160 gallon stocking advice

[fishy89]

Hey guys,

Currently have a 6 foot peas and haps tank which I love but getting another 6 foot 160 gallon tank in the next few months.

I’m wanting to dive into American cichlids and I just have no idea where to start. I’m wanting some big guys for this tank, just unsure of what I want and what would be a “peaceful” combination and how many realistically can go in 160 gallon (600 litres).

I like:
- any viejas ( how aggressive are they)
- geophagus
- rivulatus
- jack dempsey
- uaru
- hoplarchus psittacus
- severum
- heros Severus
- paratilapia polleni
- threadfin acara
- possibly an Oscar

Out of the ones listed above, what would make an alright mix ?

I really want a vieja but I don’t want it to be the only thing in the tank....

Thank you.

 

[SwampeastMike]

Oscars grow incredibly quickly and easily reach 12" (30 cm)+

They're fickle, moody and love to "arrange" tanks to suit their whims.

in my experience they're best in a species tank. Four or five is OK for a tank your size. Large heavy rocks are the best decorations.

They're usually not particularly aggressive as far a cichlids go but are unpredictable. They demand a fair amount of care and actually develop something of a personality--a personality that is easily depressed and bored if you don't give them enough attention.

 

[jake37]

You could do threadfin acara and winemilleri geo with some rams. The geo and rams really want soft water (80 tds) and very clean water - not sure about the threadfin they might be more robust. Temp would be around 82-83 for the rams and geo.
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A lot depends on what you want - for large tanks i've always favored lots of small fishes but some people prefer a few very large fishes so it is hard to make suggestions.
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With a lot of the fishes your list i'm not sure of the level of aggression - i could look them up but so can you - for the three i listed above they are not very aggressive.