How Would You Stock A Rio 180

[Big_eyes]

I'm really liking the thought of setting up my 180 with some nice cichlids, but don't know which to choose or which would be best.

Ideally I'd like at least one that's larger than a keyhole but still fits in ok with my pair of keyholes.

Any advice from you good folk?

Was thinking of two fluval U4's on the filtration side, mainly as I already have one that's pretty new.

 

[minxfishy]

Thorichthys Ellioti or Aureus, both ok with Keyholes as they are not as aggressive as their relative the T.Meeki (Firemouth) beautiful colouration too.

 

[Glenbo1981]

Still risky i think as my local Maidenhead aquatics (Taunton, Somerset) will nto stock them because they have a habit of killing eachother, and thye say both are much more nasty than the Meeki.

I can't really comment because i have never kept one myself (i only know that info as i have been askign for them for a long time until i gave up with CA's)

Keyholes are very delicate, I would suggest another decent sized SA as i do not agree with mixing SA's with CA's.

Blue Acara, Festivum, Tapajos etc.

 

[Wills]

I would suggest another decent sized SA as i do not agree with mixing SA's with CA's.

Im starting to go to that oppinion as well now.... I really want to split my cichlids to 2 tanks before xmas nics and HRPs in one tank and my geos and sev in the other.

To the OP

How about a group of guinacaras? I bet they would do really well with keyholes, some really interesting species coming into the shops now a good group of 4 or 5 would go well with a pair of keyholes in there. The do get to a decent size but very very slow growing and if the group starts breeding they probs wont make max size anyway. Or a colony of cupid cichlids of some kind would work well in a similar way. Both get bigger than the keyholes but slower growing - though cupids much faster than keyholes.

The festivum that glen said about would be good as well, Im getting quite tempted by some of these one day...

 

[minxfishy]

Having owned all three species of Thorichthys, I say what I said from experience. My FM's were nasty little things, went for everything, the Ellioti I currently own, are very peaceful and havent bothered a single fish, including keyholes and rams, the Aureus even more peaceful than the Ellioti and I had a breeding pair, the only thing they did was chase corydoras away from the nest. MA IMO dont usually have a clue what they are talking about, but again IME of the ones around here, they didnt even know what the Aureus were until I told them and practical fiskeeping confirmed it with them.

 

[star4]

I have juvi Ellioti (2") in a 180l tank with keyholes, a lone ram and an odd platy, got some others in with Frontosa. The Ellioti are very peaceful unless they are about to spawn or guarding eggs and then mostly its just flaring and bravado. I have just had to move my breeding female out of my big tank as she was trying to spawn with a Texas, caused a bit of friction in the tank but no injuries.

 

[Big_eyes]

Hmmm interesting choices, I'm really tempted by blue acara's but still not quite sure.

Just to add incase it changes anything, I now have two Bolivian rams in with my keyholes.

I was wondering, how would t-bar cichlids or Honduran red points fit in?

 

[Wills]

Not sure how HRPs or tbars would do as they would probs both over power the keyholes esp if you get a few and they start breeding, I would look at sticking with south americans as well similar water needs and similar behaviour patterns I really want to split my CAs and SAs asap.

How about some festivums? Some nice species comming into the hobby now with various colour sheens on them now like red, orange, blue and green. I love the red sided ones atm again want some one day

Wills

 

[Big_eyes]

How about some festivums? Some nice species comming into the hobby now with various colour sheens on them now like red, orange, blue and green. I love the red sided ones atm again want some one day

I do like the coloured ones as opposed to the white ones but I was hoping to get something a bit larger than the keyholes.

 

[Wills]

Festivums should get bigger thank keyholes I think? And they grow quite a bit faster as well, how big are your keyholes? I had some a few years ago and at 2 years old my male was just about 3 inches festivums get to a pretty chunky 6 inches quite easy from what Ive seen.

 

[Big_eyes]

The bigger keyholes about 4 inch.

Still not convinced I like festivums that much though

 

[Glenbo1981]

I have a nice one, had him for a month and hes grown about 1 inch, he seems pretty gentle.

 

[Big_eyes]

To be honest I'm trying or rather hoping that I can find something bigger than the keyholes but also different coloured too.

At the moment I'm stuck between rainbow cichlids and blue acaras.

 

[joshjames]

my festivum got really aggressive nearly killed my 2 angels when it was only around 3-4 inches
just saying from my experience

 

[Big_eyes]

Aqua advisor just told me that rainbow cichlids and bolivian rams will interbreed