Thoughts on my overstocked, mixed cichlid 55 gallon?

[Juhason]

*** I DID NOT PURCHASE ALL THESE FISH YET ***

I was wondering if overstocking CA/SA cichlids works in a similar way as .African Cichlids. for curbing aggression?

What is already in the tank:
3" Female Convict (Queen of the tank)
2.5" Salvini (Possibly female but I'm not certain)
2.5" .Jewel Cichlid. (most likely male, also yes... I know he's not CA or SA)
2.5" Opaline Gourami (Actually really chill fish and surprisingly, the convict who terrorizes anything that moves does not care about him at all... sometimes even gets along with him. No one else cares about him either... again I know, not CA/SA)
2" Clown Pleco
2" Bristlenose Pleco

Right now things are a bit unstable, but no ripped fins or cowering fish. Things are working out for the time being. But I know as they grow things can change quickly. So here's ideas on other fish to add if the overstocking idea works (just throwing out ideas, not suggesting I get all the fish I'm listing):
1 Jack Dempsey
1 Severum (I'm confused on this one, I see some people have them in tanks with CA cichlids but are they aggressive enough?)
1 Green Sunfish (I just love native fish and would love to see them in my tank... .Greens. are tough)
1 Pumpkinseed (again native)

I have two HOB filters rated for 75 gallons each and one powerfilter rated for 40 gallons. Right now I'm changing 20% of the water weekly since I am in school and working and it's working well since they are still pretty small. I can up the water changes as they grow.

Anyways, thoughts? Suggestions?

Just no hate please! I do my research but I also like pushing my limits I take very good care of my pets once I get them! I promise! And please remember, I don't actually own all these fish yet...

 

[Gourami Swami]

Well crowding doesn't lessen aggression even in Africans, what it does is distract the dominant fish from the subordinates and stop fish from getting singled out and killed. So instead of the dominant fish chasing one or two fish relentlessly, he is chasing 5+ fish, and they all get a break while he is chasing the others.
Your tank is not really large enough for this to work with central americans unfortunately. You would need to have more like 7+ fish to see the affects of crowding work, but a 55 gallon is not enough for 7 of the species you listed to live in. If you really wanted to try a tank like this, I would clear out your stock and do 7 nanoluteus. They stay small enough to have a colony in a 55.
Your stocking right now is not so bad. I could see the salvini being a problem at full size, but if they aren't killing each other I would stick it out until they are and then remove things.
]

 

[Juhason]

Well crowding doesn't lessen aggression even in Africans, what it does is distract the dominant fish from the subordinates and stop fish from getting singled out and killed. So instead of the dominant fish chasing one or two fish relentlessly, he is chasing 5+ fish, and they all get a break while he is chasing the others.
Your tank is not really large enough for this to work with central americans unfortunately. You would need to have more like 7+ fish to see the affects of crowding work, but a 55 gallon is not enough for 7 of the species you listed to live in. If you really wanted to try a tank like this, I would clear out your stock and do 7 nanoluteus. They stay small enough to have a colony in a 55.
Your stocking right now is not so bad. I could see the salvini being a problem at full size, but if they aren't killing each other I would stick it out until they are and then remove things.
]

Ok thank you! I really do love those yellow convict looking fish, but I have never seen them before... I wonder if I could chose another smaller cichlid? What if I did 5-7 female convicts? Or is that a disaster waiting to happen??

 

[Gourami Swami]

5-7 female convicts would probably work. I mean it's a tossup with cichlids always, and convicts are mean, but the females aren't as bad and only get to around 3-4" max. I'd say you have a pretty good shot of putting that off and would be an interesting tank.

 

[MRE]

I like your current stock. I wouldn't add a Jack Dempsey because it'll probably get too big. A severum could be okay if you went with a smaller one. I have a couple of severum's in my 220 with an arowana and a clown knife and they hold their own no problem.

 

[Juhason]

5-7 female convicts would probably work. I mean it's a tossup with cichlids always, and convicts are mean, but the females aren't as bad and only get to around 3-4" max. I'd say you have a pretty good shot of putting that off and would be an interesting tank.

Cool, excited to try it!

I like your current stock. I wouldn't add a Jack Dempsey because it'll probably get too big. A severum could be okay if you went with a smaller one. I have a couple of severum's in my 220 with an arowana and a clown knife and they hold their own no problem.

Don't severums get bigger than dempseys? I think I'm going to stick with my current stock though while it sworking but once they get too big and mean I'll swap them out