SamH Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 There it is, my new 540L tank measuring 1800mm long x 600mm deep and 500mm in height. So far I have two stocking lists, one more peaceful than the other. Stocking list 1 Electric blue Jack Dempsey Oscar Red Severum Geophagus brasiliensis Blue Acara Midas cichlid Stocking list 2 Electric blue Jack Dempsey Oscar Jaguar cichlid Green terror and/or Red terror Texas cichlid Any thoughts and opinions from experienced cichlid keepers? I want fish around the 30cm mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Africans Won't be able to get any up to 30cm though but will look far better than any of those combinations... Can't really comment on your selections but seems like allot of big aggressive fish for a 540L tank.. Are you planning on just doing say 1 male of each species or groups? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 I think wth list one you may end up with just a midas in time. +1 Africans :bggrn: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 1 male of each species or groups? Just one of each, I'm going for a high action interesting tank that I can feed fish, crickets, etc to. I wouldn't mind a pair of large cichlids but I'd rather have variety. The only Africans I considered were Frontosas. EDIT: Just seen and WOW do we get Jags of that quality here?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Just one of each, I'm going for a high action interesting tank that I can feed fish, crickets, etc to. I wouldn't mind a pair of large cichlids but I'd rather have variety. The only Africans I considered were Frontosas. EDIT: Just seen and WOW do we get Jags of that quality here?? High action interesting tank with variety you can feed fish and crickets to = Africans my giraffes eat crickets all the time, and you can get all the colours/shapes/sizes and they are always at the front of the tank ready to be fed Here is a 540L African tank I used to have in my kitchen and you could make it look far better than this with some giraffes/kadangos in the mix. Generally you can't have much variety with the big south americans unless you have a much larger tank, they aren't as active as Africans but have allot more individual personality. Frontosas have the size but they are quite shy and not allot of action Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Stocking list 1 Electric blue Jack Dempsey Oscar Red Severum Geophagus brasiliensis Blue Acara Midas cichlid Stocking list 2 Electric blue Jack Dempsey Oscar Jaguar cichlid Green terror and/or Red terror Texas cichlid With #1 I think the midas would end up running the show, possibly to the detriment of the other more mellow species? It is the luck of the draw though, and with a female you might have better luck than a big alpha male. With #2, I think the EBJD could be a bit of a wuss compared to the others, it would be a bit of a gamble and you'd want to keep a close eye on it and be prepared to remove if necessary. I think the addition of some fast-moving dithers would help, and/or some smaller cichlids as targets like a couple of male convicts. You've got some potentially big fish there, but I've seen similar heavily stocked tanks work so long as your filtration is up to the task. I think Duncan7 has a couple of jags, couple of midas, texas, jd, cons, and maybe a few others in a 6x2x2', filtered with a sump and FX5. I think you're better having either one or a pair, or a whole bunch to spread the aggression and prevent too many turf wars. As for the nice jag in the video, he is a good looker for sure, but most large jags should look close to that if raised well. and anyone suggesting Africans must not have watched that video, that female festae and the big jag trump a bunch of blue and yellow torpedos any day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 anyone suggesting Africans must not have watched that video, that female festae and the big jag trump a bunch of blue and yellow torpedos any day!! My thoughts exactly 8) I'm open to any suggestions and I'm well aware that removing fish is a possibility. Just trying to get a good combo from the start, looking at getting fish from 5-10cm initially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 I would vote a list looking like the second one. Personaly I would buy all the fish at small sizes, and have them grow together, more chance of a successful com. I agree, I find JD to be weak and non agressive compared to some of the other fish on the list. Also my experiance of the blue variety is they are not as hardy regular ones. (but that may just be me) I suspect alot of the Jag looking so nice in the vid you posted has to do with diet, lighting, and being a/the dominant male in the tank it is in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 What if I grew a Jag up from a baby as the main fish in the tank? What other fish can go with him/her? Smaller non threatening cichlids or schooling fish? Are there any more spectacular fish that grow to such a size? Flowerhorns or Texas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 I had a FH in a tank of similar size and it destroyed plenty of stuff before I had to make the hard call to get rid of it. You may have the same issue. Also the more I look at your wood, the more I think you may want to smooth of some of the knobly bits for the fishes safety Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Also the more I look at your wood, the more I think you may want to smooth of some of the knobly bits for the fishes safetyGood point, I'll get out the sandpaper then! I wouldn't mind having just one large magnificent fish in the tank but it has to make jaws drop. Something like an oscar won't cut it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 What if I grew a Jag up from a baby as the main fish in the tank? What other fish can go with him/her? Smaller non threatening cichlids or schooling fish? Are there any more spectacular fish that grow to such a size? Flowerhorns or Texas? (going form experience from my one jag only, correct me if I am wrong) The thing with the Jag is that it is or can be aggressive and if it decides to be angry the fish in the tank have to be able to hold there own, or at least not be destroyed, so you will have more luck comming it is a tank with similar sized cichlids able then you would putting it with peaceful cichlids(imo. a recipie for disaster). You could also have it with a school of smaller fish (e.g. silver dollars). