85 Gallon Tank Arrived

[njstockley]

Hi Everyone,

This evening I finally got a 2nd (and bigger!) tank! So excited, but as one of my other posts says, I'm going to have to wait to fill it until I can get a suitable stand

.

But until then, it's stock plan time..! The tank is 85 gallons...that's about 320 litres. So here's another recommendations thread...I'm going to go with SA cichlids.

There is such a long list of fish that I would want, but top of that list are oscars (tiger/red) and red neck severums too - ideally i would start with these, and build the stock list around them. But I'm always unsure of quantities, and just what would work best in there.

I love the look of jd's too, but heard they can be fragile (when young) and agressive as they grow older? otherwise, i would want some nice sized sa cichlids with good colouring and different colouring from the dark oscars and sevs - what would you guys recommend for my tank? and maybe something interesting for the bottom - i have a BN in my smaller tank but unfortunately don't get to see much of him - do larger plecs have more personality?

Looking forward to your suggestions!

Nick

 

[markandhisfish]

whats the dimensions of the tank LxWxH? in 85g you could do a single oscar but its not going to leave much room if any for tankmates . a rotkeil sev would give you more scope for tankmates . but its a case of which you want more .

 

[njstockley]

48"x24"x18" - that was my worry about oscars and tank size - that one would likely be pushing it...thankfully the sevs are great, so not having the oscar is a compromise i can make!

nick

 

[kizno1]

From what ive heard JDs are aggressive at all really for a cichlid there size. Apparently there quite shy of bigger or aggressive fish.
In a 85G i would go for
1 Rotkeil severum
1 JD
Maybe 1 more medium sized cichlid something like a Blue acara or Aequidens metae or even a Pair of Keyhole cichlids
1 Royal plec
4 Hoplo catfish
10 Emperor tetra

 

[star4]

Normal JD's are not that delicate when young, the Electric Blue's can be though. JD's are one of those cichlids you can get a sloppy dopey one that is really passive or a mean one, its pot luck. It also depends on tank mates, mine the first tank I put him in within 30 seconds he was scrapping with another fish, the next tank he is happy and peaceful.

 

[njstockley]

defo rotkeil, and a jd - and royal plecs look great as well. as for another medium sized cichlid, will have a look whats on offer at the lfs - i know they have blue acara but they were tiny and looked in pretty poor health so will see whats at the others too before i decide. plenty of time before anything goes into the tank before i have to make my mind up!

went to the lfs today anyway for ideas, and they had a tank of returned oscars - all about 10" and real brutes, but 8 of them with some large plecs in a tank the same size as mine didnt seem right! they all seemed healthy though and better in a fish shop where they get well fed etc than in a tiny tank in someones home.

their full sized rotkeil was stunning though. cant wait to own one! but having an empty tank in my room is so frustrating - i know what i want it to look like, but know i cant touch it just yet...

 

[kizno1]

Yeah all the acaras in my lfs are always quite nipped up i dont think they get on to well in such small tanks. Or for something a little different you could go for some type of pike cichlid, either i bigger one that gets 8-10" or a few smaller once that get 4-6" should work. The royal plecs are stunning but they do go for a fair amount at 4" you will be looking at paying around £60.

 

[njstockley]

thats serious money!! may look at some alternatives. would love a large plec but not at that price. may look for alternatives.

shame about the acara as from some adult photos they look great when they grow older. but when they are that nipped and sickly it's hard to want one! at my lfs they are in a tiny tank so think you must be right about the small tank problems.

pike cichlids are great too but have to admit i cant remember seeing any around the shops here. others in london might be able to prove me wrong, but the 3 shops i've been to regularly don't.

 

[kizno1]

You might be able to pick them up cheaper from people selling them but thats how much they are in shops well it is around here anyway.

If you have a smaller tank you could pick the best looking one and try bringing it back to full health.

