Stocking for 10x3x3

[josh1986]

Hi guys,

I am upgrading from my 7x2x2.5 and 5x2x2 to a 10x3x3. Wondering if you think this stocking will be OK?

1 festae female 5 inch
1 synspillum female 6 inch
1 freddy male 6 inch
1 jd male 6 inch
1 gt gold male 7 inch
1 gt white male 4 inch
1 zonatus 2 inch
1 texas 2 inch think female
1 coatzcoalus 3 inch
1 bocurti 3 inch pretty sure male
4 silver dollars
1 salmon tail cat
1 featherfin cat

I know breeding may eventually happen but ignoring the breeding for now do you guys think there is enough room in my new tank for this combo to work or am I stretching my luck with a community set up?

 

[dan518]

You should stand a better chance then most in a tank of that size but you still have some heavy hitters in there which could lead to problems. I dont think you can ignore the potential breeding problems, increaste aggression and thousands of hybrid fry that no one will want. With some carefull thought about the stocking you could have a truly amazing tank.

 

[josh1986]

You should stand a better chance then most in a tank of that size but you still have some heavy hitters in there which could lead to problems. I dont think you can ignore the potential breeding problems, increaste aggression and thousands of hybrid fry that no one will want. With some carefull thought about the stocking you could have a truly amazing tank.

I agree with u about the breeding... I'm thinking of trying to get a only male tank but I do like the look of the female festae and my synspilum female is awesome aswell. Are all female tanks easier to have in a community due to the smaller sizes? Also I know they try to lay eggs either way so will there be aggression when this occurs? What's the thoughts on this?

 

[dan518]

Females are generally less agro then males but if they lay eggs they can be problematic. You also might find that a female festae won't colour up with out a male about, especially if she isn't the dominant fish.

 

[josh1986]

Ah bummer... OK well I want a good mix of nice coloured cichlids with personalities like the ones I have ( not brazils or anything like them) . What would you suggest?

 

[dan518]

With a tank that size you have lots of choice. It sounds like you want festae, why not go for a breeding pair with some midsized tankmates in a well scaped setup. Few examples of some successful community tanks.

 

[josh1986]

With a tank that size you have lots of choice. It sounds like you want festae, why not go for a breeding pair with some midsized tankmates in a well scaped setup. Few examples of some successful community tanks.

Cool question is if these tanks can be OK especially the top one with the argentea cichlids, what makes them different to mine bar the females? Are these tanks stocked with less aggressive cichlids, I know the bocurti tank is? The bottom tank is OK but very dull with just those cichlids in it. Not saying there not impressive just not a lot of colour. Are those tanks around the 650 gallon mark aswell?

 

[dan518]

Cool question is if these tanks can be OK especially the top one with the argentea cichlids, what makes them different to mine bar the females? Are these tanks stocked with less aggressive cichlids, I know the bocurti tank is? The bottom tank is OK but very dull with just those cichlids in it. Not saying there not impressive just not a lot of colour. Are those tanks around the 650 gallon mark aswell?

Yes all these tanks are around the same size as yours. As to stocking these tanks have got pairs of different shape and colour, for instance in a big enough tank people can have success with parachromis spp and vieja spp, different shape colours and feeding. In your suggested stock you have freddys, jd, Gt, which could clash, you have bocourti, Coatzacoalcos, zonatus, synspillum which could clash. Its always going to be trial and error, with the possibility of having to remove/add fish to get a workable stock but some things are more likely to give you success than others.

 

[josh1986]

Yes all these tanks are around the same size as yours. As to stocking these tanks have got pairs of different shape and colour, for instance in a big enough tank people can have success with parachromis spp and vieja spp, different shape colours and feeding. In your suggested stock you have freddys, jd, Gt, which could clash, you have bocourti, Coatzacoalcos, zonatus, synspillum which could clash. Its always going to be trial and error, with the possibility of having to remove/add fish to get a workable stock but some things are more likely to give you success than others.

Ahh OK well I really like the festae, I have a few grow outs hoping to get a male, can't give up the freddy I'm in Australia and he's pretty rare and also the zonatus and bocurti????? Any chance if I get all males?

 

[dan518]

Ahh OK well I really like the festae, I have a few grow outs hoping to get a male, can't give up the freddy I'm in Australia and he's pretty rare and also the zonatus and bocurti????? Any chance if I get all males?

In a tank that size you stand a better chance then most, its always going to be trial and error, nobody can give you a definite answer. The zonatus could be the biggest problem but worth a shot.