Looking for feedback on this green terror tank

[ghurty]

I am rebuilding a 150 Gallon tank.
I currently have one pleco that is about 1 foot long
and 2 BGR (small)
and 2 clown loaches.(small

My ph levels are on the low end so I would probably do New World Cichlids

I am thinking of added the following
1 X Small Green Terror
1 X Jack Dempsy (maybe 2)
8 X Clown Loaches
1 X Green Texas Cichlid
1 X Texas Cichlid
1 X Tiger Oscar (small)
1 X Managuense Cichlid

I can adjust the numbers of each of them. I originally wanted a lot of small fish as well but I realized the green terror will go after them.

Thank you

 

[duanes]

Cichlids from Central America, are not generally soft, low pH water species. JDs, Texas Cichlids, and managuense all come from hard, high pH natural water, even G.T.s come from highly alkaline waters west of the Andes. The idea that all new world water is soft is erroneous.
The new world cichlids from soft water are from east of the Andes in the Amazon basin, and other parts of northern South America..
Not saying you can't keep them, but Central American waters are not usually soft.
pH in the Nicaraguan lakes where manganese are found, averages 8.2 to 9.3
Here in Panama where I live the water my testing of natural waters run 7.8 to 9
The Cenotes of Mexico are situated in lime stone bed, ancient reefs, and there pH (where JDs are from) can run as high as 8.6.

 

[ghurty]

A few weeks ago my water PH level was about 6.2 I just tested it today and it is 7.6 and I think if I remember correctly thats what it was a year ago. So it probably is closer to 7.6 on average.

Thank you

 

[MrsE88]

You can have schooling fish with green terrors.
I have giant danios, rainbowfish, and even my kids ugly glow tetras.

You are more likely to have problems with the other cichlids you listed in the long run.
That is also too many fish for the tank. I know that’s hard to visualize while everyone is so small. You will have healthier fish that will grow better if they aren’t raised in an overpopulated tank.

 

[Backfromthedead]

I am rebuilding a 150 Gallon tank.
I currently have one pleco that is about 1 foot long
and 2 BGR (small)
and 2 clown loaches.(small

My ph levels are on the low end so I would probably do New World Cichlids

I am thinking of added the following
1 X Small Green Terror
1 X Jack Dempsy (maybe 2)
8 X Clown Loaches
1 X Green Texas Cichlid
1 X Texas Cichlid
1 X Tiger Oscar (small)
1 X Managuense Cichlid

I can adjust the numbers of each of them. I originally wanted a lot of small fish as well but I realized the green terror will go after them.

Thank you

This is a mix of fish that will most likely not work for long in your tank. You have quite a few large growing, territorial cichlids that would best be kept alone in a 150. In addition to this clown loaches can reach over a foot in length and very chunky, albeit over a number of years and provided the proper care. Even if you did somehow manage to keep these fish from killing each other, your tank would be drastically overstocked once the fish reached maturity.

I am confused by your description of "small" green terror. Also not sure what a BGR is.

What is your maintenance schedule? The fluctuation in your ph could be indicative of infrequent water changes.

I would cut your list down to either focus on one of these large cichlids, or perhaps work on a clown loach community tank.

 

[Rocksor]

A few weeks ago my water PH level was about 6.2 I just tested it today and it is 7.6 and I think if I remember correctly thats what it was a year ago. So it probably is closer to 7.6 on average.

Thank you

You can have a high PH, and still have soft water. Measure the GH and KH of your tap water or check your water quality report. Make sure you have hard water or those fish (except oscar and clown loach) you mentioned will decline in health over time.

 

[philipraposo1982]

Cichlids from Central America, are not generally soft, low pH water species. JDs, Texas Cichlids, and managuense all come from hard, high pH natural water, even G.T.s come from highly alkaline waters west of the Andes. The idea that all new world water is soft is erroneous.
The new world cichlids from soft water are from east of the Andes in the Amazon basin, and other parts of northern South America..
Not saying you can't keep them, but Central American waters are not usually soft.
pH in the Nicaraguan lakes where manganese are found, averages 8.2 to 9.3
Here in Panama where I live the water my testing of natural waters run 7.8 to 9
The Cenotes of Mexico are situated in lime stone bed, ancient reefs, and there pH (where JDs are from) can run as high as 8.6.

Not sure why you constantly refer to wild caught species when the majority of the hobby fish that we keep are tank raised...

 

[Rocksor]

Not sure why you constantly refer to wild caught species when the majority of the hobby fish that we keep are tank raised...

So how where those traits of thriving in hard versus soft water bred out? A few generations of not selecting breeding those traits out won't remove them.

 

[philipraposo1982]

Your not suggesting that LFS cichlids are only a few generations from wild are you?

That's a good joke.

 

[duanes]

Not sure why you constantly refer to wild caught species when the majority of the hobby fish that we keep are tank raised...

I am not saying wild, but referring to natural habitat that a species has evolved in over 10s of thousands perhaps millions of years, although a species may have been tank raised for maybe 100 years, I doubt that 100 years (such as it has been with oscars, much less with others) and 100 generations in tanks, wipes out a couple million years and millions of generations of evolution to live in certain water parameters, and conditions.
And in my post, I believe my suggestion is, that if you put a fish in conditions close to what it has evolved over millions of years, it may have a better chance of being healthy.
I would ask to recall so many of the posts that the gist of is.....why are my oscars Geo's and other soft water fish coming down with HLLE? I believe there have been at least half dozen this week alone.
I believe there are many stress factors in play, but combining the stress of nitrate (urine ) soup, carnivores diet for omnivorous species, in opposite type water than the fish has evolved to live in, with cramped conditions, I am surprised we only see as many why are they sick?... as we do.