Overstocking Question (Agressive Fish)

[Purplesmurf]

How would the following fish react to one another in a crowded, over-filtered tank?

Bichir (Marbled / Senegal / Armoured / Ornate -- P.s. palmas / P.s. senegalus / P.s. delhezi / P.s. ornatipinnis)

Jack Dempsy / Jaguar / Oscars

Severum / Convicts

For all species assume a 100gal tank for space, but 700 gallon water column (5 linked 100 gallon tanks, with 200 gallon refugium) with 8000gph turnover rate. Many rock caves avaliable. What number would fit tightly but be safe to house for two or three months in a retail situation?

The idea is to keep enough in stock so as not to sell out too quickly and minimize agression by over stocking (agressor loses his target in the crowd), but for these animals I wasn't sure if that would work the same as with other cichlids, or at all with the birchirs.

Any help on this would be great.

 

[freddyk]

Well, cichlids depend on how you keep them. Breeding pairs of new worlds need lots of space, and a pair of JDs, Jags, OR Oscars would take up an entire hundred gallon tank. I find you get the most out of all these fish (most natural behavior and least stress) by keeping them in these compatible, monogomous pairs.

If you go with just single specimens then all three of those are a possibility - keeping in mind that all cichlids are natural enemies, and you never know what kind of terror is going to go through the tank as these meanies mature. I'm a minority in that I refuse to keep new world cichlids in mixed tanks like this because it goes against their nature - which means even if you luck out and get minimal aggression, you still get little in the way of natural behavior. As I said, I'm the minority on this and most people will argue in favor of this kind of keeping because it does 'work'. Frankly, if you simply want lots of cichlids in a tank, Africans from Lake Malawi are the way to go, since they thrive in mixed, overstocked communities, rather then merely getting by as new worlds do.

As far as Severums and Convicts go, you'd have room for a pair of each, but keep a close eye on things - a breeding pair of convicts may be much smaller, but will be much more aggressive then a pair of Sevs. In a tank this size I think it would work out, but you never know with these guys.

 

[CFC]

The bichirs should all get on well provided they are all similar sizes, the only danger fish there is the ornates which grow larger and quicker than the other bichirs and could eat smaller ones such as senegals.

Bichirs and Central American Cichlids should not be mixed as bichirs cannot deal with the aggression from fish like JD's and Jags.

 

[Purplesmurf]

Thanks That's exactly what I wanted to know.