What Would Be Some Good Tank Mates For These Guys?

Jackiee

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I recently upgraded to a 90 gallon aquarium a couple weeks ago and after some problems with my filters maturing
and my water going through a cycle, my water parameters are back in line.

This is what my tank is currently stocked with:
5 inch Blood parrot
9 inch Sail-fin Leopard Pleco
7 inch Turquoise Severum
4 inch Cobalt Blue Crayfish

What would be some good tank mates for these guys?
Mainly my blood parrot and severum, since they're the most active ones running the tank.

My Pleco could care less who's in the tank with him, and my crayfish wanders around
foraging the bottom of my tank without a care in the world unless my blood parrot
and severum get a little too close, then up go the pinchers as a warning.

Any suggestions?


I like Jack Dempsey's but am afraid they are too aggressive.. But I have heard that the electric blue version of the JD is less aggressive and easier about tank mates.
What about flowerhorns?
or green terrors?

too aggressive?
My turquoise severum gets pretty rowdy sometimes with my blood parrot, but never does any damage,
just ocassional bumping and mouthing. And in all honesty, my blood parrot pretty much ignores it.
 
In a 90G, it owuld seem you are pretty well stocked already with those fish. The Sev, parrot and sailfin will all still put on significant weight.
Even in something likea 150G I still wouldn't add fish like GT's or flowerhorns with hat you have. They are far too aggressive.

If you are wanting to add movement and colour to your tank, I'd add some livebearers, something like a few platies or swordtails, certainly not any more largish cichlids.
 
I;d have to agree with Hamfist the tank is not quite big enough to take any more big fish

If you wanted movement howabout silver dollars? Mind you theyget big and with your sticking could need more space but there wouldn;t be a territiry issue
 
But will the dwarfs spawn no matter what?
Most fish you have to make conditions right for them to breed and what not,
But I'm not looking to breed any of these guys.

I have a PH of 7.6, and I heard they prefer the softer acidic waters for breeding
 
But will the dwarfs spawn no matter what?

THere's every chance they will spawn, although I am certainly no expert on dwarf cichlids.

However cichlids often don't spawn when you want them to, and they do, when you don't ! They do it deliberately I'm sure !
 
Dwarf cichlids could mean many types of fish. I would just not add any more fish at all. Your tank is fully sticker and smaller fish like dwarf cichlids would be stressed with large one around so close. Your tank is nit idea for smaller cichlids. Get another tank if you what to keep the small guys.

If anything would could try and get a school or good sized tetras. A blue acara would be a good pick for your tank they get 5" and play well with bigger fish. So adding a blue acara could help keep one fish from getting picked on too much.
 
I don't understand how my tank could already be fully stocked, It's a 90 gallon and I've seen many fish in a 90 gallon before,

and I only have 3 fish, medium size fish at that IMO..
except for the severum who I'd say is a medium-large fish, since he's the largest in the tank, but doesn't even exceed 7 inches and he is full grown.

He's a few years old already and has never gone past 7 inches even in his old 125 gallon home.

Then I have the one crustacean who is specifically only a bottom dweller.

What about the basic 1 gallon for every inch of fish? I know that's just a little guideline to go by, because some fish differ in thickness/waste production, but still.

If I did go by that guideline and add the inches of my fish, all together it's 25 inches. that's only a little over 1/4th of my water volume.
and even say if I doubled that due to the thickness of the fish, and say I have 50 inches of fish, thats still only a little over half of the 90 gallon volume.

I also have pretty good filtration going on and am going to add a few hardy live plants into my tank as well, just to help with the water quality and the usage of some waste.

I have two Fluval 304's running (260 gph each), Penguin Bio-wheel (170gph), a Marineland h.o.t magnum filter (250gph), and a Whisper power filter 60 (330gph).



I don't see why I couldn't add 1, maybe 2 more medium sized fish, and then a handful of the slightly smaller guys for variation,
or If you think the dwarf cichlids would get stressed, I could only get certain dwarfs that grow to at least 3-4 inches, like Rainbow Kribs, Cockatoos, or some male Rams?
They would be the size of my Crayfish and he does just fine in the tank at his size. And since there would be a whole group of the smaller guys, and not just one solitary small one,
wouldn't that make it better on them as far as not getting stressed/ chased by my bigger fish?

