I think I made a mistake

[Dalfrey86]

Hello All,

This is my first post so I apologize if this post is in the wrong location.

I have an established tank and might have made an error in stocking the tank. Currently I have the following:
1 blood parrot (1 year old)
2 peacock cichlids, 1 rainbow and 1 strawberry (1 year old)
1 dwarf gourami
1 pictus that was relocated due to territory issues and him losing his hiding space.
This is a sandy substrate, levels are all 0, and there are a few rock hiding places.

My fear is that long term there is going to be a space issue more than aggression since right now they all seem to be getting along and there no issues at feeding time. I guess my question is did I make a beginners mistake in stocking this tank? The last thing I want is for any fish to suffer due to my own mistake.

Yes I did some research before acquiring these fish but it is still my first time owning cichlids.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tlindsey]

Hello All,

This is my first post so I apologize if this post is in the wrong location.

I have an established tank and might have made an error in stocking the tank. Currently I have the following:
1 blood parrot (1 year old)
2 peacock cichlids, 1 rainbow and 1 strawberry (1 year old)
1 dwarf gourami
1 pictus that was relocated due to territory issues and him losing his hiding space.
This is a sandy substrate, levels are all 0, and there are a few rock hiding places.

My fear is that long term there is going to be a space issue more than aggression since right now they all seem to be getting along and there no issues at feeding time. I guess my question is did I make a beginners mistake in stocking this tank? The last thing I want is for any fish to suffer due to my own mistake.

Yes I did some research before acquiring these fish but it is still my first time owning cichlids.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome aboard
What size is your aquarium?
If your Nitrate level is 0 ppm then your aquarium is not Cycled.

 

[Dalfrey86]

My tank is 55 gallons.
I think I misspoke on the levels. I will retest tonight.

 

[EntoStentor]

Yeah 0 at all levels is not good. Yes there's going to be aggression and you're gonna want to put the pictus in a school.

 

[EntoStentor]

My tank is 55 gallons.
I think I misspoke on the levels. I will retest tonight.

I would not at all advise the arrangement of fish here. Take out the dwarf gourami and give the pictus a school.

 

[Dalfrey86]

That was part of my fear in that the pictus as a lone fish won’t defend himself. The one issue that I would have with multiple is the tank requirements.

The aspiration is to have a tank larger than 125 gallons.

 

[tlindsey]

That was part of my fear in that the pictus as a lone fish won’t defend himself. The one issue that I would have with multiple is the tank requirements.

The aspiration is to have a tank larger than 125 gallons.

The 2 biggest issues you have imo is that you only have 2 African Peacock so they probably will harass each other for territory and your aquarium may not be Cycled.

 

[Dalfrey86]

Isn’t there a concern with the tank size and adding more fish?

The rainbow is about 3 inches while the strawberry is 5 to 6 inches.

Yes I went the big pet store as my LFS is 75 miles away one way. Thus complicating my fish options. I can say that after this excursion I will only buy fish from my LFS, just need to learn how to transport fish better.

 

[tlindsey]

Isn’t there a concern with the tank size and adding more fish?

The rainbow is about 3 inches while the strawberry is 5 to 6 inches.

Yes I went the big pet store as my LFS is 75 miles away one way. Thus complicating my fish options. I can say that after this excursion I will only buy fish from my LFS, just need to learn how to transport fish better.

Yes your absolutely correct that is why I stated territorial issues. Cichlids require space and some require even hundreds of gallons of space for example a fully Mature male Dovii which comes from lakes in the wild and patrol miles of territory. The fish that EntoStentor mentioned don't belong in there with the more aggressive Cichlids. You did state that you were new to Cichlids so happy you came here. Stick around and you will learn from some of the best .Tbh I am not the most experienced when it comes to Cichlids but have learned a few things on this great forum.

 

[Dalfrey86]

Yes your absolutely correct that is why I stated territorial issues. Cichlids require space and some require even hundreds of gallons of space for example a fully Mature male Dovii which comes from lakes in the wild and patrol miles of territory. The fish that EntoStentor mentioned don't belong in there with the more aggressive Cichlids. You did state that you were new to Cichlids so happy you came here. Stick around and you will learn from some of the best .Tbh I am not the most experienced when it comes to Cichlids but have learned a few things on this great forum.

Thanks for input. I'm looking forward to learning more about the hobby as well as cichlids.