Stocking Possibilities

[Joanne_]

Hi

I would like to stock a 130 litre tank and was wondering how many cichlids I could have in there ?

What are some dwarf types ?

Also, is it true, you can get away with over stocking cichlids in a tank and still live happy ?

Thanks !

 

[meguro]

overstocking is usually done with african cichlids but since u posted in the new world forum then i advise against overstocking

the number and type of cichlids u could have in the tank depends on the species and also the tanks dimensions. apistogramma sp., blue rams, bolivian rams, dwarf acaras (nannoacara sp., laetacara sp.), keyholes and angelfish. some central american cichlids might also be suitable

a few examples of stocking might be:

2 keyholes (1m/1f)
2 bolivian rams (1m/1f)
8 flame tetras
6 bronze corydoras

or

1 angelfish
3 a. agassizi (1m/2f)
12 black neon tetras
6 otocinclus affinis
6 juli corydoras

 

[Joanne_]

Okay thanks Meguro, I did post in the old world forum too, no-one has answered the question about over stocking yet.

My tanks dimensions are: 62c.m. long x 72c.m. high x 39c.m. wide.

 

[onidrase]

Overstocking is to help dispurse aggression among African cichlids like lake malawi fishes. But your tank isn't really suited for africans imo. Neither is it suited for angelfish or keyholes due to the lack of length. you'll have to stick to dwarf cichlids like rams and apistos.

To answer one question, no, cichlids don't like being over stocked, and they're not okay with being over stocked. They will not be happy when over stocked.

People say you "over stock" african cichlids because you put a lot of fish in a big tank (your tank isn't big, sorry to say) that grow pretty large and have a pretty large bioload. This means you'll need more filtration and tons of decor. In comparison to say, a community tank of tetras and gouramis and cory catfish, yes, this is over stocking. But over stocking is all about not over doing the amount of fish you have relative to their needs. And you can still overdo the amount of cichlids you put in a tank, even if in relative to having tetras an gouramis and cory catfish it is an over stocked tank to have a bunch of malawis all over, you can still over do it, and have too many african cichlids.

None of the rules of having like 15 6 inch long fish in a 55 gallon tank will apply to new world cichlids. They are totally different in needs and personality to africans.

to answer your other question of how many cichlids you can have in your tank, you can have either 2 rams or 3 apistos (1 male 2 females). No keyholes or angels or anything as they get a bit too large for the length of your tank.

 

[Joanne_]

Thanks Onidrase

So I could have 2 German Blue Balloon Rams ? I really like these, is that the maximum ?

 

[Man of fish]

It's not the max but in that size tank I'd only do a pair

 

[onidrase]

Thanks Onidrase

So I could have 2 German Blue Balloon Rams ? I really like these, is that the maximum ?

you could do two german blue rams and some small schooling fish compatible in their water requirements. German blue rams are very fragile and not unknown to die for ridiculous reasons, and require a pH lower than 7.0, soft water, and 82 degrees F, which limits the type of fish you can keep with them. Because of all these factors, I prefer Bolivian Rams. There are also plenty of flashy apistogramma species that would work and are a lot less fragile and picky about water.

 

[magpie]

I would suggest you don't get any type of Balloon Ram - they are intentionally deformed fish, and I've read that they can be fragile because of the inbreeding it can take to make them.