Biotope help.

[japes]

Nice expensive stock list. You won't find S. jurupari over here, and this is just going to be a South American community by the looks of things, you aren't properly grasping the concept of what a Biotope is.

If I were doing it I'd ditch the Angels straight away, but working around them, here's a decent basis.

Rio Ucayali, Peru Biotope

8x Pterophyllum scalare (Large percentage of females, all natural colouration)
6x Cichlasoma amazonarum
9x Apistogramma cacatuoides (3M 6F)
12-15x Corydoras panda
8-10x Corydoras trilineatus
6x Otocinclus cocama (Not sure whether these are available in Australia, substitute for what Oto's you can find)
5x Panaque sp. L204
3x Panaque sp. L206
20x Hemigrammus ocellifer "Head-and-Taillight Tetra"
25x Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma "Peruvian Bleeding Heart Tetra"
10x Nannostomus marginatus "Dwarf Pencilfish"
15x Gasteropelecus sternicla "Silver Hatchetfish"

It's actually quite fun doing that when you know you don't have to pay for it.

However I like the idea of a more aggressive tank.

Angels stay, it's final.

The whole concept behind this tank doesn't look like its going to fare well.

 

[Eric A]

Yeah I don't think I really am getting the biotope thing. I think what i'm looking for is a cichlid community, and looser biotope.

Say I did ditch the angels, which could be do-able, what would you then suggest, clear slate.

 

[japes]

Yeah I don't think I really am getting the biotope thing. I think what i'm looking for is a cichlid community, and looser biotope.

Say I did ditch the angels, which could be do-able, what would you then suggest, clear slate.

For a very loosely planted 6x2x2.5, on what kind of budget for fish?

 

[Eric A]

very loosely, no more than 4 swordplants, and lotsa driftwood, and only a small amount of large water worn rocks is what I aim to have.

Budget of maybe 1000

 

[japes]

4x Heros efasciatus
5x Geophagus brachybranchus
6x Cichlasoma amazonarum or Laetacara curviceps
4x Peckoltia sp. (L168 perhaps)
12-15x Corydoras sp. (Take your pick - all one species)

How about that? All South American, all pretty mellow species, should fit the budget, and hopefully won't cause any problems, though keep an eye on the Severum. You could always try the Angels with that mix, but if push comes to shove they won't be on the winning end of it - ever.

 

[Eric A]

What if I threw a pair of crenicichla lepidota, what could I add to it, with 500 worth of stock?

 

[japes]

Good luck getting your hands on them. Sort that out after you have.

 

[Eric A]

Beat you to it. I know of a pair going for $700. So the searching has been done.

 

[japes]

When they're in your tank I might continue to contribute to this thread.

 

[darth pike]

Lepitoda come from the Mato Grasso region of Brasil and Bolivia. The only cichlids from the area that could handle the pikes would be Astronotus crassipinnis, Cichlasoma boliviensis, Bujurquina vittata, and Satanoperca pappaterra. Not sure if any of these are available down there though.