Community Fishtank Advice

[gtm1]

Hello everyone.. I'm thinking of buying my second tank, the Fluval Roma 200 (200 litres / 52 US gallons) and having it as a freshwater community aquarium.

Below are the fish I'm thinking of keeping.. however after doing some research and speaking to quite a few people in the industry, I'm still a bit unsure whether they are all a good match for eachother as I'm getting different answers, so just wondered what you thoughts were.

x2 Anglefish (not sure exactly which type yet)
x2 Plecos (probably a Zebra and some other type)
x2 Red Tail Shark Fish
x1 Synodontis Catfish
x10 Cardinal Tetras

I want to have fish that are colourful, so was also thinking of adding a few African Cichlids however I'm getting different advice on whether that's a good idea or not.. so if these are not good what else do you guys recommend?

I'm also not too sure what number of each fish I should ideally keep.

Your help is much appreciated, I really look forward to your answers

 

[SherLar]

Depending upon what African cichlid species you like (Angelfish are also cichlids, though S Amer), it may be possible. I would probably avoid peacocks completely, as well as most mbunas. Take a look at Hap species; many are fairly peaceful.
I would also avoid red-tailed sharks. Very pretty fish, but I've found them to be more aggressive to everything in the tank, than even my aggressive cichlid species tend to be. Some people have good luck with them, however.
Depending upon what Synodontus species you chose, your tetras may, or may not, be safe. Most tetra species settle to - or near - the bottom when lights are off, and some of the larger syno species may eat them. I would recommend Synodontus cf_polli, as they're nicely colored, stay small, are peaceful, and have lots of personality. They do, however, prefer the company of their own kind, so you would be better with 2 of them.

 

[gtm1]

Thanks SherLar for your advice? I will definitely take all of that into consideration

 

[GuppyGuy333]

x2 Angelfish (not sure exactly which type yet)
definitely doable. but just because you get two doesn't mean they will be of different sexes and/or get along. angelfish are hard to sex and people usually get a few and then let them bond in the aquarium and then return the rest or separate them. you might get two males or two females. Angelfish are territorial so make sure you have two distinct sides of your aquarium separated by plants to improve your chances of cohabitaiton. Those these are cichlids they are south american cichlids so they follow different rules. Also to increase your odds of them working out try to get smaller/younger ones and let them grow up in your tank. Add them last so they dont see new additions as intruders into their territories.

x2 Plecos (probably a Zebra and some other type)
I would do research on whatever pleco you decide to get. do not get the common ones. they get huge, they get aggressive and might attack your fish, and they just become poop machines.
x2 Red Tail Shark Fish
these get aggressive and can get pretty big
x1 Synodontis Catfish
can't really say, never get kept them before
x10 Cardinal Tetras
ten is a good minimum size.

People tend to have cichlid only tanks as they get aggressive (even amongst eachother) some types get along while others don't. a lot you can't keep with plants because they shred them. I think you would have to research on every individual species you would plan on adding because they all have different personalities and requirements.

If you like cichlids, you might want to look up german blue rams/bolivian rams. I think quite a few people try them out with angelfish. they are bottom swimmers so they might get along with angelfish however they are territorial too so make sure you have distinct areas for each one in case they don't pair.

South american or new world cichlids do better in community tanks. Good luck!