how many in a 180g???

[driftwood]

I've got 10 stone cold killers (see sig) in a 190 and they seem to get along just fine and have for the last nine months. And yes, they're all big.

Things do change fast in those kind of set ups

 

[terd ferguson]

Things do change fast in those kind of set ups

I can't disagree with what you've said. With that said, they've been through every kind of stressor imaginable with no change in aggression levels (illness, breeding, same species males, bunch of big fishes, etc.).

The individual fishes' personalities are more important than how many fish can you put in "x" size tank.

 

[scubasteve06]

I feel my 90 is way overstocked but, I have tons of big driftwood and stumps and hanging plants in corners for everyone to hide and no rocks now to really claim "one" territory now they seem to roam as explained with bderick's setup which I think is bad ass and wish I could pull of. I think keep the space open in the tank but allow break points to where the cichlids can't always see each other or at least not straight on. You could keep I'd say 12-14 medium to large cichlids in there.

 

[Bderick67]

i suppose if you believe the 1 inch of fish length per gallon, 18 10 inch fish would be just right...

The 1" per gallon rule is just for light stocking I've got about 220" in my 180g tank that actually has a volume of 169 gallons

BTW In my stock list I forgot to list my 8" lyonsi

 

[FSM]

Yeah, I know. I meant if you didn't know that, you might think 180 inches of fish was the right amount. That would be insanely overstocked though, unless they were neon tetras (which would be pretty cool, actually)

 

[Bderick67]

All kidding aside, to the OP. My tank is heavily/over stocked, it takes alot of work to maintain this stock. I am now doing two 50% weekly water changes, I also have to keep a close I on my pH, I add a neutral buffer and crushed coral to maintain it. The AC110s have to be cleaned on a weekly basis. I also have dual XP3 canisters running.

Most all the fish are still growing, so to imply that this setup will last is ridiculas. I have found with SA/CA cichlids that heavy stocking does reduce aggression. I have had very few problems with this stock, besides an oscar and a old JD all fish have done well in this setup. The polleni is on it's third atempt with this mix and is my only problem fish. Seems the most fighting occurs when a new fish is added.

I have about 750 gallons of tanks, so moving a problem fish is not a problem. I would recommend that you keep a hospital type tank running just incase. You'll have to experiment a bit to find what mix works best for you.