New Tank - 150 Gallons - Fish Suggestions

quacketj said:
I REALLY want some blue rams, however, I don't understand the major differences in the species itself. Bolivian? German? Balloon? I need the hardiest which can survive in my tank, so I'm willing to sacrifice the beauty aspect yet still be able to have a few of these fish.
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Bolivian rams (Microgeophagus altispinosa) are far different from blue rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi). Call blue rams 'blue rams'.;) 'German blue rams' were bred from Germany. You also get names such as 'Holland blue ram', 'Czech blue rams', etc.:shakehead:

Blue rams are available in gold, balloon, veiltail and even a mix of all three. Balloons are really deformed fish which are not worth it IMO.

The next big question I have is cycling my new tank. What do you think would be some good dither fish that would be compatible with what I already have? My first thought were tiger barbs, but no way in hell will they get near my angels. Then I thought zebra danios. Hopefully I can find a pack of larger ones so that they won't be swallowed when the big guys arrive. How many should I start off with? Won't it take a while for the ammonia level to rise in such a large tank?
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What's the stocklist so far?
 
I forgot to talk about the other potential cichlid tank mates. Severums seem to get too large, so I'm not interested. The same goes for uarus. What are geos? I'm really unfamiliar with them.

I'm really interested in a pair of firemouth cichlids. Their size seems to remain smaller, 6" or so at full size. They also seem to be a rather passive cichlid. What about keyhole cichlids, or even kribs? Does anyone else see a problem with a pair of these fish?

On a non cichlid type fish I do like the idea of a school of congo tetras.

PS - In the next few weeks I'll be building a custom stand and canopy with a friend of mine who owns his own woodworking shop. I'll be taking plenty of pictures of the entire project. Who knows, maybe I'll create myself a little space on this here internet and broadcast the project to anyone interested.

Regards,
Tim
 
quacketj said:
I forgot to talk about the other potential cichlid tank mates. Severums seem to get too large, so I'm not interested. The same goes for uarus. What are geos? I'm really unfamiliar with them.
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Look up Geophagus brasiliensis and Geophagus steindachneri as prime examples.:) They're also called 'earth eaters'.

I'm really interested in a pair of firemouth cichlids. Their size seems to remain smaller, 6" or so at full size. They also seem to be a rather passive cichlid. What about keyhole cichlids, or even kribs? Does anyone else see a problem with a pair of these fish?

On a non cichlid type fish I do like the idea of a school of congo tetras.
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I prefer keyholes more than kribs and firemouths.
 
Lupin said:
What's the stocklist so far?
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In my 29 gallon I have three angelfish, two clown loaches, a blood parrot, and a common pleco.

My thoughts are the danios won't survive when the big fish move in, but if they become somewhat of an expensive starter then feeder fish, I'll be content with that. (sorry if that offends anyone)

I really want rams, as stated previously. I'm just looking for any other peaceful/passive cichlids to complement the tank that will co-exist with my current fish.
 
quacketj said:
In my 29 gallon I have three angelfish, two clown loaches, a blood parrot, and a common pleco.

My thoughts are the danios won't survive when the big fish move in, but if they become somewhat of an expensive starter then feeder fish, I'll be content with that. (sorry if that offends anyone)

I really want rams, as stated previously. I'm just looking for any other peaceful/passive cichlids to complement the tank that will co-exist with my current fish.
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The angels and clowns need to be moved. Rehome the common pleco though to another large tank or give it away and replace with bristlenose plecos, queen arabesque or Panaque maccus.

Congo tetras are nice choices. Try keyholes, festivums, rams or apistogrammas. All can work well with the angels and tetras although the clown loaches will stress out the cichlids (not counting the angelfish) from their constant movements as they tend to dwell the bottom most of the time.
 
I'd say Severums, Keyholes, Dwarf Flags or HRP's would be fine. Firemouths are hit or miss as far as aggression. A 150 with lots of cover may be fine tho. You can keep your common pleco and trade it as it grows bigger,many LFS will do this if the have a demand for bigger plecos.
 
I'd up your total of clown loaches to six and have a school of rainbowfish.

If you moved the entire contents of your 29 gallon to your 150 it should be an instant cycle. But that includes everything. The gravel, decorations, plants and most importantly the filter. Run it along side your new filter, even put half the media in your new filter and replace it with the new media from the new filter. So you will have the same bacteria and the same bioload. The extra volume of water will not affect the load on the filter.
 
Be careful with the convicts, they will terrorise the angel's, plus convicts are very territorial more so than angels. Good luck with your tank set-up.
 
It's set, the cycling should be a cake walk with my already existing tank. That really puts me at ease to know it will be that easy.

I will be adding to my clown loach school early on. The bala sharks are out of the equation at this point, there are just too many negatives to outweigh their positives.

Back to the cichlids: I'm definitely interested in rams, so getting them will be a for sure thing. The other cichlids I have had in mind are kribs, festiviums, keyholes, and possibly firemouths. Everything else either gets too large or is way too aggressive and I'd be concerned about my angels. I do understand that with any cichlid you'll have some territorial bickering, and the possibility of really territorial times when they are breeding. I'm just looking for some smaller unique fish that will add to the variety of my tank.

If you have any questions regarding my parrot here is a little background on him. The parrot gives his fair share of aggression, especially when feeding time comes around, but it's nothing the angels can't defend and give right back to him. I remember when I first brought the parrot home, my poor clown loaches were so afraid of him, now they don't even move out of the way when he comes around though. He's a big wanna-be bully, and I'm okay with that.

I'll be sure to keep the thread going, plenty of pictures and fun times to come. I'm really looking forward to it!

Regards,
Tim
 
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