[chrispyweld]

So I have been rearranging my tanks and right now in my 125g I have...

1 3" Albino tiger Oscar
2 2-3" severums
1 2" GT
1 4" salvini
1 2" Firemouth
5 silver dollars
1 rubberlip plec
1 striped raphael catfish

What do you think is the likely hood of long term success?? I have had mostly CA's in the past and this is the closest to an all SA tank I have had.

The Firemouth and silver dollars will be the first to be removed as it gets too crowded. The silver dollars are just there to fill the tank while everything is small. they are 3-4" now and I have seen them spawning on a few occasions but they don't school how I would like and are huge pigs.

Please let me know what you would do if it was your set up.

 

[MetalHead06351]

I think between the oscar and 2 severums, it might get a little crowded with everyone else in there. If you ditched the oscar or the severums I think it could work.

 

[chrispyweld]

Only the 3 cichlids for a 125g?

 

[Joels fish]

I'd ditch either the oscar or the GT. The sevs should be fine and unless the sal or FM start getting to aggressive I can't see a reason to get rid of them. I see great success with that stocking minus one of the bigger growing species . Can't really see why it won't work.

 

[DeadFishFloating]

I pretty much had the same thoughts as MetalHead06351, but didn't want to jump in first.

chrispyweld it is possibly for a large tank to be overstocked with only 2 South American cichlids in it.

People often overstock thier African cichlid tanks to spread aggression. This doesn't always work with South American cichlids, especially when they are larger and/or aggressive species. Quite often the end result is the larger and/or more aggressive fish start harrassing the weaker fish, untill they perish. The stronger fish will weed out the weaker fish untill the fish sort out an appropriate stocking level themselves.

The 3 species of SA cichlids you have listed grow considerably larger and bulkier than the 2 species of CA cichlids listed. While the oscar and severums in general are more peacefull of those listed, they are more than capable of retaliating if picked on.

Another consideration is the levels of waste produced by some of these fish. Some of those fish will produce a lot of waste, particular the pleco, oscar and silver dollars. You will need a high level of filtration on the tank, something like a combination of a sump and 2 canister filters.

The stock list you listed in your fist post, most of those fish grow to a decent size, so while a 125 gallon tank might look big enough with all those fish around 2 to 3 inches, waite till most of them push past 6 inches.

Are the severums male and female? If they pair up, and spawn, they will command a considerable area of the tank to defend as thier territory, and this area only gets bigger if the fry make it past the wiggler stage to the free swimming stage.

Have you researched all the fish you are planning to keep in your tank? Find a couple of different sites and read the species profiles.

 

[chrispyweld]

Like I said, the silver dollars are definitely going as is the Firemouth.

Both severums appear to be female.

The rubberlips IME are not as big of a waste producers as common plecs as they are not wood raspers. That and that fact that they stay WAY smaller.

The salvini is the wild card but as of now she is very mellow. She would be the next to go if there are problems.

That would leave..
1 O
1 GT
2 Severum
1 Salvini (unless she gets crazy)
a plec and a cat.

I have 2 XP3's, 1 XP2, and an AC110 on this tank. I have another AC110 to add if needed. I do 50% water changes every 5 days which keeps my nitrates well below 20ppm. This will probably have to become more frequent as they get larger I'm sure but that's not a problem.

Yeah I have done some research.

 

[DeadFishFloating]

Yeah I have done some research.

Ooops, I guess you have.

Sometimes I need to open my eyes a little more and read a persons profile. Sorry mate. Sometimes I jump to the conclusion that just new members ask such questions and never consider thier prior experiences before joining C-F. And sometimes, as is this case, I just blunder in without reading all the appropriate information about the person asking the question.

 

[Joels fish]

You might want to consider leaving the Sal out of the mix anyway. I dont know why I didn't think of this earlier, but my Sal female paired up with my male GT. I'm not saying it'll happen to you , but better safe than having a sal and gt(or even sal and oscar) making life misserable for everyone. Besides this is pretty much an all SA tank, might as well go all the way SA.

 

[chrispyweld]

No worries DeadFishFloating I assume the same some time and I am asking for your opinion which you gave and I appreciate.

Joels fish I have worried about this too. The reasons I am trying to keep the Sal around is that it is the only fish my wife takes any interest in, she is gorgeous, and very personable. It is the only Salvini I have heard of that will eat from your hand. In the past I have pretty much gotten rid of all the fish my wife likes due to aggression/pairing and overstocking, she's starting to take it personally. :lol:

I will be getting either a 180 or a 125 wide which has the same foot print in the next 6 months or so (next time Glass Cages comes my way) to replace the 125g I have and a 75g in the next few weeks. If it becomes an issue I will definitely remove her to one of those.