Over-stocking effects for Americans?

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cichlid_8810

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Sep 24, 2010
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Forgive me if a thread like this has been done before but I couldn't come across one with the answers I am looking for.

I have been doing a bit of reading about stocking levels for both African and American cichlids. In African tanks as many of you know it can be done to spread/limit aggression across the tank.

I was wondering if this was a possibility for Americans, obviously with no less than say a 75 Gallon. Would it be possible to have say 7 - 8 different species in there, even say some of the larger species.

What I want to know is:

What are the long term effects with regards to growth? Would they never hit max size and only get to no more than say 7" or 8" ?

What about the aggression issue, would that be spread much better than having one or two maybe only 3 species in there?

Again sorry if this has been asked many times, I would appreciate your answers with this...

Thanks for your time
 
I have had no problems having 10 different species in a 150g when they are all 3-4" but you cannot keep them in this living condition when they start getting 6-7" they will get territorial and fight for territory killing eachother off until they are content. I would recommend doing it this way if your not sure what you really want and just selling the rest or have seperate tanks for them. I just got new tanks and seperated them accordingly and sold off the ones that I didn't have room for or didn't want to keep.
 
Never tried it with aggressive species but had a really over stocked 55g and had no problems with growth since I kept quality water, however when I transferred that stock to a 125g I started having territorial bickering with my geos.
 
with African cichlids its ok to have large numbers to spread aggression. What I have seen from personal experience in keeping Central or South American cichlids is that if you have lets say 5 different species in a tank, they will get Very territorial. They don't spread aggression like Africans do, they all gang up on the weakest fish in the tank and kill it. Then the next weakest fish and so on. When its all said and done, they will kill each other until (depending on tank size) you end up with just a few cichlds in your tank. As far as growth, they will grow and get to almost normal size with proper care, i.e. frequent water changes, good diet etc. But I would not recommend overstocking TOO much.
 
75gal might be little small but if you can get maybe 150 it could work.
In the end it will depend on the fish you put in the tank and how much "territory" you can supply them.
What I have found to work for me is allot of driftwood organized in a maze type of way and some nice big pieces for the aggro fish to claim.

What fish are you planning to add in this tank?
 
I have a habit of overstocking my South/Central American tanks in the beginning but always end up thinning it down later. Thats ok with me though because over time you kind of figure out which ones you want to keep anyway and the rest I either sell or take to the LFS for a store credit.
 
Since you didn't list any specific species it's hard to answer this question. Overstocking large aggressive New Worls Cichlid species takes seriously large tanks.
75 gal. is a good Mbuna tank, fish that only get 4-8" however not a real ideal size for fish that get 12-24" in length with big bulky robust bodies.
 
Its all about balancing fish temperments. This comes with experience, because most newcomers who switch to cichlids will try to put 5 cichlids they like (which are usually the 5 most aggressive species) in a 75gal then get disheartened because all their fish killed eachother. 10+ SA/CA in anything less A 150gal is madness.
This is a really good piece of advice.
What I like to do is fish 1 find that a really like above all. Thats your centerpiece, then you add species that can mesh well with that. Not by picking several fish you like and hoping they get along.
 
SA cichlids may be more forgiving in over stocking, but only with smaller ones like dwarfs. CA cichlids would be more difficult. From my experience most like to have 4' of territory but may tolorate tank mates. It can be very tricky.
 
Thanks for your advice so far everyone.

Well lets say I have my 75 G right now and it has a Herichys Carpintis and two Jack Dempseys. I wouldnt mind a Jaguar at some point, so i'll put that on my list though I am aware of their potential size not to mention predatory reputation.

Here is a list of my favourite species so feel feel to tell me what would not work and what would and how many baring in mind there are 3 already in there and they are 4 inch and two 5 inch.

Midas
Jaguar
Oscar
Green Terror
Festae

Hybrid
Flowerhorn

I am really not at all fussed on what goes in as I really like any CA cichlid. I wouldnt mind a few bigger cichlids in there but won't be stubborn, only if its right. I hate the idea of cichlids growth being stunted etc they should be free to reach a nice decent size.

Would growth be slower if there was a larger group?

Thanks
 
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