Stocking for new aquarium

[crescendo88]

Hi! I am getting a new 50 gallon aquarium and am putting two blood parrot cichlids in. Are there any bottom feeders that will hold their own against them while still being active and non-antagonistic? Right now, I'm considering sterbai cory catfish,\ or spotted raphael catfish. What do you guys think? (I am going to put down sand substrate.) Are there any other bottom feeders that could work?

The tank is 20x15x36 and will be with a few plants.

 

[crescendo88]

They're also pretty food aggressive, I dropped an algae wafer into their current tank and they fought a pleco over it, would that make them unsuitable for any other tankmates? They don't seem to bother the pleco, but will they to get past it (and occasionally try to nip) to get to the food and I'm worried about them hurting any other bottom dweller.

 

[King Fisher]

Given that your BP's have shown to harass your pleco I wouldn't think Cory cats would be a good idea. Maybe if you planted your tank moderately so they had a place to hide it might work. Then there's the food issue. You would then have to selectively place food in your planted areas where the BP couldn't get but the cories could.

Personally I'd go with the SRC or pictus catfish. They can hold their own against the BP.

 

[crescendo88]

I think unless they get better with food aggression, I will not house then with cories in the future . Would it be better if (no matter what bottom feeder) I arranged with a lfs to them back if there's aggression? And could picture catfish fight back properly without damaging their whiskers?

 

[crescendo88]

Oops, my main issue with picture catfish is their tank requirements, it seems like mine barely fulfills the space they need. Do you have any experience keeping SFC with blood parrots, or in a 55 gallon tank?

 

[King Fisher]

You could take them back if they get to the point where you can't house them with anything without issues. If you decide to take them back, house the Cory cats first then add your BP...... sometimes this makes a difference. And add juvenile BP. A lot of times when fish grow up together they tend to get along.

Ive kept pictus with other cichlids more aggressive than BP's. They do well. I've also kept a pictus in a 29 gallon...full grown...for several years without issue. Pictus are a shoaling fish so technically you should keep them in at least a small group, but I've seen them do well on their own.

I've never kept an SRC....that will be my next catfish if I ever get another one. I knew a guy who kept SRC in a 150 gallon South American Cichlid tank with much more aggressive fish than BP. BP's actually have a hard time defending themselves because of the way their mouths are shaped.

Im confident you'd be fine keeping pictus or SRC. Just keep a cave or similar decor for them to stay under as this is what they do. I had my best luck feeding right before lights off as catfish like to feed at night. It also keeps other fish from stealing all it's food.

 

[crescendo88]

Yeah, it turns out they're just extremely annoying... They didn't bite at all today, but they were still going after her food. I'll definitely consider pictus then, as long as they can stay in the tank their whole lives. The BP's are currently a year old and seem to be fine with other fish as long as there's no food around. Do you think some driftwood and plants would be enough? I wanted something that looked completely natural, but I'll add caves if it'll make them more comfortable.

 

[King Fisher]

If you placed the driftwood or rock in a way that gave him somewhere to hide under it then that will work. The thing about pictus is they are constantly hiding.....like a lot of catfish species. They are ambush predators. They move the most at night because they are nocturnal.

I like having a bit of plants in general and should work well. You will notice that the pictus will pick a spot he likes and stay there most the time. Making something for him in a spot of the tank to your liking would be a good idea.

 

[crescendo88]

Would vallisneria and anubias be okay? I didn't plan on having a bunch of plants because I thought the bottom feeder would either end up uprooting them, or the BP's would.

 

[King Fisher]

That should work. Maybe even some Buce. You don't need heavily planted but like I said, wood or rock structured to give him a spot to hide under will do. If you are worried about uprooting place some decent size rock....like 3 inch rocks..... around the base of the plants.

 

[crescendo88]

Ok, thank you!

 

[crescendo88]

Thanks, I'll add that to my list. I just read that pictus have sharp barbels with mild venom that even hurts humans when they're hit, could that harm the BP's? And my tank doesn't have a proper lid (I'll try to make one) so I don't want them to jump out either. I think I'm less worried about cories bothering the BP's, and I'm fine with spot feeding, but I am very worried that they will eventually get bullied when the BP gets bigger.

 

[King Fisher]

Most if not all catfish have something sharp on them. You just have to be careful when you handle them. Pictus are not aggressive fish. They probably would never go after a BP but if a BP goes after him, the BP then learns it isn't worth it. Pictus are commonly kept in cichlid tanks as peaceful bottom dwellers so I wouldn't worry much about them.

The BP is a cichlid so at best he's mildly aggressive by nature. Sometimes it depends on the temperament of the particular fish you have. Some are great with other fish and some are terrors. The only way to find out what will work or not is to try it out when it comes to temperament.

Ive owned two pictus over the years and they never tried jumping out of a tank. But a lid couldn't hurt. You could probably find glass lids for your tank on Amazon for a decent price.

 

[crescendo88]

I haven't found any stands or lids (I think the aquarium isn't a standard size), but I will look around for lids some more. There's a covering, but it's attached to the rest of the tank and there are two holes in it. Thank you for the information, I'll definitely consider some more based on the future behavior of the fish and the availability of healthy bottom feeders! I do think pictus are very cute and suitable, I just have have to work on keeping the substrate very clean for now, and cycling in the future. I've also read they like strong flow, would a canister filter and sponge filter be enough?

 

[King Fisher]

You could do a canister or I like to run two HOB's on medium sized tanks. Run 10 to 15x tank turnover for heavier flow.

If I remember correctly, the length of your tank is 36 inches and the width is 15 inches right?

 

[crescendo88]

Yeah, it's 36 inch. I was thinking two HOB, but the tank is also right next to where I sleep so I don't really want any move besides the bubbling of a sponge filter since I'm already used to that. I was thinking either hydor 450, or an eheim filter?

 

[King Fisher]

Canister would be quieter. I like Fluval. The Fluval 406 would be good for your tank with two sponge filter's?

I'll look around for glass lids.

 

[King Fisher]

Deep Blue Professional ADB33612 Standard Glass Canopy Set, 36 by 12-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042GKW4W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yDUVBbGY2YBCA

You will have a 3 inch gap in the back but that's not a big deal. It will actually give you some room to put hose, heater cord or an HOB if you change your mind later.

 

[crescendo88]

Thanks! I'll look into the fluval filter too, they're just so expensive.

 

[goldfish1212]

Deep Blue Professional ADB33612 Standard Glass Canopy Set, 36 by 12-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042GKW4W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yDUVBbGY2YBCA

You will have a 3 inch gap in the back but that's not a big deal. It will actually give you some room to put hose, heater cord or an HOB if you change your mind later.

You can always make a lid yourself. It took me one trip to Lowe's, 22$ and about 10 minutes of prep to make one for my 55g at home. I followed this guy's I instructions and it was easier than I thought it'd be.
https://youtu.be/rAwzquw_zZ0