Losing Passion for My Community Tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
@frankcastle
Here is a video of how the tank was. I will upload some pics after the tear down.
Nice setup and I still stick with my previous post that took out all plecos and ghost knife add more barb species to cover the middle and top part of the tank, geophagus species.
 
That tank screams altums and discus or high quality angels with larger brochus/cory species for bottom. Opened up a bit. more stick like wood and boom. Sit, whiskey and chill.

Perhaps even hatchets for surface dwellers.
 
I traded my roselines and 2 plecos for a zebrina pike. The pike is in another tank, and not going in this system. I had to completely turn the tank inside out to catch the fish. Here is the new and improved scape:

image.jpg
 
Here is my plan moving forward:

Attempt to sell off my remaining small plecos and clown loach school.
Move the blue eye Pleco to the 1100g

Keep the acaras, balas and barbs.

ADD 8-12 Chili/super/blood red Oscars--they have bright red bodies and white faces. I'd like to get them small and grow them out.

I think it will give the tank some true personality and color.

I might also add a couple salvini cichlids for more color but have read they are pretty mean fish.

The final ingredient would be some type of larger geo. Probably brasiliensis or even go with some green terrors.

I've never kept oscars or salvinis so let me known if the combo wil work and if I'm over or understocked
 
I used to have a community tank when I first got into the hobby. I can say that with time i got bored and desired change. I realized for me, I wanted less species and more personality. Today I keep just my green terror. He is growing out but is already more entertaining then all of my other fish i used to have.

Nice tank though.
 
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I really like the idea of oscars and the blood oscars look amazing when colored up. However, I think adding the the number you are looking at is heading for a problem down the road unless you have an enormous filter.

Oscars are messy AF. Those tinfoils barbs and balas not only get large but crap all day long. The acaras do not help to ease the bioload.

A year and a bit down the line with good husbandry, you are looking at anywhere between 12-16 12" fish. That is enough poop for a small house dog. lol.

If I may, i would suggest lowering numbers of oscars to maybe 4. That will still leave you with 12 good sized fish in 350gal. That isn't even including the acaras. This may also make the oscars stand out more as they are not in a sea of red.

just my 2c
 
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I really like the idea of oscars and the blood oscars look amazing when colored up. However, I think adding the the number you are looking at is heading for a problem down the road unless you have an enormous filter.

Oscars are messy AF. Those tinfoils barbs and balas not only get large but crap all day long. The acaras do not help to ease the bioload.

A year and a bit down the line with good husbandry, you are looking at anywhere between 12-16 12" fish. That is enough poop for a small house dog. lol.

If I may, i would suggest lowering numbers of oscars to maybe 4. That will still leave you with 12 good sized fish in 350gal. That isn't even including the acaras. This may also make the oscars stand out more as they are not in a sea of red.

just my 2c

Well, I don't want to brag about my filtration but it is decent: 60g sump bioballs and tons of matriz, fx-5 full of matrix, uv, 20g settling chamber, and all with a drip system. Plus, I am getting rid of a ton of plecos and clown loaches, both of which are poop machines.

the tinfoils are pushing 11"-12" and 4 of them look small. I think I will probably settle on 8 oscars.

I am concerned about keeping the eb acaras with them since they only hit about 5-6", the oscars might eat them. This is why I am looking into a larger fish with blue--the green terror. It looks they are often housed with oscars.
 
That sounds like great filtration!

My largest oscar only ever went for a 4" jewel cichlid and left the rest alone.

Perhaps buying them small and not feeding the live feeder fish will lessen their instinctual aggression to smaller fish. Also growing up with the blue acaras will make them see them as tankmates not food. This will also give the acaras time to max out/bulk up.

Btw, plecos and poop! Forget about it. lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: knobhill
Here is my plan moving forward:

Attempt to sell off my remaining small plecos and clown loach school.
Move the blue eye Pleco to the 1100g

Keep the acaras, balas and barbs.

ADD 8-12 Chili/super/blood red Oscars--they have bright red bodies and white faces. I'd like to get them small and grow them out.

I think it will give the tank some true personality and color.

I might also add a couple salvini cichlids for more color but have read they are pretty mean fish.

The final ingredient would be some type of larger geo. Probably brasiliensis or even go with some green terrors.

I've never kept oscars or salvinis so let me known if the combo wil work and if I'm over or understocked
Life is rough when you have to decide what to move to the ELEVEN HUNDRED!!
 
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