48 Gallon Mostly Cichlid Tank

[KajukiKing]

I am thinking of what i should stock and came between two choices(other in tropical discussion). I would like to know if this would work.
The tank is heavily planted and neutral PH
I plan on getting

Rams (Gold) 1 pair
Apistogramma cacatuoides Triple Red 1 pair
Ivanacara adoketa 1 pair
Apistogramma borelli Opal red face 1 pair
1 angel fish (black)
Apistogramma bittaeniata 1 pair
1 bristle nose plec
maybe a pearl or dwarf gourami

All i have kept is rams. Info would be be appreciated. I do have an extra 26 gallon tank just incase these fish decide to breed. Also will any of these destroy my plants?

 

[shroob]

Whats the footprint of the tank, as that will be important for breeding pairs. I'm not really up on dwarfs but I think I remember as a general rule they need a minimum 1ft by 1ft footprint each, and 5 pairs seems quite crowded to me.

 

[KajukiKing]

idk what u mean by foot print by the tank dimensions are 36 X 18 X17.? (inches). In the wild i hear there can be hundreds of appistos in a square meter.
the square feet at the bottom would be 4.5 feet. Also i am thinking a redtail black shark possibly instead of one of there pairs or both if possilbe. The max size on each of these dwarf cichlids is less then 3 inches each.

 

[SharonCC]

In the wild, the water is not contained in a box, so fish don't encounter build up of toxins. In aquariums, they do...that's one of the reasons we don't overstock too badly, and need to do water changes to keep water quality healthy for the fish.

 

[KajukiKing]

im not saying ill add 100's of fish. I do think it is possible do this. The tank is going to be very heavily planted and my filter will easily handle the bioload of all of these fish. I do regular water changes. Will any of the appisto's hybrinize?

 

[shroob]

Its not that your tank can't support the bioload of the fish, its that breeding pairs need their space, and 12"x12" isn't alot of room really.

The footprint is the length and witdth of a tank, so yours would be 36"x18" (if you've put it length x width x height), so that is a good size for dwarfs.

 

[KajukiKing]

ahh i get u. 4 pairs. I am now more concerned about hybrids being born. Maybe thinking of sticking to one of each genus(???). Although i don't know if that could actually happen. can anyone confirm this.

So minus the dwarfs, would these fish work if i get 4 pairs (maybe 3)

1 gourami (peal, giant, or opaline)
1 angel fish(black,zebra,platinum)
1 Red tail black shark
1 small plec(Vampire,bristlenose,or bulldog)
and maybe a spiny eel