Fish Juggling - Going To Do A Trade And Upgrade

[Wills]

Hi Ill try to keep it brief but you know me

So at the moment I have a Roma 240 but am currently trying to find a 4x2x2 to buy with a stand to suit the girlfriend so ultimately I will be ending up with a 120 gallon tank.

I have now decided to get rid of my plecs, I have 2 L135 wormline plecs and an L75 para pleco. But I never see them and they poo so much and never ever leave their tubes. Its also time for me to move on my juvie HRPs and I am also considering rehoming my rainbows.

So that in mind I went for a wander around my LFS to see what they thought about my plecs - then I walk into one of the shops and their tanks are full of fish from the guy who gave me my Heros Severus, so many rare SA cichlids you could not believe....... They also had 2 hoplo catfish which I am after as well to zip around my sand. So I need to go back tomorrow and talk to the owner and see what deal he will give me for the plecs.

But the fish I want are 2 Geophagus brachybranchus, 2 Krobia sp. Rio Xingu and 2 Hoplos (either Megalechis Picta or Hoplosterum Littorale) so in the 120 gallon tank with a decent filtration on it will need to get an other FX5 when I can would be

1 x Heros Severus
2 x Geophagus Brachybranchs
2 x Krobia sp. Rio Xingu
1 x Nicaraguan (female)
4 x Geophagus sp. Tocantis (possibly Geophagus Neambi but still not positive ID very young still)
8 x Annostomus Ternetzi
2 x Sturisoma Aurem
2 x Hoplo - (either Megalechis Picta or Hoplosterum Littorale unsure of ID atm) - possibly to add an other one or two if I can find the same species)

Looking at it I suspect I might have to choose between the krobia and the brachybranchus. But the next thing to add to this is that eventually the dream tank will come which is a 6x2x2

And the final thing to point out is that this might be my only chance to get this quality of fish.....

What do you think?

thanks Wills

 

[walkers101]

when in rome mate you might never have the oppertunity again go for it

 

[Wills]

just shown my girlfriend the pics and she like the geos so thats most likley happening now but she didnt like the krobia (I sometimes dont understand her ) but I showed her a pic of the guinacara adult they have in and she loved him so I think I will try him in there with the others which will probs work better than the krobia as they are more peaceful than the krobia and its just a lone male as his friends were sold without him. So quite glad he is on the cards.

Also been thinking abou the hoplos, they are at a good size and look really good but this shop is just so expensive for stuff like that. So I think Ill give them a miss now unless he will put them in the deal for my plecs and HRPs though I know he wont offer me much for the HRPs as we have discussed them before..... so fingers crossed.

Any more thoughts would be appreciated

 

[kaivalagi]

You know your stuff and will have researched that fish list well I am sure! I say lose the plecs and do it

 

[Wills]

Thanks mate I just need some advice on the geophagus now really, Ive dug up some old threads about these specific fish that I know the original owner frequents and it turns out that the Geophagus Brachybrachns might be Geophagus Dicrositer (spelling) so might try and barter over them, either way Ill be happy. My ideal deal would be to swap all 3 plecs for the 2 geos 2 hoplos and 1 guinacaras but I think I might have to add some cash to the equation See what he says I did give him a 90 gallon tank and stand and a hell of a lot of fish about a year ago for free so he might help me out a bit, his brother nearly gave me £250 worth of Geophagus Areos today always happens though where the brother offers me loads then tells me to check with the other and he says no but with the plecs in the deal fingers crossed

So now the stock plan is looking like

1 x Heros Severus
2 x Geophagus Brachybranchs
1 x Guinacara (need to work out the species unsure atm)
1 x Nicaraguan (female)
4 x Geophagus sp. Tocantis (possibly Geophagus Neambi but still not positive ID very young still)
8 x Annostomus Ternetzi
2 x Sturisoma Aurem
3 x Hoplo - (either Megalechis Picta or Hoplosterum Littorale unsure of ID atm)

I will need to find the third Hoplo though at a later date, I want to get the two of them in the same tank side by side to see how they compare as Im not 100% they are the same fish. But like I say they are expensive so I might go elsewhere for them.

Let me know any more thoughts, going to see if he will do the trade in the morning and then hopefully do it on Saturday

Wills

 

[ChilliPepper]

Sounds like an interesting stocking A lot of harder to come by fish on there, so look forward to the pics once you get them

 

[snowflake311]

no Krobia sp. Rio Xingu I looked them up and they look great.

The stock looks good, but then again you are really good at picking out good fish so I am sure the tank will be great.

 

[hamfist]

A nice stock list. My only reservation is that a 4x2 footprint sounds a little small for 6 geophagus adults. You've also got the cats adding to the bottom feeder numbers. The other cichlids will also spend a lot of time around the bottom. I don't think you really have quite enough substrate area for all you are hoping for.

Sorry.

 

[Wills]

A nice stock list. My only reservation is that a 4x2 footprint sounds a little small for 6 geophagus adults. You've also got the cats adding to the bottom feeder numbers. The other cichlids will also spend a lot of time around the bottom. I don't think you really have quite enough substrate area for all you are hoping for.

Sorry.

Agreed to an extent, eventually (within this year) I will have at least a 6x2x2. And while the new geos are a decent size (3.5/4 inches) my current geos are 1/2.5 inches and Ive had them nearly 6 months now so it gives off the general growth speed the smallest I still dont think has grown and the largest is 2.5 inches so as usual they are very slow growers - and I mean this is on a diet of live food and new era + veggies. Both species stay smaller than regular altifrons as well the geophagus sp tocantis (current fish) maxes about 7 and the brachbranchs about 8, but like I say slow growing.

Obviously though if I do try it and it goes wrong or I start to see signs of it going pear shaped, I will be able to rehome these fish quite quickly and Im not afraid to do so for free.

Wills

 

[kaivalagi]

Wow just looked up the "Geophagus Dicrozoster" and they are stunning, nice base yellow colour to them (http/www.hobbykwekers.nl/geophagus-dicrozoster)

If those geos turn out to be them I wouldn't be disappointed one bit!

 

[Wills]

Yeah Im happy either way

One more thing to add into this is that they all came from the same tank as my severum and are about 3-4 years old, I think the Guinacara is going to be quite a bit older actually because he is adult sized at 4 inches.

Wills

 

[kaivalagi]

Are any of them breeding pairs at all?

 

[Wills]

With the G.Brachybranchs he has the wild pair which breed and then about 10 F1 and its the F1 ones that I want which I dont think have paired up yet. But I think they are at a size that is sexable so that should be okay then in my G.sp Tocantis I think I have 2 males and 2 females so one day they might be a breeding group.

All the other cichlids are just singles though.

 

[kaivalagi]

Fingers crossed some of those geos get it on

 

[star4]

Go for it. The chap at my LFS his favorite saying with cichlids is just try it, if it works brill, if not try again. As they grow just increase waterchanges and filter maintenance till you get the 6x2x2.