Which geo is a good fit for my setup ?

[anewbie]

So in my ever ending quest to find the 'proper' geo for my setup I think i'm down to these options (unless others have suggestion based on first hand experience).

This aquarium is 8ftx4ft area. The substrate is pool filter sand (very fine); the filtration is sump with adjustable pump but current turn over is around 1600 gph (with the pumps running 50%). The water condition is approx tds 90 kh 2. The water change methodoly is a drip system that is 50% ro water an 50% tap at 2 gph (48 gallon per day). The input tds is around 62 and the input kh is around 1.5. The current temp is 78. The current stocking is:

3 whiptail catfish species
25 rummy
15 sterbai
2 domestic angels
4 Laetacara curviceps
3 or 4 L208
6 L172a
6 gold dust geo (can be removed if needed)
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addition would be 6 to 10 another geo species # depend on species
3 to 6 sterbai
0 to 20 rummy
2 L177 (or similar)
2 L172a
4 to 8 Krobia X
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As i see it now there are 4 options
winemilleri (wc) (large fish might eat rummy as adults; in native environment per rapid current but others say adaptable)
mirablis (tank raise- wc almost never available) (smaller fish around 8 inch max; from slower moving river)
neambi (wc) (similar to mirablis but easier to find wc)
red head (wc) ( a much more readily available smaller geo around 6 inch - would get a larger group)
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I believe the bottom three are more robust than winemilleri (that is winemilleri require more proper care); but winemilleri are more robust than the true blackwater species like altron ('true' mean they require blackwater to thrive in the aquarium).
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What is vague to myself is if a fish like winemilleri actually require strong current.
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My scaping mostly include medium to large drift wood with vals on the 4ft sides for the first foot in the front half much more open than the back where there is more drift wood and plants - this was partially intentional to encourage the geo to stay towards the front; unfortunately a lot of the pleco prefer to hide under the drift wood - well not unfortunate to them.

 

[GaryE]

I've never collected in South America, but a very good friend has and I have watched hours of underwater video at his place. I've never seen any Geophagus species in still water. In general, the water moves more than we can manage in an aquarium, since the glass walls create turbulence. But with your set up, especially the constant water change idea, they would all do well.
I think it's a basic statement that rivers and streams move more than our filters can manage.
I haven't kept mirabilis or neambi, though I've watched both in tanks. G winemilleri and red heads seemed equally delicate when I had them. With light stocking and serious water changes, they grow fast, and are extremely similar to keep. Honestly, I found that as far as keeping went they were interchangeable.
G argyrostictus was the only one I kept for which serious current was obligatory. In quiet water, they are very aggressive, and in fast water, calm and typical Geos. They looked ideal, with their smaller size, but the behaviour was a bit of a surprise. A friend with laminar flow pumps kept them, and they were fine in that quick water.
I quite liked abalios and dicrozoster, but they got big.

 

[anewbie]

I've never collected in South America, but a very good friend has and I have watched hours of underwater video at his place. I've never seen any Geophagus species in still water. In general, the water moves more than we can manage in an aquarium, since the glass walls create turbulence. But with your set up, especially the constant water change idea, they would all do well.
I think it's a basic statement that rivers and streams move more than our filters can manage.
I haven't kept mirabilis or neambi, though I've watched both in tanks. G winemilleri and red heads seemed equally delicate when I had them. With light stocking and serious water changes, they grow fast, and are extremely similar to keep. Honestly, I found that as far as keeping went they were interchangeable.
G argyrostictus was the only one I kept for which serious current was obligatory. In quiet water, they are very aggressive, and in fast water, calm and typical Geos. They looked ideal, with their smaller size, but the behaviour was a bit of a surprise. A friend with laminar flow pumps kept them, and they were fine in that quick water.
I quite liked abalios and dicrozoster, but they got big.

Thanks Gary; so it sounds like they all have similar requirement and behavior and it is just a matter of picking one based on availability and i guess looks. My understanding is winemilleri are quite large relative to the others with redhead being the smallest. A lot of people like redhead but part of that data is shifted since they are inexpensive and high availability relative to the other species.

 

[GaryE]

My redheads weren't ever as large as my winemilleri, but they were still hefty fish for a tank.

Have you considered Biotodoma? I doubt Geos would hunt down rummy noses, but they would eat them once at adult size, if it occured to them. Often it doesn't. Biotodoma are Geophagines, but have smaller mouths. and smaller bodies.

 

[anewbie]

My redheads weren't ever as large as my winemilleri, but they were still hefty fish for a tank.

Have you considered Biotodoma? I doubt Geos would hunt down rummy noses, but they would eat them once at adult size, if it occured to them. Often it doesn't. Biotodoma are Geophagines, but have smaller mouths. and smaller bodies.

I have cupid in a 4ftx4ft aquarium; i believe wavrini are true blackwater fish and didn't want to lower the aquarium to blackwater condition at this time.

The aquarium for the geo is 8ft long and 4ft wide so i think something a bit larger than cupid would be appropriate. I do have a small group of gold dust geo in there that will mix with them. It is my rough understanding that red-head are around 6 inches and winemilleri around 10 inches and the other two around 8 inches but i sometime see conflicting info - also there is a wide variance between individual fishes and male/females.
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If i went with winemilleri i would go with 6 due to their size if redhead 8 to 10 and the other two species probably 8ish. I don't have to put a large fish in the aquarium but the next largest fish are a pair of domestic angel with the male being on the smalll size - not much larger than a female (other males i have are much larger). The krobia if i can eventually find them are in the 4-5 inch range and my female sterbai which are around 5 years old are not exactly small but still only around 3 inches.

Having a very large aquarium with nothing but small fishes is not a horrible idea on the other hand it does give me the option of considering one of the larger species. I won't be horrified if the winemilleri (if i go with them) eventually ate the rummy on the other hand they would have to chase them a bit given the size of the aquarium and one though is they would rather eat something much more accomdating.

 

[GaryE]

I kept winemilleri and red heads together, and they got along fine.

 

[anewbie]

I kept winemilleri and red heads together, and they got along fine.

Are you suggesting i get both to go with the gold dust geo ?

 

[GaryE]

No suggestions - just an observation... I had 4 winemilleri and 3 red heads, because I could only get three. I grew the winemilleri for a friend and they went to his tank once they got some size. Both are beauties.