What CAs would you stock in my custom tank?

[RyanM]

Last weekend I picked up this custom tank (34x27x17") on Craigslist. Tank had been ordered from Texas and sat in the guys house for a year and now he is moving and didn't want to take it with him. I ordered a AI Prime freshwater light and plan to have quite a bit of driftwood and live plants (some floating, maybe some lillies, some various easy rooted) with PFS for sand. Filtration will be a Fluval 406 along with some peace lillies and pothos growing in (what used to be) the external overflow box.



The options I currently have to populate the tank with:

Pair of Het's 5-6" (too big?)
4x 2" Rainbow/multispinosa
5x 1" A. Kanna
5x 1" Panamensis
3x 2" Cutteri (pretty sure I have M/2F)

I was thinking of stocking with the Rainbows + one of the other groups. My worry is that long term the Panamensis/Cutteri are going to be too aggressive, so that leaves me with the Kanna/Raindow pairing.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

 

[PhishMon84]

I would pick a single pair and let them have it. It’s similar to a 40 breeder and and that’s fine for a pair of amitlania or cryptoheros or thoricthys.
Dithers may be possible if they are tough, like Buenos Aires tetras

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Personally I think I would skip c/a fish and look at something like apistogramma.
Their behaviour can be fascinating and you won't be too concerned about space.
The way you describe decorating the tank sounds ideal and you have a wide choice of compatible non cichlid tank mates.

If I were to go down the c/a route, I think the rainbows as the only cichlids and some live bearers would be your best long term option.

 

[RyanM]

Personally I think I would skip c/a fish and look at something like apistogramma.
Their behaviour can be fascinating and you won't be too concerned about space.
The way you describe decorating the tank sounds ideal and you have a wide choice of compatible non cichlid tank mates.

If I were to go down the c/a route, I think the rainbows as the only cichlids and some live bearers would be your best long term option.

I really wish I could do apistos or cool SA cichlids but my water is really hard and even if they adapted, I'm not sure they would do well long term.

Maybe I will put the rainbows in and find some interesting livebearers to go with them. Already have a school to BA tetras and am a little tired of how rambunctious they are, even in a bigger tank.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

I really wish I could do apistos or cool SA cichlids but my water is really hard and even if they adapted, I'm not sure they would do well long term.

Maybe I will put the rainbows in and find some interesting livebearers to go with them. Already have a school to BA tetras and am a little tired of how rambunctious they are, even in a bigger tank.

Brachyrhaphis species can be found living alongside rainbows in the wild.
Would make a lovely little biotope if you can source some.
Brachyrhaphis rhabdorpha are around sometimes.

 

[duanes]

I agree with the other that the tank is too small for some of the species on your list except the multispinossa, panamense, and maybe the kanna, but it is also too small for more than 1 pair, and some dither fish.
Cutteri get too large, and will rip up your plants, as do the heterospilla (I assume thats what a Het is)
This male cutteri hit 7 inches and was almost that tall.

panamese can also get that size but grow rather slowly and (for me) easy on plants


another reasonable choice for that size tank would be nanoluteus

or the Gymnogeophagus from southern South America where water is harder, and cooler.
I kept and and bred them in my alkaline Milwaukee tap water without a heater.

 

[Covetous]

This tank screams planted tank to me, with a nice hanging light. A bright green carpeted substrate and a pair of Apistogramma and a little school of cardinal Tetra’s.

I know you said you have hard water, but some apistos can do just fine in hard water. I have some and here where I live in Florida our water is liquid rock. Granted my tanks have lots of driftwood and rotting leaves that soften the water. But my guys do just fine, granted they may never be amazing breeders but they are healthy, happy and beautifully colored.

Ps. I really like this tank shape, it’s got a lot of potential for an original and interesting set up. Congrats on the quality pickup.

 

[Predatorykeeper]

German Rams?

 

[Gourami Swami]

Super cool looking tank!
From your list, I would put the rainbows in here. Whole group should be fine in my opinion as long as you keep up on maintenance. If you have 1m 3f, that would be ideal, 2 pairs might butt heads in this size tank.

The others, I agree would be pushing it in this size. My panamensis male killed my female when they were the only cichlids in a 90 gallon (actually did better when there were others to distract him). So I would say in this size tank it would be difficult to keep anything but a single panamensis. I still have my big male, and he lives in a planted tank now, he doesn't rip up the plants.
Kanna I have not kept- but nigrofasciata and siquia, which I haave kept and are similar, seem too mean to do in this tank.

 

[RyanM]

Interesting comments from all, thank you!

I am now slightly rethinking the idea of an Apisto setup, given what Covetous said about hard Fla. water. I will have quite a bit of driftwood and have used leaves and other tannin leaching litter in the past.

Stanzzzz7 Recommendations on hardiest apistos? cacatuoides,bBorelli?

duanes what is your experience with the Panamensis in terms of aggression?