humpty Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) Hey i was just wondering if I could get some comments on the stocking of my tank. I was wondering if I would be able to fit another fish or 2 in there or if the current stocking levels are good. I have a 200g tank running 2 Fluval fx5 filters. I currently change between 30-50% of the water evey week. Right now in the tank I have 2- 12" tiger oscars 1- 4-5" jack dempsey 1- 4" green terror 1- 4" jewel cichlid 1 - 5" convict 3 - 3" upside down catfish 2 - 3" synodontis petricola I have a rock pile in the tank that has lots of hiding spots for the smaller fish. My catfish pretty much stay in the rocks and I have had them in there for almost a year and all the other fish leave them alone. All the fish get along right now and there are no major fights. Just minor skirmishes which I consider playing because there are never any injuries. My oscars are very good tempered. I put the gt in there when he was 2 maybe 3 inches and they never even bothered him. They dont seem to mind smaller fish at all, they just keep to themselves. I was wondering if I would be able to put in another 1 or 2 SA cichlids, because the tank looks awful empty at times. Something similar to what i have in there maybe like a jaguar or something like that. But I know all these fish are not full grown yet and I dont want any problems when they are. Please let me know your thoughts or suggestions. thanx Edited January 10, 2009 by humpty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 With that mix, I might stay away from the 'really aggressive' fish, but still something big that can hold its own. Sevrums might be a good choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rED O Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) are you using the jewel cichlid as a dither? All the fish you listed in there will kill a jewel. I am surprised the jewel is still in there. For the rest of it I think its not a bad list. How much aggression do you have in your tank? As suggested I would get a sevrum or two. Edited January 10, 2009 by rED O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boom Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 I know little about SA/CA fish, but if I had that tank, I would add some nice Firemouth cichlids. Maybe 3 to 4 of them. I've mixed them with JD's and convicts before, and seen them mixed with oscar's before as well. Firemouth's can be beautiful fish! Just my 2 cents. Boom :boom: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpty Posted January 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) the aggression in the tank is minimal. They chase each other around now and then and have there little uh showdowns i guess. You know the face to face backin each other down. But like i said there is never any injuries and all the fish seem to be happy, all showing great color. I'm assuming they all do well together because they are all aggressive so they respect each other. The jewel fish seems to be doing just fine, he has his little squables, but is pretty much left alone. I seem to have a very good balance right now, because alot of people tell me this is not a good mix of fish, but it seems to be working just fine. I'm thinking I will need a fish that is semi-aggressive because if they are not they will probably get picked on. Nobody gets picked on right now because they stand up for themselves. It seems once a fish stands up for itself the other fish respect and dont bother it too much. i was thinking along the lines of maybe a jag or a texas cichlid or something of that nature, something that is similar to the fish that I already have. So im assuming you guys think that the stocking level is fine and there is room for another fish? I've also considered getting an albino oscar but would that be pushing it? Edited January 10, 2009 by humpty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 I think you have room - filtration isn't really an issue, IMO. When you add the new fish, do it after lights-out and rearrange all the decor; that way, it's a new home for everyone when they wake up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobies et al Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Have you considered H. notatus? quote from http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/severums.htm "there are more than one "Severum". Of the four currently recognized species of the genus Heros, (H. fasciatus, H. spurius, H. notatus (fishbase.org) only H. severus occurs in the trade regularly, " This pair still available; http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showt...88&hl=heros The only aggression Ive seen is the male chase the female. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpty Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 those are nice fish! I would definately consider something like that, unfortunately you live in red deer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmaan. Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 if you have a really thick gravel bed, i'd honestly recommend getting an eel. my friend has one in his 125 and i've liked them in CA/SA tanks since! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpty Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 well, I have 4 inches of sand in the tank but I am not a big fan of eels, thanks for the suggestion tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobies et al Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 those are nice fish! I would definately consider something like that, unfortunately you live in red deer pm'd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpty Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) well i decided to get an albino tiger oscar. It is way to small for the 200g right now so I will have to grow it out a bit in my 33g. Now with the current stocking list plus another oscar am i fully stocked? Edited January 11, 2009 by humpty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rED O Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 For the information I know about oscars, 3 is a bad idea. The chances are that the two tigers you have right now will beat up the new oscar If you have 3 oscars, 2 will pick on one. I am not saying it wont work out but I strongly recommend against it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpty Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 that sounds very plausible didnt think about that. unfortunately I already bought the albino, so we will just have to see how it goes. If it dont work I have a buddy with a big tank that has room for another oscar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murmade Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Hey sounds like a nice set up! :thumbs: The average adult oscar (12" - 18") requires approx. 55 gallons each (poo factories) and thats considering a minimum of 1/3 water changes weekly. The terror and dempsey are about 35 gallons each, you are not far from maxed out already. But you do have killer filtration. :bow: oscarfish.com has a lot of helpful stats and info. I have 1 13"Oscar, 1 13" clown knife, & 1 6" female Green Terror in a 125 gallon and I have to do 60% water changes every week. and thats just keeping up.(I should do more) I also agree with red O, the 2 most aggressive Oscars will usually single out the weakest and kill it, but if you decide to move the smaller ones, I suggest a clown knife, very cool fish, gets along really well with my Oscar. good luck :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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