Another Stocking Thread! Roma 240+Fluval Fx5

[Wills]

Nice and simple

Fluval Roma 240 with a Fluval FX5 filter stuffed with media, sand substrate lots of wood, rocks and a few mother plants. My stocking plans are as follow -

1 Aequiends Diadema (preferably male)
2 Amatitlania Siquia (HRPs)
3 Geophagus Pindare

3 Annostomus Ternetzi (or should I take these out?)

1 Flyer plec - L235
1 Wormline plec - L135
1 Royal plec - L190 (getting a juvenile to grow on for next upgrade, due to the documented slow growth rates I feel it will work)

Like the title says I am stuck for dithers. I was thinking some kind of larger tetra but Im being drawn to medium sized rainbows like Minxyfish has in her 240. Also do you think I should take out the A.Ternetzi or should I keep them and add an other like I originally planned?

Thanks for any help that comes my way.
Wills

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Aren't HRP's Archocentrus?

Not sure on the other fish as they are not 'the usual' but i do have a rough idea and think it sounds like a nice different tank

 

[Wills]

Archocentrus went into cryptoheros then cryptoheros went to Amatitlania (I think) But thanks

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Ahh bit like the Aequidins to Andinoacara thing...but everyone still calls the Aequidins anyway

 

[Wills]

rofl like me then I hadn't heard about that interesting though!

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Ditto with the Convicts/HRPs etc

Wasnt long ago they had Nics,Poor Mans Tropheus,Jack Dempseys and Convicts/HRPS all in the same genus then thye even called Convicts 'Heros' for a little while which was weird because they don't really have anything in common with the Severum complex other than being apart Perciform/Cichlidae.

 

[Wills]

bump? any other thoughts?

 

[minxfishy]

Well you know I think its ok, I see no reason why the Annostomus Ternetzi wouldnt be ok (assuming they are what I think they are, which is a headstander species? reach around 4-5"?).

You might regret the decision of all those plecs, particularly with a sand substrate, but you have to clean it, so

Ive banned plecs from sand tanks, but thats just my personal preference.

Now for the dithers, mwhahaha, got you thinking rainbows eh? If you do go for the rainbows, group of at least 6, Id say 8-10, Ive currently got 17!!! in my 240.

Tiger barbs would work well, nice group of about 10 again, either one colour strain or a mix of green/albino/normal is an impressive shoaling sight.

If you want to go with tetras (as they are SA) then the choice is huge, obviously no neons, they would be snackable, but the larger tetras, Lemon, phantom, serpae, colombian, Bleeding heart (my favourites) etc would be fine, nice large groups are always good to see.

Giant danios maybe? rosy barbs perhaps?

 

[Wills]

Cool thanks Minxy I wasnt sure about the adding of the royal but I was fairly okay with it just wanted some opinions. I know about the plec poo, but I think it will be worth it hoping with the eartheaters moving the sand over and the FX5 it should get blown around. Ive been offered an adult L187a (bulldog plec) as well with the royal currently debating it. Your right with the Ternetzi as well I might keep the trio for now see how they do in the bigger tank. I am reasonably certain it will be rainbows now not sure of numbers or type but will aim for 6, I think the dithers might be a case of taking a list to my LFS's and seeing what matches. The main problem I have with tetras is my girlfriend...she is really put off by some of the larger tetras dorsal fins like the bleeding hearts (she says it looks too 80's) if it wasnt for that I would have had some flameback bleeding hearts or roberti tetras by now...

Thanks again Wills

 

[minxfishy]

Well dont know how much help this will be, but if you go for rainbows, be aware that the females can be quite dull, particulary boesemani females, whereas the female of the lacustris species (turquoise) are still fairly colourful, Ive also go reds which again even the females are fairly well coloured. Its hard in an LFS to pick out the sexes, but if you can, it is ok to have an all male group, although they really show off their colours with a female about

I guess its a matter of which rainbows you like, beware of any selling 'crossing' rainbows or names that arent familiar, if in doubt, wait and look them up, there seem to be alot of hybrid rainbow species around lately, because rainbows will interbreed, so its sometimes difficult to know what your getting.

 

[Wills]

Thanks Minxy. I had bosmani in my old 90 and they were quite good I had one female and 4 males I think. I think we will probs go for turquoise or similar. I have heard about the hybrids but I will try and stay clear of them. So as a proposed stocking list -

1 Aequiends Diadema (preferably male)
2 Amatitlania Siquia (HRPs)
3 Geophagus Pindare

5 Turquoise Rainbows
4 Annostomus Ternetzi

1 Flyer plec - L235
1 Wormline plec - L135
1 Royal plec - L190
1 Chatestoma - L187a