I do like the blue acara's and have thought of trying them in the tank too.
 
I don't understand how my tank could already be fully stocked, It's a 90 gallon and I've seen many fish in a 90 gallon before,

and I only have 3 fish, medium size fish at that IMO..
except for the severum who I'd say is a medium-large fish, since he's the largest in the tank, but doesn't even exceed 7 inches and he is full grown.

He's a few years old already and has never gone past 7 inches even in his old 125 gallon home.

Then I have the one crustacean who is specifically only a bottom dweller.

What about the basic 1 gallon for every inch of fish? I know that's just a little guideline to go by, because some fish differ in thickness/waste production, but still.

If I did go by that guideline and add the inches of my fish, all together it's 25 inches. that's only a little over 1/4th of my water volume.
and even say if I doubled that due to the thickness of the fish, and say I have 50 inches of fish, thats still only a little over half of the 90 gallon volume.

I also have pretty good filtration going on and am going to add a few hardy live plants into my tank as well, just to help with the water quality and the usage of some waste.

I have two Fluval 304's running (260 gph each), Penguin Bio-wheel (170gph), a Marineland h.o.t magnum filter (250gph), and a Whisper power filter 60 (330gph).



I don't see why I couldn't add 1, maybe 2 more medium sized fish, and then a handful of the slightly smaller guys for variation,
or If you think the dwarf cichlids would get stressed, I could only get certain dwarfs that grow to at least 3-4 inches, like Rainbow Kribs, Cockatoos, or some male Rams?
They would be the size of my Crayfish and he does just fine in the tank at his size. And since there would be a whole group of the smaller guys, and not just one solitary small one,
wouldn't that make it better on them as far as not getting stressed/ chased by my bigger fish?

I do like the blue acara's and have thought of trying them in the tank too.

What kind of dwarf cichlids ? apistogramma are not schooling fish are will not do well with big fish you can keep one male to 3 females. Rams can live together but don't school and males fight. Have you ever kept "dwarf" cichlids? They shy and get stressed when chased. They would be better off in a tank for them.

I am not one to talk my tank is a 100gal 5ft and over stocked or fully stocked. My green severum is over a year and 8" but still growing Just slowly. The Pleco is the fish that is really filling up your tank space. With out him you would have more room for other fish. Plecoscare poop machines. the inch rule is not the best way to go. There is more to take in to account.

The blue acara would be perfect for your tank.

Sorry just trying to help but do what you want.
 
No, no. No apologies needed! I thank you for your advice, I was just curious.
And yes my Pleco does produce alot of waste, It's mainly what I tend to vaccuum up when I do my water changes.

And I was curious of the Jack dempsey because I have someone wanting to sell me their 5 inch JD for only $10.
She's a female and she's beautiful. And I thought maybe since she was the same size/smaller than my other fish, that she could maybe get along in my tank.

And I also have someone that I am talking to that is wanting to sell their 3 and 1/2 inch juvenile EBJD to me.
I have heard the electric blues are much more timid than the normal JD and they are friendlier to other fish, not as aggressive, and don't grow as large.

No way either of these would work?

And if not, what kind of tetras would you recommend for color/movement in the tank?
 
I have an ebjd that Is 5" and over a year. He is not growing. They pick on fish their own size or smaller. A ebjd could work in your tank. With jacks some are nice others mean it depends on the fish. I would say the female jd could work if the same or close to the same size. I would only pick one fish unless you let the Pleco go.

Tetras and big fish don't mix. My 5" blue acara killed many tetras in her day all different kinds. I kept trying to find some tetras that would work but they always went missing. So I gave up. Silver dollars work but get 5".
 
Yes, the female JD is 5 inches, the same size as my BP, but smaller than my Sev.
Owner says she doesn't have much of a temper besides the occasional little nip to other fishes if they get too close and that she just needs her space, but wouldnt label her as aggressive.
 

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