Stocking a 75 with some SAs

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you have gradually been wanting to go more aggressive. just jump into the deep end and get a red devil! :)

Okay. Well people keep telling me I should just get one big glass banger. If I were to do that, what would you recommend? And I don't want a Midas or midevil because they just look like giant goldfish to me most of the time.


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I don't have much experience with larger pikes - only the dwarf varieties. Consider checking the Crenicichla subforum for recommendations. I'm not sure whether C. dimerus would work - aren't they a species that tolerates (and perhaps requires) a cool down period? Perhaps it depends on where they were collected - might be fine. G. brasiliensis come in a variety of color varieties, but to each his own in terms of preference. I really like the colors on this female I've had a for a while.

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I will have to look into the pikes because I have always wanted one. One of the issues I have is ease of availability. I don't see a lot of pikes in my LFSs and when I do, they are small and the store either can't ID them or incorrectly IDs them. There is also the fact that the pike genus is massive and searching for any one pike is virtually an impossibility, which makes settling on something difficult for me because I don't like making snap decisions and by the time I come around to it, they are usually gone. :(

I have never come across any info saying Cichlasoma dimerus need a cool down, but I don't know a lot about them. If its true, I will have to skip them.

I am not a fan of bras geos because of their body shape. Color is great, but there is something about their shape that doesn't make me thrilled with them. Not bad, just not any "wow" factor for me.


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Okay. Well people keep telling me I should just get one big glass banger. If I were to do that, what would you recommend? And I don't want a Midas or midevil because they just look like giant goldfish to me most of the time.


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Single black belt!! Love my little girl to death and once she puts on some more size my 90 will be all hers.


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^^black belt would be pretty sweet!.... a few severums would likely get along with most cichlids in there.
 
^^black belt would be pretty sweet!.... a few severums would likely get along with most cichlids in there.

Not a fan of the color of black belts. But thanks for the suggestions. I had thought to do a single severum with some rams or kribs, but decided I wanted something more aggressive. Plus I will have a pair of sevs in the 150+ once in get one.

lyonsi ? istlanum? carpintis vontehillo/escondido? RTM? female red terror?

Not a huge fan of anything that gets a hump on its head. Just not my cup of tea.

I would possibly be interested in a female RTM or red terror. They seem quite pretty. Especially since they are predatory and could help me take care of any kulls or extras I need to get rid of from some of my breeding projects. Definitely food for thought. Thanks. :)


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With regards to pikes, saxatilis family, belly crawlers, and sveni's are what commonly show up in many LFS for under $15. They are easy to identify at the lengths that they are caught (2-4"). The only potential large ones that show up at that price range are Venezuela from the lugubris family, and those are really easy to identify at the same size.
 
While not SAs, there are a couple ways you could go with CAs. If you want aggression, look into the Herichthys family - H. Deppi has been on my wish list for a while now. Or you could go more peaceful with the Thorichthys(Firemouth) family - lots of good looking examples here but a bit hard to track down.
 
With regards to pikes, saxatilis family, belly crawlers, and sveni's are what commonly show up in many LFS for under $15. They are easy to identify at the lengths that they are caught (2-4"). The only potential large ones that show up at that price range are Venezuela from the lugubris family, and those are really easy to identify at the same size.

Sweet. Thanks for the info. I am possibly picking up an F1 festae tomorrow, but I will definitely keep this in mind for a future tank. I have been wanting to acquire some pikes for a while now. It's definitely on the "to do" list of setups. :)


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While not SAs, there are a couple ways you could go with CAs. If you want aggression, look into the Herichthys family - H. Deppi has been on my wish list for a while now. Or you could go more peaceful with the Thorichthys(Firemouth) family - lots of good looking examples here but a bit hard to track down.

My comfort zone has always been SAs. I have tried some CAs in the past and they just didn't work out for me. I suppose those experiences have tainted my stock lists quite a bit.


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