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 How are you gunna filter the beast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 What would be an ideal agro community then? Currently has an aquaone 2250 or something on it, might double that or sump it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 What if I grew a Jag up from a baby as the main fish in the tank? What other fish can go with him/her? Smaller non threatening cichlids or schooling fish? Are there any more spectacular fish that grow to such a size? Flowerhorns or Texas? I'd be growing them all out from juvi's if possible, starting with at least a couple of each so you can pick and choose and thin them out as they grow. Ideally you'll have all males or all females, last thing you want is a couple forming as all hell could break loose. I'd stay away from flowerhorns IMO, they tend to be exceptionally nasty, even by CA cichlid standards. There isn't really an "ideal" stock list for this sort of tank, it is all trial and error trying to get the balance right, and it is certainly easier to start off with too many small ones and thin them out as they grow than trying to mix adults together. Silver dollars would be OK as dithers but they can be a bit skittish with big cichlids. Roseline sharks would be nice (albeit pricey), larger rainbows would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 What if I grew a Jag up from a baby as the main fish in the tank? What other fish can go with him/her? Smaller non threatening cichlids or schooling fish? Are there any more spectacular fish that grow to such a size? Flowerhorns or Texas? i've been raising one of duncans jaguars (male) in my large tank. got him almost a year ago, very small. is now around 14cm and has been raised with jd's, convicts, texas, severum, angel fish and tin foil barbs. the JD is slightly bigger and rules the tank. but i'm expecting that to swap around once jag outgrows JD. i don't know if you like angels but a large group of them usually go well in a tank stocked with american cichlids. i've only ever had one incident where a large jag 20cm tried to eat an angel. also tinfoil barbs make good dither/schooling fish with americans. and they get big. i have never seen one of my cichlids trying to hassle the TFB's. texas are quite timid in my experience. they often end up getting bullied by other more aggressive americans. anyway. i like how this tank is looking so far. so much more interesting than an african tank ever could be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 I do like angels and had been wanting to grow up a group of platinum angels. I think my best course is going to be getting a bunch of little fish and letting them decide what works best for the tank. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to buy cichlids from? I don't want to invest 4-5 years trying to grow up fish that were stunted from day 1 and will never reach monster proportions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarletmonuka Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Would salvini's fit in this mix? Love the look of them know nothing about them though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Does anyone have any recommendations on where to buy cichlids from? I don't want to invest 4-5 years trying to grow up fish that were stunted from day 1 and will never reach monster proportions. tricky question man. i have managed to get some very nice quality convicts from hollywood, but have also seen them selling some real mongrels. retail stores sell fish from the supplier but also often stock fish from random hobbyists too. i think that you should look everywhere, but definitely try and check out the parents of any fish you are looking to buy. with american cichlids it's quite easy to see whether or not they are good specimens. as for stunted - if you get them small enough then there is very low chance of them being stunted yet. if i were you, i would get all the fish you want, in small sizes, plonk them all in there and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruju Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 I would go with the options on list 2, doing what David said and grow them up from juvies. A nice american cichlid male trumps any africans for sure imo. However, they can change their temperament randomly if the composition of the tank changes, so you have to be prepared to move something on quickly if that happens. HFF albany has a female jag that has babies currently (10cm), and another nice male in another tank at the same size showing good colour. They also have salvinis but they are quite shy and small atm, a few nice looking texas cichlids, a couple of GT's but think they are female, HEAPS of oscars and a couple of EBJD's. All at a good size for growing out together. Could try a 6 bar distichodus? But they get agro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Thanks for the tips guys, I understand this won't be the easier tank to keep under control but that's half the fun, right? Hopefully that wood sinks within the week so I can fill the tank up and start the cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Alternately, are there any monsters that won't destroy plants? I know my tank is too small for an aro and most (if not all) of the fish I mentioned would slaughter any plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Alternately, are there any monsters that won't destroy plants? I know my tank is too small for an aro and most (if not all) of the fish I mentioned would slaughter any plants. pssh your tank is fine for an aro. if you got cash to burn get a black aro. they don't get as big as the silvers. i have attempted a few different plants in my american tank. massive bunch of ambulia i planted and stuck down with big rocks was uprooted/bitten off overnight and ended up floating on the surface. oxygen weed was the same. i didn't mind having a thick layer of plants floating on the surface as i was hoping the hoplos would make a nest but they didn't. anyway. about 5 days ago i removed the massive amazon sword from my planted tank and put it into my big american tank. it is well rooted and buried in the sand, plus has two heavy terracotta pipes either side of it holding it down, and so far, so good. no leaves have been ripped off it as yet and my jag and cats loves chilling in it. my vote for plants in american tanks is amazon sword. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 I was told 600mm wasn't enough space for them to turn around? If it was big enough for an aro I'd dedicate the tank to it in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 disregard what you are told when logic contradicts. if the aro is under 600mm long then it wouldn't have any trouble turning around. davids black aro is still pretty small for an aro and he's had it a while.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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