75 gallon SA cichlid stocking advice

[Stefan3289]

Hello all,

I made a post a few days ago but go no replies so I’ll try my luck again.

So currently I have a 75g (284L) tank that I’ve had for about 3 years now and was wondering if I would be able to add any new additions and what some suggestions would be.


Stock
1 synodontis (6”)
1 Red spotted severum (5”)
1 Electric blue acara (5”)
5 PB convict parrots (.5” -2”)
5 rainbow fish (4 boesemani, 1 blue) (2-3”)

Water parameters as of today (cleaned tank 5 days ago as I clean on weekends)
Ammonia: 0-.05
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Ph: 7.4-7.6
GH: 160ppm

I run a 70-110g Aquaclear filter with dual air pumps and dual submerged heaters, so temperature doesn’t fluctuate and the water has good aeration and some movement . I do weekly 40% water changes syphoning all the gravel well. The tank is non planted as of now.

I’d be happy to hear everyone’s thoughts

 

[Wills]

Hi sorry I missed your other thread but this sounds like an interesting one!

So first thing I want to ask is what test kit are you using as even a low reading of ammonia should be cause for concern? Also curious that you don't have any nitrates as with big fish like cichlids it's quite normal to have a reading before a water change at least, especially in an unplanted tank.

In terms of the fish, just want to look at the hardness first. 160ppm I think is about 8.9Gh so a good option for the cichlids you have already but perhaps a bit too soft for the rainbow fish? And depending on the species potentially the Synodontis? If its a Eupterus (or hybrid of it) should be ok though (love a Featherfin!) Actually just spotted your avatar and it is!

The one fish you have that throws me are the Polar Parrots. I never know how to treat Parrot Cichlids in a tank as they are so unpredictable, not my cup of tea to be honest... But potentially you have 5 5inch+ cichlids in there plus a big Severum species and the EBA so 7 and you don't have a community built around them to encourage natural behaviour.

On balance I'm not sure I'd add anything to this tank as when all your fish are adults in 12-18 months time the smallest fish in the tank will be 5 inches and you have 13 big fish in a 75 gallon with half of them cichlids.

Just by comparison if I was stocking it at an earlier stage I'd have gone for something like

1 Red Spot Severum
1 Electric Blue Acara
4-5 Small Geophagus, Pyrophalceus, Pindare, Winemilleri would all be options
10 Red Tail Hemiodus or Annostomus Ternetzi
10 Emerald Brochis, or maybe a smaller group of Spotted Pictus Catfish
2-3 Whiptail Catfish - Red Lizards are nice

Wills

 

[GaryE]

It isn't an SA tank, as an aside. Synodontis are African, parrots are from test tubes crossed with a North American species and rainbows are Australasian. All that aside, I would not add. The parrot hybrids will grow - not like a blood parrot, but still to a chunky 4-5 inch fish. In a year or two, you would be rehoming fish, or doing endless water changes.

Wills posted at the same time as me. In my old collections of 75s, I had 2 winemilleri in one, as they get an easy 16cm plus. That is a big fish for a 75, or at least mine were.

 

[Wills]

It isn't an SA tank, as an aside. Synodontis are African, parrots are from test tubes crossed with a North American species and rainbows are Australasian. All that aside, I would not add. The parrot hybrids will grow - not like a blood parrot, but still to a chunky 4-5 inch fish. In a year or two, you would be rehoming fish, or doing endless water changes.

Wills posted at the same time as me. In my old collections of 75s, I had 2 winemilleri in one, as they get an easy 16cm plus. That is a big fish for a 75, or at least mine were.

I had a group of Winemilleri in my 6x2x18 that got to the same sort of size but I thought that the deeper footprint of a 75 (assuming 20-24 inches) would suit them ok? They are certainly at the bigger size of the 'smaller' Geos though.

 

[Stefan3289]

Hi sorry I missed your other thread but this sounds like an interesting one!

So first thing I want to ask is what test kit are you using as even a low reading of ammonia should be cause for concern? Also curious that you don't have any nitrates as with big fish like cichlids it's quite normal to have a reading before a water change at least, especially in an unplanted tank.

