2GreenThumbs Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Hello fellow fish keepers. My name is Brandon. I’ve been in the hobby for almost 15 years and been watching Cory since he first started making videos on the main channel about 10 years ago. I’ve kept community aquariums and larger cichlids, but been letting my tanks kinda dwindle down as I’ve lost stock over the last couple years. I just moved my last batch of white clouds out to the ponds and rehomed a bristlenose and now I’m fish free. Of course we can’t have that and I’m finally In the market for a show tank. I’ve got some good prospects on a 125 6ft long. I’ll be using medium lighting live plants and have plenty of heaters and filters to facilitate what I need. I also have a sump and the tank already has overflows installed and all. I’ve got the scape planned but I need some advice on stocking never done a community this large and I know I can fit a lot. So here’s my list of wants. 1 blue acara( preferably not electric), 3 angelfish, 12 lemon tetras, 12 cardinal tetras, 12 yo-yo loaches and a trio of platys(maybe more if all the babies get eaten.) The sump is setup for a refugium and I plan to do some live plants in there and probably grow out shrimp and snails for cleanup and live food. My first question is can I add some smaller cichlids? I know German blue rams need a little warmer temps so they’re out and Bolivians don’t interest me. Anybody see any problems here? I’m trying to get a really nice maybe middle aggression tank here. Thanks everyone sorry for long first post! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Hi. Nice looking tank. Laetacara Cichlids are low to no aggression. Complete water puppy pets with a crazy amount of personality. They rival my German blue rams in personality. I currently have Laetacara curviceps. I throw my young apistogramma babies in their tank to grow out. Beautiful water puppies that are happy at community tank temperatures. I also have Laetacara dorsigera. My dorsigera don’t even eat the neocaridina in their tank. They nudge them aside to get food. Sweet temperament. Good in communities and community temperature. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Welcome to the forum! I’d maybe try Apistogramma dwarf cichlids, seeing as you’ve got some seriously sweet strains over there in the states. Agassizii are my favorite; but everyone has their own tastes. 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2GreenThumbs Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 Thank you both for your advice. I was thinking apistogramma but I knew there were some things I have never heard of so any extra advice is appreciated. I’m sure once I house all these guys I’ve planned out I’ll get an idea of how much this tank can hold. Do you guys think I’m even pushing it? Keeping in mind I’m going to have a ton of plants and will let them grow out before adding fish all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaHobbyist123 Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Welcome to the forum! Man, someday I need to keep Cichlids. Never have before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2GreenThumbs Posted October 11, 2023 Author Share Posted October 11, 2023 (edited) So I think after looking I’m gonna keep a trio of aposto borelli and a trio of aposto agassizii. I’ll make sure to provide plenty of hideouts and line of sight blocks and also gonna do a lot of plants. Also considering a small group of marble hatchetfish. Let me know what you guys think! Edited October 11, 2023 by 2GreenThumbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 On 10/11/2023 at 3:41 AM, 2GreenThumbs said: So I think after looking I’m gonna keep a trio of aposto borelli and a trio of aposto agassizii. I’ll make sure to provide plenty of hideouts and line of sight blocks and also gonna do a lot of plants. Also considering a small group of marble hatchetfish. Let me know what you guys think! I think Apistos can hybridize between species, at least A. Cacatuoides and A. Agassizii can. Maybe try for a trio of agassizii, and maybe add some more further down the line? (If they breed, it saves you the trouble!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2GreenThumbs Posted October 11, 2023 Author Share Posted October 11, 2023 Everything in here will be going in in small groups. I’ll probably buy 50 dollars or so worth of fish to add every couple weeks. I’m very patient in the hobby. I’ll look into the hybridization. Thank you for letting me know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 (edited) On 10/9/2023 at 11:28 PM, 2GreenThumbs said: 1 blue acara( preferably not electric), 3 angelfish, 12 lemon tetras, 12 cardinal tetras, Can an acara be kept with cardinal tetras? I thought they were fairly mean What parameters are you planning on keeping? You could go with a pelvicachromis species. They're easy enough to breed and can take a fairly wide range of parameters Welcome to the forum! Edited October 14, 2023 by Schuyler Autocorrect... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 10/13/2023 at 4:24 PM, Schuyler said: Can an Cara be kept with cardinal tetras? I thought they were fairly mean What parameters are you planning on keeping? You could go with a pelvicachromis species. They're easy enough to breed and can take a fairly wide range of parameters Welcome to the forum! @Beardedbillygoat1975 had a couple of Acaras. 😅 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 I think that as per usual cichlids are cichlids - some are placid and some will kill anything. So in terms of Acaras you won’t know until you try. I’d say buying juveniles and keeping them well fed gives you the best chance for the cardinal tetras survival. Acaras I’ve kept as well as some adjacent species - electric blue acaras are amazing in a planted tank, have generally done well with medium sized tetras, Cory cats and bristlenose. Laetacara curviceps have more of an apistograma feel to them so no issues with cardinals. Yellow acara (metae) have a good reputation for a more medium size cichlid but once again I’d start small and then bring them up with the cardinals. Have fun what a great project!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2GreenThumbs Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share Posted October 17, 2023 On 10/13/2023 at 9:24 AM, Schuyler said: Can an acara be kept with cardinal tetras? I thought they were fairly mean What parameters are you planning on keeping? You could go with a pelvicachromis species. They're easy enough to breed and can take a fairly wide range of parameters Welcome to the forum! I’m mostly aware the cardinals may get eaten but I’m going to add them first so they’ll have the best chance possible to survive. I really want them but if they don’t work I’ll do a taller bodied tetra. Yes this is the experimental in a way. I wanna see how much I can fit in while still giving the fish a good habitat and enough territory. I want to see that hustle and bustle in a planted tank. Thank you I’ll take all of your points into account! I’ll be making another post I finally got the stand and tank. I need to add some support to the stand and need some advice. Thanks a lot everybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2GreenThumbs Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share Posted October 17, 2023 As for parameters I’ll probably be running temperature at 80 or so and my ph is about 7.6 after it settles out. Maybe higher out of the tap. I have a 4 to 6 gh on average and then 1 to 2 kh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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