87 Gallon Stocking Part 2

[LyraGuppi]

I'm really sorry if this isn't allowed, but my other thread for this topic in dead.
Here is the measurement for this tank:
50 inches across the front, 27 inches tall 12 1/2 inches wide on the side.
 
I have a new plan for the tank:
5 or 6 pictus cats
1 or 2 BN pleco
2 rotkeil severums, M and F
4 rams (Need help deciding the breed) 3 F, 1 M
A type of tetra (Sorry Wills, My LFS doesn't get lemon tetras. )
 
The LFS I go to has Black neons, normal neons, black and white skirt tetras and many danios.
 
Just need to straighten out a stocking plan before I look into buying fish.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[Ninjouzata]

I'm not sure if pictus cats would be a good idea. They can be very boisterous which would likely stress out the rams and maybe the severums too.
Depending on what type of tetra you got they might be able to eat it once they got bigger.
 
Is there a reason you decided on pictus cats instead of cories? I went and looked at your other topic

 

[LyraGuppi]

I thought pictus cats looked larger, and I had always had cories, but I'll just try a different breed of cories instead.

 

[Ninjouzata]

Well they are, they get around 6" I think. I recommend sterbai cories Bit expensive but they're so lovely.

 

[noobgamers]

brochis catfish are basically huge bronze corys getting 10cm but are peaceful yo yo loaches area bout 10cm and a little bit boisterous and feed on snails they would be a very good substitute to pictus cats and upside down catfish look like the stereotypical catfish but are peaceful and very interesting for tetra species from hat your stocking your looking for a more Amazon centred biotope so serpae,black widow,red phantom,black skirt or any other large tetra would work Congo tetra would also but they get BIG for tetra and are African (they get 8.5cm for females 9cm for males more like 8cm average)

 

[Wills]

I think the Severums would be ok with the Pictus but the Rams wouldnt, the Rams might be a bit snack sized as well...
 
With the Rams I would go for Bolivians 100% so much easier than the Blues and Golds and give them time and they will give you colour and beauty
 
I like Noobgamers sugestion of the Brochis (though I think 10cm is a bit big for them, but they are very chunky fish), as I was reading it I was actually thinking of suggesting Hoplos, Porthole Catfish and Flagtail Catfish, I have a group of 6 flagtails in my tank and they are great Nice pattern, really social and always out in the open.
 
From the Tetra list its got to be the skirt tetras as the rest will be eaten by the Severums. Could you ask what else they could order if you had a school of 10-15 of them you might be able to get a special order as they will definitely be selling some of them quite quickly. But the Black Skirts could be ok (White Skirts are the same species so you could mix) get a big school though, 15 as they can be quite nippy so a big school will stop it spreading to the other fish.
 
Lastly, instead of the BNs what about Whiptail Catfish? They are much lighter on the bioload, as unusual as the BNs, and are much much much more active than regular plecs
 
So that would be a stock like
 
2 Rotkeil Severums, M and F (2 males will work also)
4 -5 Bolivian Rams (any gender mix will work)
15 Skirt Tetras
6 Flatail Catfish (or 6 Porthole or 4 Hoplos or 6 Dwarf Hoplos)
2 Whiptail Catfish
 
 
Wills

 

[LyraGuppi]

Next time I go to my LFS I'll see if I can request an order.

 

[wrightt3]

Perhaps its just me but I think that Rotkeils will grow too big, given the width of your tank. 12.5" doesn't really give a 8-10" fish a lot of room to turn around.

 

[Wills]

Damn.... I hadn't read the dimensions properly it is a bit of an odd shaped tank... I am sort of in agreement with Wrightt3 now....  really sorry LyraGuppy, not really sure what to say... It would sort of work for a year or two - do you think a wider tank would be on the cards at any time?
 
Wills

 

[LyraGuppi]

No, the 90 gallon is the biggest I can get. Would it work if I left out the rams, or just had one severum?
My dad bought the tank for me, so he kinda gets a vote on what goes in. We have agreed on severums for a while now, and almost everything I can find says Rotkeils can be housed in a 90 gallon. (Not coming off as mean, just really desperate!) And just in case I didn't mention, the tank is a bowfront, so the widest point on it is the centre. I'll see if I can get a measurement on the widest point.

 

[Wills]

Ah!!! I was hoping it was a bow front. In that case I would potentially... say you should be ok with the rotties...
 
I was fully gutted when I reread the sizes as I know just how much planning has gone into this tank and I know Im partially responsible for it also... I think if we are getting towards a 15 inch deep in the middle we should be ok
 
Wills

 

[LyraGuppi]

The centre is 17 1/4 inches wide!

Another thing, would having one BN pleco and a shoal of cories work for the bottom feeders? I'm not a big fan of the whiptail/fantails.

 

[Wills]

A shoal of cories would work well as would any of the fancy plecs or the BN| - I would look at the larger species of cory maybe something like Corydora Robustus? - I had an other one in mind to suggest which is one I am thinking of in my tank in the future but the name I thought it was... it isnt... The reason I like and suggest whiptails is... the poo no other way of putting it plecs put out so much and the whiptails are more active - have you looked at things like Sturisoma Barbatum or Sturisoma Aurem?
 
Great news on the width of the tank my Severum, Lilly, has lived most her life in an 18 inch wide tank and the tank prior was 15 inches she is a mouth brooder and she is about 10 years old
 
Wills

 

[LyraGuppi]

The problem is I have a very limited supply of fish at the LFS, and online shipping costs are huge. D: There are loaches and sharks, but I've heard they are a big huge...and mean...

 

[Wills]

Where abouts in the US are you? You might be right round the corner from an amazing fish shop Its happened to me loads!!
 
Wills