Pikes normally do pop up but there not to common its likely to be one of them fish you will have to ask your lfs to order them in of find a breeder. Or maybe have a look online for some. Well worth the hassle IMO because there great looking fish.

 

[hamfist]

Just a few thoughts .......

Be aware that royal plecs also produce absolutely HUGE amounts of poo. They are copious wood eaters (and therefore must have bogwood in the tank) and all that goes in ....... must come out !
be very careful buying a plec. Do your research. Many, many species get waaaay bigger than could be justified in a 48" x 18" footprint.

As for cichlids, a severum is a great place to start. Blue acaras would also be an excellent choice although, as mentioned, there are a lot of crappy ones with poor genetics out there. Strangely, just at the moment I am seeing lots of really nice BA's around my area, which I haven't seen for ages.

Another suggestion I would have is a trio (1M + 2F) of Geophagus steindachneri. These generally do not grow as large as other geos, and they are HUGE characters. great colours on the males too ! If you got them in an 85G, then you could probably only have 1 x sev and a few larger tetras or dwarf rainbows as well but, for me, that would be a nice tank.

Instead of an oscar, you could consider a chocolate cichlid. They are very similar in many ways, but max out at about 10"-12". So one choc plus one sev in the tank, into adulthood, would be doable (with good filtration), with nothing else apart from things like a few larger tetras/dwarf rainbows.
Or a choc with a trio of G.steindachneri.

In a completely different direction, have you considered a single red devil/midas or a flowerhorn. Both would be incredibly interactive wet pets, and would be OK in an 85G for life. Would need to be on their own though.

 

[njstockley]

Just a few thoughts .......

Be aware that royal plecs also produce absolutely HUGE amounts of poo. They are copious wood eaters (and therefore must have bogwood in the tank) and all that goes in ....... must come out !
be very careful buying a plec. Do your research. Many, many species get waaaay bigger than could be justified in a 48" x 18" footprint.

whereas i've found finding out about most fish nice and easy, plecs still confuse me so much - everytime i think i've found one that suits the tank etc i then read more contrasting info. thankfully not having to rush my choice, so pletny of time to read around. i had already read that royal plecs do produce loads of waste, so may look for a smaller alternative. a group of hoplos/pictus might be interesting, but my preference would be for a singular, larger plec for the bottom.

i'm going to have a good look around before committing to any particular fish, but the more i look at sevs, the more i'm certain the stocking will work around one of those. thankfully there are 3/4 decent shops within about 15 mins of my place, which means i can shop around.

 

[kizno1]

What about something like a Pimelodus ornatus or Pimelodus blochii they do like company but will do fine on there own but might take a little longer to settle in but once they have they should be quite active through the day.

 

[njstockley]

What about something like a Pimelodus ornatus or Pimelodus blochii they do like company but will do fine on there own but might take a little longer to settle in but once they have they should be quite active through the day.

this is why i post on the forum - the ornatus looks perfect!

 

[kizno1]

What about something like a Pimelodus ornatus or Pimelodus blochii they do like company but will do fine on there own but might take a little longer to settle in but once they have they should be quite active through the day.

this is why i post on the forum - the ornatus looks perfect!

Yeah there great catfish. They arnt the easiest to find though so you might have to ask around for a while.

 

[njstockley]

What about something like a Pimelodus ornatus or Pimelodus blochii they do like company but will do fine on there own but might take a little longer to settle in but once they have they should be quite active through the day.

this is why i post on the forum - the ornatus looks perfect!

Yeah there great catfish. They arnt the easiest to find though so you might have to ask around for a while.

didnt go to all the lfs's today but the ones i did pulled a bit of a face when i asked for the ornatus...are they like pictus - best kept in small groups? or is a solo one ok?

i think i prefer the look of them compared to the "traditional" larger plecs. have much more time next weekend to look, but before then feel free to keep the suggestions coming in - kizno you're on a roll!

also, would the addition of a plec take one of the cichlids out of the stocking? or because its not seen competition would it be ok?