How Is My Stocking?

GShorty1981 · Sep 18, 2011

My tank is a 4ft 75g

Current stock is...

Cichlids=
1 x Red Spotted Severum
2 x Thorichthys aureus
1 x Male Honduran Red Point
1 x Female pink Convict (paired off with the HRP)
1 x Cryptoheros cutteri

Dithers/catfish=
8 x Tiger Barbs
1 x 10" unknown plec, but fully grown (has been same size for years)
1 x striped Raphael Catfish
1 x Featherfin Synodontis

Hope this lot will be ok permanently, i know i'm a little overstocked but i do extra water changes to compensate for it.

What do you think?

minnnt · Sep 18, 2011

How are the HRP and Pink Con with the Cutteri? That would be my only worry, other than that it sounds great mate.

I would also be tempted to move on the Featherfin, but thats just me, i'm not that keen on them.

If you get young from the HRP and Pink Con then i would be interested in a couple.

GShorty1981 · Sep 18, 2011

I thought they were both female mate, the Pink con i have had for a few years, she is about 4", close to fully grown and her orange spot from her belly is unusally large according to mfk, making her quite unique, she also has a hump on her head, she looks like a mini Midas/Red Devil.

The HRP i only bought 2 weeks ago (2"), thinking it was female because it was so colurful, it paired instantlly with the Con and they are protecting a corner of the tank and the convict is egg bound lol.

Funny thing is i bought the HRP for £8, i saw some slightly bigger ones (3.5") in another tank and they said they are a pair and they will cost £100, i said to them...a pair? ...you only need a male and female and you have a pair lol! #41#### shops and there scams!

The Cutteri occupys a different side of the tank and only really interacts with the con/hrp in the middle with a bit of flaring.

The Aureus (my fave!) are both 2" (these types of firmouth varients only get to about 4" fully grown) they occupy the middle of the tank and flare at the others but dont fight.

The Red Spot Sev just minds his own buisness

minnnt · Sep 18, 2011

I believe they will get bigger than 4" mate...

More like 6 imo. They are very closely related to the Meeki, more so than the Ellioti i think iirc. I was after some a while ago, blue flash were the ones i wanted, but any would have done. lol. Quite rare around here (or so i have found) although MA and oddball express could have ordered them in for me if i wanted them.

The pink con sounds excellent. I was ummming and arrrrhing over a red devil today. Knew it was totally unsuitable, but i was gawping at it for about 10 minutes! Total stunner.

GShorty1981 · Sep 18, 2011

I meant to say 5" not 4, the ones i have are the Blue Flash type, Eliottis are the ones closer to firemouths, Aureus look less like them and like i said smaller.

All of them are a geneology branch away from Eartheaters, basically the CA version of Geophagus (you can also keep firemouth types in colonys), not so distantly related to the similar looking Brasiliensis varients.

I had a big red Devil for a few months on his own in my 6ft tank but lost him mysteriously, was a shame, was a beautiful fish.