Nicaragua/Costa Rica Biotope Stocking Questions

[AU Chief]

Hello!

I'm just getting back into the hobby after being down to one single fish for the past 7 years or so and I'm setting up a 75 gallon tank. I have settled on doing a biotope aquarium of either Nicaragua or Costa Rican fishes (most of the fish I'm considering exist in both countries.

I want to make a pair hypsophrys nicaraguensis the centerpiece, but I'm undecided on tankmates. I think I would like a pair amatitlania septemfasciata and I was also thinking about a pair of hypsophrys nematopus but I am unsure if this is too much for a 75 gallon from an aggression standpoint, I have plenty of filtration.

To recap:

1 pair of Nics
1 pair of Septemfasciata
1 pair of Neets
1 school of BA tetras (as stand-ins for Mexican tetras)

Is this too much for a 75 gallon aquarium?

Any other stocking suggestions are welcome as well. Thanks!

 

[Covetous]

I think the aggression level will be too high in a 75 with three pairs. From what I understand nematopus are very protective of fry. Let alone putting another two pairs of breeding cichlids in the tank. Your best bet is to pick one of the three and run with it and do other non cichlids around them. I personally think a pair of 10 inch Nics are abit too big for a 75. But I don’t know much about their pair bonding honestly. So maybe it will be fine.

But that’s just my opinion, Good luck

 

[PhishMon84]

Neets are like tropheus-in my limited experience with either species.

My nics are very passive and I’ve kept them in a 75 with breeding siquia without issue- but i use a lot of driftwood, stones and fake plants to block any long sight lines.

 

[Rocksor]

So you are purposely putting 2 competitors (nic vs neet) in only a 4 foot long tank? I feel sorry for the nics already. The neets will destroy their fry.

 

[Gourami Swami]

I have found that nics and neets do not work well together. I had my neet in a 5 foot community singled out by a nicaraguense. As stated, they are natural competitors. Which comes out on top will depend on size and other factors, but I don't think they will be compatible in this tank size.
Also, keeping pairs complicates this quite a bit. You probably won't have room for more than one pair when the fish are full size.
My suggestion would be to go with a single Nicaraguan as a centerpiece fish, and keep a colony (1-2m, 3-5f) of septemfasciatus. The septem's will pair up and breed, and the Nic will be large enough to not care too much.
Sounds to me like that would be an interesting and active tank.

 

[AU Chief]

So you are purposely putting 2 competitors (nic vs neet) in only a 4 foot long tank? I feel sorry for the nics already. The neets will destroy their fry.

This highlighted my need for further clarity.

What I'm really asking is:

If I have a pair or Nics and a pair of Septemfascista, would a pair of Neets be a bridge to far.

Judging from your comments, I'm guessing yes. Any tankmate suggestions for Nice?

 

[AU Chief]

I have found that nics and neets do not work well together.

Thank you for this reply. I had been skeptical of the neets' agression, I did not even take into account the Nics' agression.

Originally, I had intended to have a pair of Nics and a pair of astatheros longminaus or rostratus, but they are not easily obtained so I've been searching for other options.

 

[Gourami Swami]

http://www.cichlidsoftheamericas.com/id2.html
Dan at CoA (reputable vendor) has 1" and 2-3" rostratus in stock.
Again, I think you will have issues eventually with keeping more than one pair in this tank. The rostratus take forever to grow, so it may work for a long time. But a fully grown pair of rostratus and nicaraguense in a 75 sounds like too much for the amount of territory to me.

 

[PhishMon84]

A male Nic is stunning- totally centerpiece for this size tank- it has me rethinking my living room 75.
iME they grow very quickly too

 

[AU Chief]

http://www.cichlidsoftheamericas.com/id2.html
Dan at CoA (reputable vendor) has 1" and 2-3" rostratus in stock.
Again, I think you will have issues eventually with keeping more than one pair in this tank. The rostratus take forever to grow, so it may work for a long time. But a fully grown pair of rostratus and nicaraguense in a 75 sounds like too much for the amount of territory to me.

That's the only place I could find them, and the $100 minimum order before shipping put me off. If he had any other fish I was interested in, it would be a different story. As far as two breeding pairs, I was working off the cookie cutter from the cichlid forum website. But, that's why I'm here to get feedback from others.