150 gallon stocking

[Jnthn932]

OK so I'm about to upgrade to a 150 gallon, but before I do I really need help deciding on some bigger fish to buy. I tried looking online, but there is so many fish!!! It's making my head spin. I was thinking cichlids but everything I've read online says they are pretty much not compatible with anything else. I would also like a larger schooling fish. Somebody help! Any ideas?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

How about a school of rainbowfish and a school of congo tetras? Both get fairly big and are very active and colorful.

 

[toddnbecka]

What dimensions are the tank? There are plenty of cichlids that will work, and plenty of other fish that can mix with cichlids. You do need to start somewhere though, because not everything can be mixed randomly.
I have a 6'x18" 125 gallon tank. It houses 4 severums, 2 cutteri, 1 Synodontis eupterus, 5 silver dollars, 5 columbian tetras, 5 white skirt tetras, 1 L-204 pleco, 8 BN pleco's and 10 kubotai botia's. Loaded with mopani wood, so there's plenty of cover for the catfish and loaches. Very peaceful community, not even any issues among the severums.

 

[Jnthn932]

I'll be honest with you. I don't know what half those fish are!lol! That sounds like a great tank though. 28 inches high and 72 inches long are the dimensions.

 

[Jnthn932]

I was thinking about those but a compatibily site online said that if I went with oscars and dempseys they would eat the rainbows!

 

[toddnbecka]

Oscars are floating pigs, will eat anything up to half their own size, and dempseys are a rather aggressive species. Personally I don't like the big, aggressive species that take up a big tank themselves, but there are plenty of folks who love them.
Here's a few pix from my 125:
Red spotted severums and silver dollars, each about the size of my hand now, and the severums are still young. White skirt tetras at top:

Smaller (and younger) green severum, will look different when it matures:

Kubotai botias, aka angelicus loaches and cutteri:

Columbian tetras:

Silver dollars and a red severum:

Full tank shot:

 

[Jnthn932]

Thats an awesome looking tank! Pretty much what I'm trying to go for with mine. I really like the severums. Do they come in different color variations?

 

[Nubster]

Hey Todd...I see you are just up the road from me. I'm in Romney, WV. Just curious, where do you go for fish?

Anyways...love the tank. I hope to someday have a larger tank like the two of you but I think I would go the opposite way, instead of getting bigger fish I'll probably get more little fish. I think a shoal of a 100+ tetras floating through the heavy plant cover would just be awesome.

 

[Valous]

Severums will get a nice size of 10" and from what I read it a chance they will be aggressive, so be prepaired to maybe move them if you don't want an aggressive fish. If you want to see a larger group of fish patrol the bottom you can look into orange head geos. A group of 6 or so will fill that bottom and keep your substrate clear of wasted food.

 

[toddnbecka]

Hey Todd...I see you are just up the road from me. I'm in Romney, WV. Just curious, where do you go for fish?

Anyways...love the tank. I hope to someday have a larger tank like the two of you but I think I would go the opposite way, instead of getting bigger fish I'll probably get more little fish. I think a shoal of a 100+ tetras floating through the heavy plant cover would just be awesome.

Most of my fish are bought online or from CCA meetings. Occaisonally I'll pick up things like the tetras locally rather than have them shipped, but I can't find most of what I like locally. Also drive to Pittsburgh or Lancaster occaisonally to check out the shops there, but don't but much because lfs prices are so high.

 

[Jnthn932]

What's a good online store? The ones I've seen so far look pretty shady.

 

[toddnbecka]

Most of my online stock comes through aquabid. There are also folks who have online "stores" on a few forums, and occaisonally someone who has fry or extras to sell posts in the classifieds. It really just depends on what you're looking for, and how much you're willing to spend.
I stay away from the sites that sell fish commonly found at an lfs, their prices and shipping charges are too much for me.