# 60 Gallon Stocking



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

I'm trying to get feedback on my stocking idea for a 60 gallon tank (standard dimensions 48 x 15 x 17).
Currently I have smaller tanks with some fish that I plan on keeping and consolidating to my new 60 gallon. I will be taking down the smaller tanks so I will only be left with the 60 and maybe a small 10 gallon quarantine tank. Below is my stocking plan.

1 Male Convict (4.5") - Existing stock
3 Silver dollars (2.5") - Existing stock
1 Male Salvini - New
1 Firemouth - New

Originally I wanted to get 2 Rainbow Chichlids in place of the firemouth but I'm having trouble finding any. I'm firm on keeping the existing fish and adding a Salvini. I am fine switching out the firemouth out for another recommended cichlid. I would love to hear other's thoughts to my stocking.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

Hi, maybe my questions weren't clear in the above post. I would appreciate any feedback.

Questions:
1) In a 60 gallon tank (above specs) would my planned stocking be acceptable? (1 convict, 3 SD's, 1 salvini, 1 firemouth) Is the stocking too heavy, light, right on?
2) If my stocking plan is too light, any recommendations on what to add?
3) I would like to swap out the firemouth if I found another cichlid option that I prefered. Any suggestions?

Thanks


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Are these fish in the 60 gallon now?

Silver dollars grow large and do best in schools larger than 3. IMO your tank is too small for them.

Adding a Salvini to the mix could be problematic. Your con is established and of a good size. Sure someone who has had experience with these fish will chime in.


----------



## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

Welcome to the forum!

That stocking could potentially coexist together long term in a 60gal. However, I feel the odds may be against you. It is always best to start out with juveniles of the same size and let them grow out together. When mixing juvenile fish with larger, more mature individuals things can tend to get messy. The only way to find out though is to give it a go. So, I'd say go ahead with your proposed stock and see how things work out. Be prepared however to make changes if things don't go so well.

I'd also suggest you look into replacing the Silver Dollars with something smaller. As Iggy mentioned, SD's get get quite large and really do best in larger schools as they are quite skittish. Perhaps consider a larger school (6-10) of Buenos Aires Tetras.

Good luck!


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

thanks for the replies. currently I have the convict and silver dollars in a 29 gallon. when I got the first 2 dollars they were small, about one inch. they grew super fast. then I read about having more so they could school so I bought one more. unfortunately one of them had fin rot and has no tail. I'm not sure if a fish site would even take him. the convict is very good with then so far abd I've never seen any aggression displayed. I will look at trading then in for smaller dithers, tetras, but if suck with them I will have to decide what to do. should I purchase one or two more to have a minimum size school or am I better off keeping the 3 since im limited to the new 60 gallon? I plan on setting up the 60 and getting rid of the 29.

Thx again for your input.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Are you sure it's fin rot and not a sign of aggression? Are any of the other fish showing symptoms? Are you treating the tank with any meds?


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

Iggy - I just guessed it was finrot after reading on it a bit. I purchased the 2 bigger ones at the same time. One was untouched while the other's tail completely disappeared by the second day. I later bought a smaller silver dollar and he remains untouched. I've never seen the Convict attack any of them, he sometimes swims close but not aggressively.

However just very recently, the other of the bigger ones has some tail damage but still has the majority of his tail.

I did treat with melafix for 7 days but have seen no improvement. I started using some aquarium salt also.

In addition to the advice on the silver dollars, do you have any recommendations for a different smallish cichlid that I could substitute for the firemouth in the 60gallon?


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Sounds like an aggression issue with the con or amongst the SDs. Do you have this 60 gallon tank yet?



> In addition to the advice on the silver dollars, do you have any recommendations for a different smallish cichlid that I could substitute for the firemouth in the 60gallon?


No I don't.


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

yes, I have it. my plan is to transfer all water from my 2 existing tanks, 29 gallon and 20 gallon, to the sixty, use same filters in the hope that cycling could be cut down or eliminated all together. unfortunately due to spacing issues I cannot keep a smaller tank going after the sixty is set up. if I do need some cycle time for the sixty I'll keep the fish in the 30 for a bit if necessary. your thoughts?


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

What do you have in the 20? Could you separate the SDs and convict? This will help you determine who is the aggressor. If you do believe it's an illness, putting the fish through a transfer and possible mini cycle could be a mistake.

The transfer of water will have no affect on cycling. Are you planning on using any new filtration or just your existing?


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

in the 20 I have about 60 convict babies, about another week or two until I donate to LFS. 
with the 60 I purchased used, I got an aquatech 30 to 60 gallon filter. I think I can fit the existing filter media in that filter. wrist case scenario my convict may be the bully after all. however with the bigger tank coming soon and the fact that these silver dollars are growing so fast, should they be better off going forward?


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

They will certainly benefit from a larger tank. Imagine all 3 of them at 5-6" or larger. In a 55 it could get cramped if you added to the 'school.' How are they in the 29? Skittish? I have never kept them before. I would imagine a large school in a 6' tank would be impressive.

It would be best to setup the 60, add the SDs(as long as they are indeed not suffering from any illness) along with the salvini and firemouth, and let the fish get established. Add your convict weeks later. I know you said you're limited on space though...

Another option- start with a fresh convict.

What's your total GPH for the 60 gallon?


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

Iggy. First of all, thank you very much for your input, I really appreciate it.
In regards to how they are in the tank, I feel they are very comfortable. I don't see them acting skittish unless i accidentially hit the tank or something, then they dart. Usually when I come near they are all begging to be fed, along with the convict. They come up to the top of the tank and eat everything I feed them. They even fight for food, almost to the point where they take pellets away from my convict. They seem very comfortable with the exception of some fin dammage. I'm beginning to think that the original 2 silver dollars might have just been weaker than the one small one I got from a different LFS later on. The small one looks amazing, very healthy.

I do have plans of getting a 125 or 150 gallon once I can finally move to a more permanent place, however that may be a year or more. I can definitely see 6 of those dollars swimming around in a school, above a few of the cichlids that I'll have.

Thanks for the advice on the 60 gallon stocking order. I may even consider starting with a smaller convict, one of the babies I currently have if one stands out. I do like my existing male though, and my girl has become somewhat attached to him so it will be hard to pull off.

So for the 60 gallon's stocking I should not add anymore silver dollars to achieve a larger school, and add the convict last if I go with the existing 4.5" male that I have.

I think I mentioned it before but do you have any other ideas to replace a firemouth? I'm sold on the salvini, just not 100% on the firemouth yet so wanted to see my options.

In regards to my GPH, gallons per hour i'm assuming, you're asking the GPH of all combined filters I'll have on the 60 gallon? I'm not exactly sure how to calculate that yet, but I do plan on using the 30-60 Aquatech, the aqueon (medium size media) that is on my 29 gal. currently, and using a sponge filter that should have some good bacteria on it. That's my plan at this point.


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

looked up my future gph. the aqua tech 60 is 330gph, aqueon will be 200 gph. is 530 gph sufficient for a 60 gallon?


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I would think so. Not sure how much media those filters hold. Are they both HOBs?


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

yes, both are hob filters. I'll also have a sponge filter in there


----------



## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

I'm getting alot of comments from other forums, that I'm taking with a grain of salt, saying that the salvini may be a problem with the convict and firemouth. if anyone has experiences with salvini id like to hear how they worked in a community tank. also, think I'm gonna take iggys advice and swap out the silver dollars for some buenos aires. please let me know your salvini experiences.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Nothing is a guarantee. Your best bet would be to purchase all juveniles and let them grow up together.


----------

