Stocking question (severums and geophagus)

[Shiva144]

Hi,
I‘m a new member, but have been reading here a lot in the last few months

I will be receiving my new tank in 1-2 weeks. It‘s going to be 200x50x60cm and my severums and geophagus from my current, smaller (120x50x60cm) tank will be moving into it. I currently have 6 young Severums (2 Rotkeil, 2 Red Spotted, 2 Gold), 6 Geophagus pryocephalus/tapajos and 2 L397 plecos in this tank.

Now, my questions are:

1. Should I add a schooling fish as dither fish? Diamond tetras for example?
2. Is my tank full when it comes to cichlids? I also really love Geophagus Sveni and would like to add a group of 5-6, but I‘m worried about aggression, especially because they also get quite large.

Thanks in advance for your advice

 

[duanes]

At full adult growth, your current cichlids will more than max out your new tank, of 160 gallons.
You can add a shoal of dither fish such as tetras, but if it were me, I would add more cichlids for many reasons.I
Just so you know where I´m coming from, and my experience level, I´ve been keeping cichlids cichlids since the late 1950s

 

[neutrino]

Agree with Duane, full tank already as adults. G. sveni groups are relatively space hungry ime (3 groups), more so than the smaller pyrocephalus, which I bred for some years. I can imagine an adult pair of sveni possibly working with a pair or group of pyrocephalus (not that I've tried it), but a group of both would take a larger tank imo. That doesn't consider the severums, which typically work nicely with 'Suriname group' geos ime, including sveni, and I've kept groups of 6-8 adult rotkeil severums with a few pyrocephalus-- I was breeding both and had them all over the place at one point. But for me, at least, sveni have been different. Excepting, perhaps a severum group with a single pair of sveni, from what I've seen keeping them together I'd want a bigger tank for 6 severums and an adult sveni group. My opinion.

--My sveni can be pretty riotous with each other at breeding time-- not having any larger than 6 ft tanks I've had to split some sveni groups to calm things down. Similar with some severums if they won't back down or give the sveni enough space. One or the other needs to back down and if neither one does it's a ruckus. It wasn't an issue for me with rotkeils but for me they were more easy going than, for example, the notatus I have now. Hard to cover every possibility. I presently have 3 sveni, 3 notatus, one adult, two about 4 inches, and a fairly large Rio Essequibo scalare that have all worked things out amicably in a 135 gal tank-- the sveni just don't attempt to spawn much.

That and an L200 and L14 pleco in the tank that mostly do their own thing.