help stocking a 200 gallon cichlid tank.....new to larger cichlids.....please reply!!

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communityfish35

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Mar 7, 2011
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will be filtered with 3 aquaclear 110's and a cascade 1500 canister filter((how do you setup the canister filter?never had one before.....)is this enough filtration?)

will cichlids mess up plants? if so, i might add a silk plant here and there but it will mostly be ALOT of rock caves,driftwood,bogwood,slate tunnels and black sand as substrate.

i know to cycle tank

the only ones i really want is an oscar and 2 blood parrots(i love both of there personalities)

it will be SA/CA cichlid tank. will feed live,pellet,frozen and flake rotating throughout.

some cichlids that interest me...

firemouths
severums
rainbow cichlid
african knifefish(love these!!!)
and thats it....any other suggestions for cichlids?

i really wanted a ropefish....too bad one of the first pictures in google images if you type in "rope fish" is an oscar eating one!!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek:

i would really like a group of tinfoil barbs as dithers...how many?

so can anyone put some numbers with the words and come up with a mock stocking list for this? thanks alot if you do that!!!!

tell me if you need more info!!!!

:):):):lol::lol::lol::lol::bowing::bowing::nilly::nilly::headbang2::hitting::hitting::sim::pc::pc::bday::bday::read::eek:wned::joe::shocked::shocked::shocked::look::look::look::fairy::shark::shark::hang::hang::hang::tombstone::tombstone::cheers::cheers::joke::chillpill::SaiyanSmilie_anim::SaiyanSmilie_anim::SaiyanSmilie_anim::mwave::mwave::mwave::mwave::mwave::mwave::mwave::mwave:
 

TabisFish

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Eventually , depending on the oscar's personality, he will chew on the parrots. Oscars are omnivores and like some meat and some veggies. He'll get about 13" and the parrot only gets 6". You can always divide the tank and have South American cichlids in one side, and african / lake/ river/ cichlids on the other :)
 

user_name

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um.... he never suggested having oscars or bp's....


If you go with a SA/CA tank, I really reccomend going for more driftwood/plants then rock. If you want to go with a REALLY nice looking "community" tank, get 5-6 Jurupari eartheaters (I love mine), and then plant it with real live plants. You can then add in fish like pictus cats OR a CRAPLOAD of corydoras for the bottom, a pleco or two, and then a couple big schools of tetras and/or rainbows.


If you want fish with personality, then I reccomend looking into Jack Dempseys, Oscars, and Jaguars. These guys are the friendliest IMO, and are nice looking fish.

Wish I could help you out some more, but I'm not that knowledgeable on chiclids. I reccomend that you check out lake Mbuna or lake Tangayikan african chiclids, they love rock work and are beautiful fish.
 

Eclipse_sky

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Feb 17, 2011
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You can keep ropefish with oscars if u get them both as juveniles. And that filtration sounds good to me lol. I'm not sure how to hook up canisters though.....I've never used them although I have 3 that someone gave me *shrug*. There's a cichlid out there that looks like a Bolivian ram but it gets big and it has blue streaks near it's mouth. I saw it in my lfs and fell in love but I can't remember the name. If anyone knows please reply lol.
 

GEV83

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um.... he never suggested having oscars or bp's....


If you go with a SA/CA tank, I really reccomend going for more driftwood/plants then rock. If you want to go with a REALLY nice looking "community" tank, get 5-6 Jurupari eartheaters (I love mine), and then plant it with real live plants. You can then add in fish like pictus cats OR a CRAPLOAD of corydoras for the bottom, a pleco or two, and then a couple big schools of tetras and/or rainbows.


If you want fish with personality, then I reccomend looking into Jack Dempseys, Oscars, and Jaguars. These guys are the friendliest IMO, and are nice looking fish.

Wish I could help you out some more, but I'm not that knowledgeable on chiclids. I reccomend that you check out lake Mbuna or lake Tangayikan african chiclids, they love rock work and are beautiful fish.

user_name try reading the OP's full post as they clearly state they want an Oscar and BP's. Don't just look at the lil list they provide. Also Jaguars have a horrible disposition. They are one of the meanest cichlids you could obtain and at a possible 18" full grown size it would be to big for most other cichlids to deal with. Also JD's can also be aggressive.


Out of the fish you listed the Rainbow cichlid is out they stay way to small to be housed with an Oscar who has the potential to get 14"+ the firemouths stay bout 6" and the knifefish I wouldnt know never been into them to research them. All I know is from what Ive been told is they get HUGE. Ummmm severums may work they tend to be able to hold there own. You may be able to get away with a green terror or jack dempsey since there attitudes will make up for there lack of size compared to the oscar when there full grown. Either way though its a risk. I would honestly try a group of oscars but thats just me.
 

communityfish35

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how about this?>>>>...

1 oscar
2 blue acaras
2 blood parrots
2 firemouths
2 severums
6-8 tinfoil barbs
1 african brown knife fish
1 sailfin pleco

is that good?
 

GEV83

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That's gonna become an over stocked tank with all those fish. Check it out

Oscars - 14"
Blue Acara's - 6-7"
Blood Parrot's - 8-10"
Firemouths - 6-7"
Severums - 10"
Tinfoil Barb's - 14"
African Brown Knife Fish - 12"
Sailfin Pleco - 18"+

That's gonna be one huge bio-load specially with the Oscar and the Sailfin Pleco (Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps) in there. Oscars are very messy eaters and all giant pleco's have one thing in common. There GIGANTIC poop machines. 6-8 Tinfoil barbs is alot for even a 200 gallon aquarium. The African Brown Knife Fish I feel would not last long with the cichlids. You may want to switch up what kind of fish you want. I think the Oscar with the Acara's and possibly the blood parrots may work or with the firemouths. Severum's do good with Oscars but I'm not sure how they would do against the BP's FM's or BA's since Severums can sometimes have attitudes and would most likely be able to over power all the smaller cichlids.
 

communityfish35

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oh woops wrong list.....

this is what i meant
1 oscar
2 blue acaras
2 severums
2 firemouths
6 tinfoil barbs
african brown knife fish

????
 

communityfish35

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Mar 7, 2011
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oh woops wrong list.....

this is what i meant
1 oscar
2 blue acaras
2 severums
2 firemouths
6 tinfoil barbs
african brown knife fish

????
 

TabisFish

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Wow. I posted my last post in the wrong thread! so sorry ! lol
 
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