Dwarf Cichlids Help stocking a 150gallon

[jdboy]

I am already familiar with Large Cichlids, and currently have a breeding pair of Jack Dempsey's in a 75gal. I love the care that they take with their fry, and their personalities. I had been doing some research and all of the other SA/CA cichlids I really wanted would really have to be in species only tanks, or I could only have 1 of just a couple different species. Therefore, I think I've decided to go with all dwarf cichlids and other community fish. There will be lots of caves made by rocks and clay pots. I would like different kinds, and pairs of some of these. Any suggestions on how I should structure the tank and what I should put in it would be great.

Thanks

 

[mike47517]

Matters what you want your tank to look like.

 

[jdboy]

I want it to have lots of colorful fish in the tank. Also, I want the tank to look like their real habitat.

 

[bs6749]

2 pairs of GBR's
1 pair of Bolivian Rams
1 trio of triple red apistos
1 trio of another type of apisto
6 angelfish (not dwarf cichlids but it would round out the tank and give some mid level swimmers)
15 hatchetfish (top dwellers and again not dwarf cichlids)
4 BN plecos (still not dwarf cichlids)
6 sterbai cories (cories aren't cichlids either......)
6 panda cories
24 cardinal or neon tetras
12 true rummynose tetras
12 glass catfish
12 ottos (if planted tanks are your thing)

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

I think bs here has the perfect fish setup

 

[Tony Gill]

The list looks okay. My only concern is that in a tank that size the angels will get pretty hefty - which might not be good news for the smaller tetras. Also, the glass catfish are Asian not Neotropical - I gather the intention was for South or central American fishes.

Tony

 

[mike47517]

Not all angels will eat the tetras. I know quite a few people that keep tetras and angels together in a big tank.

 

[mike47517]

Oh and i also like Bs's list. The only thing i would change is the hatchet fish. I like Harlequin Rasboras. You could get the same amount. They will both work just matters which one you like better.

 

[jdboy]

I don't want any plecos because they will eat the cichlid eggs after the lights go out in the tank.

 

[bs6749]

Any fish in a community tank will go after the eggs. If you are hoping to breed the cichlids you might as well scrap the idea of having any success in a comunity tank. You should have a pair or a trio (depending on what you are trying to breed) in a bare bottom tank by themselves. Even if the parents DO get the eggs to hatch out successfully in a community tank (which is a longshot as stress will most likely cause the parents to eat them) the fry will still have to get past the dozens of mouths of the other fish in a community tank. It is simply not a good setup for breeding. It would look awesome but it wouldn't be optimal for breeding.

 

[jdboy]

I have been reading a fair amount and have not found ANYTHING about a bare bottom tank. Everything I've read says use sand, fine gravel, or for a few species use leaves. I have found conflicting articles about wether dwarf cichlids can breed in community tanks. I raised lots of livebearers and been successful raising them to maturity in a community tank. They, as well as all of the other fish in the tank, will also eat the livebearers babies. Why is it that I could not get dwarf cichlids, which help protect their young, to have a few babies survive in the tank. I'm not looking at giving them or even selling them to any pet stores like I do with my Jack Dempsey's. I just have a thing for breeding animals.

 

[bs6749]

Take it from someone with experience, breeding setups should be bare bottom tanks. For rams you will want something like slate, or a flat surface for them to lay the eggs on. Even driftwood is a good spawning site. I've had rams lay on an anubias leaf, my driftwood, slate, and frequently the substrate in pits. Bare bottom tanks are much easier to keep clean and having something like a piece of slate on which the fish lay the eggs will come in handy when the parents start eating them and you decide to pull the slate and put the eggs in a 1/2-1g jar. Apistos will need a bare bottom tank with lots of caves such as terra cotta flower pots. Cut them in half or lay them on their side and the apistos will generally spawn on the underside of the cave 9 out of 10 times. It's not a problem getting the fish to spawn in a community tank but it shouldn't be expected that any fry will survive. There are only two parents and they can't both guard the 100+ fry from the MANY mouths that will be in the tank.

 

[Algenco]

I don't want any plecos because they will eat the cichlid eggs after the lights go out in the tank.

I've have a pair of GBR that have raised 3 spawns so far with an albino bristlenose in the tank.
I also have neons and cardinals with Angels

 

[jdboy]

bs6749, in your reply you said to use bare bottom aquariums. However, you said that your rams lay frequently in pits in the substrate. How can they lay in the substrate if the tank is bare bottomed. Just curious what you were talking about.

 

[bs6749]

I'd use bare bottom when going with a breeding tank, which is set up for the intention of breeder. I kept my rams in a 55g community tank with pool filter sand as the substrate and they'd often dig pits and lay eggs. I wasn't trying to breed them in the community tank.