Looking for some feeedback on tankmates

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Albertan

Albertan

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MFK Member
Jan 28, 2007
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Alberta, CANADA
Last week I picked up eight 1.5" PB, and am currently growing them out with some silver dollars (for now) in a 120. I was told they were C. ocellatus (ocellaris?). I've always wanted Cichla, but never saw any for sale around me and never got around to ordering any from down south. Anyways, I've got them now and would like to do a SA biotope tank. I am in the process of finalizing the design on a custom 10X3or4X3 tank in which the cichla will be (to me) the focal point. What I'm looking for are some suggestions on other tankmates I can consider. I've pretty much settled on a single silver arowana for the tank...I'm just waiting for the shop to get more in. I'm also leaning towards red hook or black bar SDs and perhaps Oscars. My biggest question mark is the bottom dwellers. I'm not really into rays, although I am researching them more. An RTC would be ideal, but the tank is still too small for one. I'm thinking another cat would probably fit the bill but I am not sure which.

So, for those who have experience with these fish, please perhaps suggest a stocking list for my new tank. Once I start looking into suggested fish, I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thanks for the feedback. :)

PS. - I'm also looking for some feedback into the growth rates of the fishes suggested so I know if they will need to be grown out in different tanks before being introduced to the main tank.
 
We can sit here and tell you what to stock it with all day long, in the end its going to be what you want to see in there. You will probably go through some fish before you finally settle on what you really like to see with your bass. I finally settled on South and Madagascar cichlids, I dont have a ton of them just enough not to take away from the bass. For cat I would suggest a Tig, Jurnese, Flash some type of larger driftwood cat, jag cat, etc, something that doesnt get huge.

Growth rate will depend on how you feed, temps and quality of water, etc, many factors will determine the growth rate.
 
I would add a Flagtail gets big enough not to get eaten and helps with food scraps and algae but just my opinion...
 
I'm not fussy on the appearance of the flagtail, and the fact that you can keep only one in the tank and they are slow growers doesn't help either. I do like that they help keep the tank clean though and will keep one in mind for that purpose.

I've done the CA cichlid thing for years, so I'm not heading down that road with this tank, other than perhaps oscars...although it would be nice to toss my 17" dovii in there. lol. I'll definitely research the recommended cats. Thanks for the info.
 
I did a little more research and came across the vulture cat (Callophysus macropterus), which looks like a contender. T.U.C. has some in right now and I was thinking about picking up one along with 4 kelberi ‘Bahia’. I have 8 ocellaris? right now. Would twelve Cichla be too many for a tank this size, if I omitted the oscars? I could thin out the ocellaris down to 5 or 6 if necessary. Thanks.
 
12 in a 120? For now since I'm assuming they are all small but will be fine when you upgrade to your custom tank. I would make sure the oscars are the same size as the bass just for safety measures. You dont want a big oscar potentially killing your kels. You could always grow the pbass out, once they get big enough then start to add other fish such as oscars which can be found just about anywhere.
 
I have two 120g and two 90g grow out tanks currently, as well as a 330g specimen tank being built for a jardini that's currently only 4". Nobody's going to be crowded in my fish room. ;)

If a dozen Cichla are ok in the big tank, I may just forget the oscars. My current thoughts are:

  • (1) silver arowana
  • (8) Cichla ocellaris
  • (4) Cichla kelberi 'bahia'
  • (6-10) silver dollars
  • (1) tiger shovelnose or vulture catfish
 
Couple more questions.

  • Would the Cichla be OK with catfish in the 12" range, or will they likely try to eat them when mature? I'd like to landscape the tank, so I don't want too many 24"+ cats prowling the bottom tearing things up. The Vulture cats reach around 18" I believe.
  • Will regular silver dollars from the genus Metynnis be ok at maturity, or should I stick with the larger Myleus spp. (red hooks, wide bars, etc.)?
  • Is there a good size to introduce Oscars if I go that route? Should the Cichla be bigger?

Thanks. Lots of planning...
 
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