Stocking suggestions

[Steve2717]

I currently have a 6ft 55 gallon tank with:
1x oscar (8inch)
1x green terror (7inch)
1x red terror (7/8 inch)
1x male salvini (6/7inch)
1x female salvini (4inch)
1x parachromis loisellei (4inch)
2x L128 Blue Phantom plecos
1x Synodontis nigriventris (3inch)

I know they need a bigger tank, I've bought an 80 gallon which is coming in a week and I plan on getting another 6ft tank which works out 150gallon, could stretch to a 225 gallon but will need to resupport my floor. So my plan is to move the cichlids to the 80g and then to the 150g along with a common pleco. In the 55g I was going to keep the L128s and fill it with a school of neon's. I also have a small tank i have jaguar cichlid in which is going to go in with the others when it's a big enough. My question is what should I put in the 80g or am I being over zealous and need to split what I've got up between the 150g and 80g?

 

[AJ356]

Hi Steve, I see you are UK, as am I. You've quoted gallons. Is this US or UK gallons?

I don't have an answer to your question, sorry. I was just curious to know the dimensions of your 6 footer? I also like slim/shallow tanks, although not necessarily for the fish you have! Lovely looking set up and fish. Glad you getting an upgrade.

 

[Colin_T]

You need to split up the fish you have because they are too big and in too small an enclosure for long term safety.

 

[Steve2717]

It's 6ft by 14inches wide by 18inches deep which when I punched it into a calculator came backs as 55g. I used to have 2x 1500l/hr filters in there but as they kept dying on me, i upgraded to and fx6 and kept 1 of them in there as the fx6 doesnt seem to put much oxygen in there whereas that puts plenty in. Thank you it's been a work in process. The plants are the bane of my existence. Can't seem to keep the plants looking nice and they like to pull them up

 

[Steve2717]

You need to split up the fish you have because they are too big and in too small an enclosure for long term safety.

I said at the beginning of my post they will be getting moved to an 80g when it comes next week and had time to cycle and then into a 150g in the near future. Or is 150g still not enough? Can go 3ft high and have a 225g but will definitely need to resupport my floor

 

[GaryE]

I think you've been betrayed by your calculator. If you step back and consider the actual fish, there's currently no issue of filtration or dimensions that matters.
If you look at fish behaviour, you have the fish for at least 4 6 foot tanks. How big they are now is meaningless. That's just a snapshot in time. All planning has to be done with how big they grow to, on the assumption you have skills and you can raise them to their potential, which would come at you fast.
You like aggressive large fish, and they don't like each other.

 

[Steve2717]

I think you've been betrayed by your calculator. If you step back and consider the actual fish, there's currently no issue of filtration or dimensions that matters.
If you look at fish behaviour, you have the fish for at least 4 6 foot tanks. How big they are now is meaningless. That's just a snapshot in time. All planning has to be done with how big they grow to, on the assumption you have skills and you can raise them to their potential, which would come at you fast.
You like aggressive large fish, and they don't like each other.

I knew I was going to get a 150g when I first got them and I looked online to see which fish could be tank mates and their tank sizes. The salvini said to be in 75-100g for a pair,the oscar a 75-100g, the green and red terrors were the same. I figured they would be fine in a 150. The parachromis loisellei and the jaguar were impulsive buys. What if I put the the salvinis in the 80g and then rest in the 150g. The only real aggression I've seen so far is been from them as they are trying to spawn

 

[Steve2717]

I knew I was going to get a 150g when I first got them and I looked online to see which fish could be tank mates and their tank sizes. The salvini said to be in 75-100g for a pair,the oscar a 75-100g, the green and red terrors were the same. I figured they would be fine in a 150. The parachromis loisellei and the jaguar were impulsive buys. What if I put the the salvinis in the 80g and then rest in the 150g. The only real aggression I've seen so far is been from them as they are trying to spawn

 

[GaryE]

The problem with stocking calculators is they only look at numbers. They only really look at bioload and metabolism, and try to reduce living animals to an equation that works with software. The real issue is territory and aggression.
If your salvini are only aggressive when spawning, you're lucky. Most people find them ferocious all the time. They are stunning fish and I've wanted to keep them. I have friends who specialize in Central and North American Cichlids who have done well with them, and others who have seen them destroy tankmates larger than them. When you buy them, there's a sort of lottery. Some people are lucky to get a milder pair.

I always lean to understocking compared to the calculators, and don't mind if you ignore me completely. I have a different approach, where I measure the front glass of a tank and then look at the largest adult size of the fish I want. I use a fairly random formula - eight times the size of the fish. So a five inch territorial fish with a strong, robust body should have 40 inches of front glass. Two should have 80, and you end up with a single pair in a six footer.
This isn't a popular calculation because we all want a lot of species. I absolutely love Geophagus and Satanoperca, but I don't have the resources to keep them. I had crowded tanks at one time, and learned to avoid them. That does go against the mainstream approach.

 

[Steve2717]

The problem with stocking calculators is they only look at numbers. They only really look at bioload and metabolism, and try to reduce living animals to an equation that works with software. The real issue is territory and aggression.
If your salvini are only aggressive when spawning, you're lucky. Most people find them ferocious all the time. They are stunning fish and I've wanted to keep them. I have friends who specialize in Central and North American Cichlids who have done well with them, and others who have seen them destroy tankmates larger than them. When you buy them, there's a sort of lottery. Some people are lucky to get a milder pair.

I always lean to understocking compared to the calculators, and don't mind if you ignore me completely. I have a different approach, where I measure the front glass of a tank and then look at the largest adult size of the fish I want. I use a fairly random formula - eight times the size of the fish. So a five inch territorial fish with a strong, robust body should have 40 inches of front glass. Two should have 80, and you end up with a single pair in a six footer.
This isn't a popular calculation because we all want a lot of species. I absolutely love Geophagus and Satanoperca, but I don't have the resources to keep them. I had crowded tanks at one time, and learned to avoid them. That does go against the mainstream approach.

I'm not going to ignore people or i wouldn't ask in the first place but I know some people online would have a single betta in a 6ft tank, probably an exaggeration but you get my point. I think I'll put the salvinis in the 80g on their own and the rest in the 150g with a view of rehoming if needed. Don't think I'd have a wife if I got yet another big tank

 

[Magnum Man]

I've had cichlid melt downs before with less fish... your fish appear to look nice, like the battle royal hasn't been happening... yet... they look great right now... suggest not waiting too long, before going bigger...

 

[Steve2717]

I've had cichlid melt downs before with less fish... your fish appear to look nice, like the battle royal hasn't been happening... yet... they look great right now... suggest not waiting too long, before going bigger...

I've got the 80g coming this week, but I'm concerned with the weight on the floor for the 150g unless someone on here can assure me it's OK. I've got a victorian house with a sub floor which I've crawled in to run cables for a rewire. I'd rather not go back down there as it's not nice...about 4-500mm clearance full of spider webs and rubble, but I'm thinking I'll prob have to for additional support. Just need to stop procrastinating and get it done haha