Overstocked, understocked, or perfect?

[awhutter]

I want a fire eel, 5 glass cats, giraffe nose cat, blood parrot cichlid, and 9 glow tetras all in a 125g with 2 fluval 406 canisters. Thanks for the help

 

[HUKIT]

You do realize that Auchenoglanis occidentalis will reach up to 36"? That single fish overstocks your current tank.

 

[awhutter]

Live aquaria said 2 foot. Lets change that to a catfish that doesnt get much over a foot then. Oh yeah, and an oscar. Thanks again

 

[awhutter]

Maybe a black lancer cat?

 

[phishfriend]

Think you really need to "think" about a stock
List.

 

[awhutter]

Thats what Im trying to do lol. What could help my current list?

 

[HUKIT]

Platydoras armatulus
Horabagrus brachysomais
Pimelodella chagresi or chagres are all easily obtainable and would make good additions.

 

[vanimal]

Live aquaria said 2 foot. Lets change that to a catfish that doesnt get much over a foot then. Oh yeah, and an oscar. Thanks again

Glow Tetras and an Oscar? Not happening. Plus that Fire Eel you got has the potential to reach 30". A Peacock Eel would be a much better choice.

 

[vanimal]

This could not work in a 125 for life.

 

[awhutter]

The platy looks really cool. Thanks. How will I know when ive hit the stocking limit?

 

[awhutter]

Vanimal, im new and I wasnt sure if them schooling would protect them or not. I guess not huh?

 

[awhutter]

Live aquaria must be way off on their sizing

 

[CharlieKlein]

Yeah: has no chance. First off, your wanting a 30 inch fish, a 18 inch fish, and other large fish with fish less than 2 inches. Those would be gone right away. Now, you could Mabye (and keep in mind I know near nothing bout large tanks or fish)
So Mabye a Oscar, a school of clown loaches and a School of large barbs(rosy barbs get 6 in. And is a good option. See what others think, but your kinda throwing fish out they that aren't near compatible

 

[ztigris]

Always keep in mind big fish eat little fish. Also, decide if you want semi aggressive, aggressive or peaceful. Pick a main fish to center your research and tank around and figure out what tank mates are best.

 

[awhutter]

Nice idea, so schooling doesnt do much in aquariums I take it?

 

[ztigris]

Yeah, they protect the center fish by letting the outer fish get eaten.
In the tank it provides no protection; they will be stressed till they are lunch. Schooling fish are happier in schools but it will not protect them from a bigger fish. Oscar's and the like will eat feeder gold fish. The tetras would just be a very expensive meal.

 

[vanimal]

Tell me what kind of fish you like and I could give you a pretty good stock list. From what I think you seem to like you could do something like this
4 Pictus Cats
2 Blood Parrots
5 Silver Dollars
2 Angel Fish
5 Denison Barbs
1 Peacock Eel
1 African Brown Knife
And an Electric Blue Jack Dempsey instead of the Oscar. Mixing Blood Parrots with really aggressive cichlids is never a good idea because of their deformities they can't defend themselves as well.

I have a similar stock in my 220 and everybody gets along great. This is what I have and btw it is overstocked due to my RBP but I'm rehoming all my fish at the end of this summer so Im going to try and find him a larger home (He is small now).

1 Red Belly Pacu
1 Rainbow Shark
1 Eclipse Catfish
1 Fire Eel
1 Black Ghost Knife Fish
3 Blood Parrots
2 Angel Fish (Breeding Pair)
1 Common Pleco
1 Bristlenose Pleco
1 Silver Dollar (Only two left at the store when I purchased it and one died but he hangs out with my Pacu now)
1 Bichir (The one fish that doesn't really get along, he bit off my BGK's tail)
2 Rainbow Fish
1 Dwarf Gourami
2 Iridescent Sharks

 

[awhutter]

Heck yea! Thanks vanimal! Sounds like a solid stock list

 

[vanimal]

Heck yea! Thanks vanimal! Sounds like a solid stock list

Your welcome and adding the Denison Barbs, Silver Dollars, and Pictus Cats together will help them school. I don't mean all at once but like the 4 Pictus Cats at one time, the Barbs at another, and the Dollars another. If you introduce them at different times they probably won't school very well, this is especially true for the Pictus Cats. If you do this they will be out constantly but if you do it at different times they will hide more. So now for food. When the fish are young they most should take tropical flakes excluding the bottom dwellers but then as the Parrots grow feed them Cichlid pellets. I use Hikari and what I do before I feed them is I soak the pellets in water so they become soft and they sink. Because the parrots have deformed mouths this makes it a lot easier for them to eat and your Angels should eat the pellets as well. Now for the bottom dwellers. The Eel and Knife fish should be fed frozen blood worms and frozen shrimp ripped into small pieces (that's what mine get). It's extremely difficult to get them to take pellets so don't count on it. The Catfish will eat the Blood Worms and Shrimp but should be fed shrimp pellets as a staple. They will also clean up uneaten pellets or flakes that will fall to the bottom. Make sure you have places to hide for the Eel, Knife, and the Cats. For the Eel he will either burrow in your substrate which should be sand or smooth gravel or you could just put a piece of PVC pipe in. This will be sufficient for Knife and Eel but make sure they each have their own. Any questions feel free to ask! I'm glad to help.

 

[vanimal]

Introducing them at the same time will give you a nice, active, comfortable, and happy group of fish. But when adding them to your tank watch out because they can sting you with their fins and if they are caught in a net most times their fins will cut through it and get stuck. This could result in the death of your fish so be careful. This is what they will be like if you go with 4 of them!