2x more Burmese clouded archers
2x more Ropefish

Now with the 350 I could do with some recomendations, some of the planned additions I have never kept before and want to be confident with the compatibility.

Definite fish for 350:
3x Blood parrot
2x Rokteil severum
1x Oscar
1x Black ghost knife
1x Electric blue acara

Possible for for 350: (Priority at top, just thoughts will not stock everyone of them)
1x Red wolfish
1x Retictulated Stingray
1x SA Lungfish
2-4x More Electric blue Acara
1-2~ Smaller pike species
3x Pink tail Chaleus
Other SA oddballs

I say get all of them. I have 200 plus fish in a 600 gallon. The max sizes for the fish are from 4 1/2 to 16 inches. Get some good filtration and have at it lol

 

[Manning99]

I say get all of them. I have 200 plus fish in a 600 gallon. The max sizes for the fish are from 4 1/2 to 16 inches. Get some good filtration and have at it lol

Haha well that's encouraging, maybe it's not such an excessive stock list.

But before I get the tank, I would like to ask any keepers of reticulated stingrays and SA lungfish if they have had success with tankmates as small as acara?

 

[Tj203]

Haha well that's encouraging, maybe it's not such an excessive stock list.

But before I get the tank, I would like to ask any keepers of reticulated stingrays and SA lungfish if they have had success with tankmates as small as acara?

That is agood place to start but imo every fish is different. I have a Melanochromis auratus if you look them up they are Supposed to be a very aggressive fish but mine is a teddy bear. But on the other hand I have a Oscar that has killed every fish I every put in with him. He even killed a pleco. I've been keeping oscars with plecos for years.

 

[Manning99]

Aye I guess you never know until you try it in the end.

Hopeful that the oscar will behave, still concerned about predation from some of the bigger guys.

 

[Rocksor]

The SA lungfish won't really eat smaller fish on purpose, but if they happen to be eating and a fish gets sucked in, it can do a lot of damage. Sometimes while eating a SA will accidentally slurp up a bichirs tail and cause it to bolt up or across the aquarium. It's a relative slow eater, constantly looking for food. What sucks is when you don't get their really large turd out in time, and they break the mucus membrane, causing all the pieces to spread throughout the tank.

 

[Tj203]

I wish I had an explanation for this but my tank is the calmest cichlid tank I have ever had or seen.

Here is a video of the tank look for the baby's, watch when I turn the flash on how many more you see. They are everywhere and they just swim right by the bigger fish and the lager ones just swim around like they don't have a care in the world. Very few lip locking mostly just a chase hear and there. I know I am very heavily stocked more than any other tank I have ever owned but it can't be just that. If I had to take a guess It's probably a combination of factors, like they are well fed, they have a lot of room to run. Maybe just the sheer number of baby's they got tired if eating them. But my population is growing exponentially and it is almost to the point that I am going to have to do something about it. The females just keep breeding its crazy. I have 2 females that seem to just stay pregnant I don't know when they eat?