In terms of the fish, just want to look at the hardness first. 160ppm I think is about 8.9Gh so a good option for the cichlids you have already but perhaps a bit too soft for the rainbow fish? And depending on the species potentially the Synodontis? If its a Eupterus (or hybrid of it) should be ok though (love a Featherfin!) Actually just spotted your avatar and it is!

The one fish you have that throws me are the Polar Parrots. I never know how to treat Parrot Cichlids in a tank as they are so unpredictable, not my cup of tea to be honest... But potentially you have 5 5inch+ cichlids in there plus a big Severum species and the EBA so 7 and you don't have a community built around them to encourage natural behaviour.

On balance I'm not sure I'd add anything to this tank as when all your fish are adults in 12-18 months time the smallest fish in the tank will be 5 inches and you have 13 big fish in a 75 gallon with half of them cichlids.

Just by comparison if I was stocking it at an earlier stage I'd have gone for something like

1 Red Spot Severum
1 Electric Blue Acara
4-5 Small Geophagus, Pyrophalceus, Pindare, Winemilleri would all be options
10 Red Tail Hemiodus or Annostomus Ternetzi
10 Emerald Brochis, or maybe a smaller group of Spotted Pictus Catfish
2-3 Whiptail Catfish - Red Lizards are nice

Wills

Thank you for your input! I’m not sure I never see any nitrate changes in either of my two tanks, both of which I use an API freshwater master kit. As for the rainbow fish, I was told they’d be ok in moderately soft water which is what I have. I don’t remember the exact number I believe it was around 160 ppm/ 9 GH.
I personally love the PB hybrids. I haven’t seen many people have them and I love their colors and they are very active. I have a lot of hiding and large fake plants that break up view the tank so they don’t get aggressive much and also have 5 of them to divert targeting one. I’ve read that they get to 3.5”. The only two I’ve seen in a store said they were full grown and we’re about 3.5”.
Before I had the PB and rainbows, I tried to have a large group of blue and EBA acaras but it did not work for me.
From what I know, I’d then have 5 3.5”, 6 4-5”, one 6” as my syno (I think he is full grown around 5” Ihave had him for about 10 year) and then my severum around 8”.
They all get along very well sometimes the EBA and severum might get a little angry at each other but otherwise everyone is peaceful.

 

[Stefan3289]

It isn't an SA tank, as an aside. Synodontis are African, parrots are from test tubes crossed with a North American species and rainbows are Australasian. All that aside, I would not add. The parrot hybrids will grow - not like a blood parrot, but still to a chunky 4-5 inch fish. In a year or two, you would be rehoming fish, or doing endless water changes.

Wills posted at the same time as me. In my old collections of 75s, I had 2 winemilleri in one, as they get an easy 16cm plus. That is a big fish for a 75, or at least mine were.

Yeah I don’t really know what to call it. I had more SA cichlids in there but it didn’t end up working out so I returned and tried new fish quite a few times.
My catfish is full grown and EBA appear to be full grown at 5”, and I’ve seen that the PBs get to 3.5” around full grown. I’ve had them for almost a year and they haven’t grown much from those sizes I put, so I don’t see them going above 4 at the most.

 

[Stefan3289]

I had a group of Winemilleri in my 6x2x18 that got to the same sort of size but I thought that the deeper footprint of a 75 (assuming 20-24 inches) would suit them ok? They are certainly at the bigger size of the 'smaller' Geos though.

Before I had the rainbow fish and PB, I attempted to buy two geos (I don’t recall the exact species) but they appeared to get bullied by my acaras I had at the timequite a bit so I ended up returning them out of worry. I’ve tried from rainbow cichlids, to larger gouramis, to geos, to blue/EBAs but there was always some issue in the tank so this combo is finally the one that worked. I do wish I had a Winemilleri geo they look amazing.

 

[hobby5]

Hello

Can you post a picture of the tank and of the hybrids please?

 

[hobby5]

Hello

Can you post a picture of the tan and the hybrids please? What are the dimensions?

 

[Stefan3289]

Here’s a picture of the tank and then the smallest and biggest PB in the tank. Sorry it’s blurry they don’t like to stand still.
The tank dimensions are 48” by 18” by 20”