Just how overstocked am I?

[HrHagel]

You need 9 distinct territories, and that doesn't take in to account your loaches (clowns), which SHOULD be in a school of at least 6, and can hit an easy 9-12". - it just takes in to account your just your territorial fish, and your tank is only 6' long. Right now, you're not even allowing each of your territorial fish 9" of personal space each, and as they grow, and hit the 3-4" mark they will need more than that. As adults, they need more than double that.

 

[Aqualoon]

Hmm...what is this thread lacking...

Oh yeah!

If you do end up getting an "eater" in your tank and they start getting picked off you can always move them. I had to do this with my school of 14 GD. I will also add if your Clown Loaches are small now and you do end up having an "eater" in the tank they will also be at risk of becoming lunch. I also had to move my school of 6 CL from the same tank.

All this eating was being done by my one 6" Oscar so It's a good thing you don't have an O in there. I haven't kept a lot of the fish species you have in there but I can say I also had a 6" JD in the same tank and he never bothered or tried to eat any of the GD or CL. He's actually in a 90g with them while they grow out and continues to not bother them at all so you might not have to worry about the JD turning them into lunch.

That's why I have kind of stayed away from the O. Love the Lemon coloration, love the personalities but don't like their bottomless pits of a stomach. I have read a lot on these forums and others about which dithers to go with and the best luck people have had is if they grow up together. Still there are no guarantees even then but that's the best chance.

And I have standby tanks ready to rock and roll if one turns into an eater

 

[white15]

All of those tiger barbs will be eaten. My JD is 3 inches. He was alone in a 180g. I put in 9 large tiger barbs. The next morning they were all dead with their eyes eaten out (sorry but true), and he was swimming along as if nothing had happened.

 

[Jc1119]

All of those tiger barbs will be eaten. My JD is 3 inches. He was alone in a 180g. I put in 9 large tiger barbs. The next morning they were all dead with their eyes eaten out (sorry but true), and he was swimming along as if nothing had happened.

My experience exactly....except mine is about 4-5"

 

[Aqualoon]

So far so good with the barbs, have a female gold saum and a regani around the 3.5-4" mark and they could care less about the barbs.

 

[shamrock]

They're Tiger Barbs, grow to 2-2.5". I realize they might become lunch but have read people having good results with them as a dither...but on the same foot I've read others that they did become snacks. So hoping my cichlids will leave em be.

De dert de dert how the heck did I read Tinfoil Barbs-LOL!!! Sorry

 

[Jon M]

All of those tiger barbs will be eaten. My JD is 3 inches. He was alone in a 180g. I put in 9 large tiger barbs. The next morning they were all dead with their eyes eaten out (sorry but true), and he was swimming along as if nothing had happened.

It's a possibility but you can't say they will be eaten for sure. My JD is 6"-7" and he was super aggressive with my O and beat him up to where I needed to rehouse him into my 90g. My O was eating all my small dither so I've had to move them into the 90g as well and it's turned into a grow out tank pretty much.

Long story short my JD that beat my O all up doesn't even touch any of the small 2-2.5" Giant Danio, Silver Dollar, or Clown Loaches in that tank and at their size he could easily eat them. I guess it's really hit or miss with your JD's personality.

 

[koltsixx]

Hmm...what is this thread lacking...

Oh yeah!

Now that's too funny, Walken is the man. What this thread needs is more Walken. On a serious note all cichlids are individuals and growing them out is the best way to find out some odd combo's that might work. Heck it's better than buying adults and basically pissing your money away when they kill each other. I would just make sure to have a tank on the side just in case things get real ugly and you need to re-home one of them while waiting to sell or give one of them away. Also as far as dithers I love wide-bar Silver Dollars though your tank would be ridiculously overstocked with a school of them. Though like I said growing out cichlids has the benefit of sometimes getting some odd combo's to work. So the Tiger Barbs may survive the ordeal and become an interesting dither fish.

 

[Amphilophus88]

I guess you already know the answer.. just watch for nitrates and aggression. Love to see pics of your tank, Reganis are beautiful fish.

 

[shamrock]

You should check Terd Ferguson's tank!! WOW!