# 150 Gallon SA Cichlid Stocking



## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

Now that my 210 Mbuna tanks is taking shape I am starting to plan the other tank that will sit right next to it, a 150 gallon SA cichlid tank. The tank will be filled with drift wood, live plants and a sand substrate. I'd like Angelfish, Severum, Red Head Tapajos, Blue Rams, Pictus Cats, Lemon Tetras and several different species of plecos.

I doubt I can have all those fish in the tank but I'd love stocking suggestions based on those species. Also feel free to suggest fish I ought to consider. I don't plan to plant the tank heavy, but I don't want fish that are going to trash my plants so suggestions as far as that is concerned. Thanks for the suggestions and I can't wait to hear what you suggest.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

With RHT in the tank, all the plants must be tied strongly to woods or rocks. And the rocks and woods must be big and heavy enough so that RHT can't move them around.

I learnt in the hard way in my tank. RHT digs a lot and moves everything they can move in their paths, plants taken out from rocks and woods...

Woods and rocks also must not be put on the sands. I put mine on Styrofoam sheet on the tank bottom.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

SOunds like a great concept. My 125 is pretty much set up that way, with a slightly different fish array. As much as I love the Pictus cats, they are not really a good choice to go with the other fish, as they will eat little fish, and will disturb the adults at night. The fish you have selected will use the entire tank, angels tend towards the top half of the aquarium and the RHT are more at the bottom. My severums go all over. I've considered lemon tetras for my tank, but am concerned about them being eaten as the other fish get older and larger, for that reason I'd also not recommend the Blue Rams either.

Other possible fish which will be good in this set up include Threadfin Acaras and Festivum.



This is my 125. I'm going to disagree slightly with Als about the rocks and driftwood - as long as they are on the bottom of the tank, and without sand under them, they cannot be undermined by fish, and are safe. Styrofoam is not needed.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I have a 150 gallon SA tank. My current stocking is 5 angelfish, 5 geophagus altifrons, 4 silver dollars, 2 striped raphael cats, and about 25 corydora metae. I recently rehomed 2 severums, 1 because of an aggression issue, and a uaru. I am also rehoming my silver dollars because I want to add other plants besides anubias, which the silver dollars pretty much leave alone.

Severums, angelfish, festivums and geophagus mix very well. However, severums and festivums will go after your live plants.

Once my silver dollars are rehomed and I add more plants, I'm thinking of adding a school of lemon or congo tetras to complete my tank. Even though 2 of my geophagus are quite large, they really don't the mouth type to eat fish.


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks everyone for the replies. OK as much as I hate to do it, I will bail on the pictus cats. Man I'd love to keep a tank with those guys but it won't be this one. Are there any species of cories you would recommend as a replacement? Also, I have no idea what the stocking levels should be. See if I'm close with something like this:

3 Angelfish
2 Severum
5 Red Head Tapajos
2 Threadfin Acara
1 Galaxy Pleco
1 Green Phantom Pleco

School of corys?
School of dithers? - I would really still like Lemon Tetras, but I have multiple tanks that I could move them to if it becomes a problem.

Am I overstocked on a 150? I will have plenty of filtration with a DIY sump and have extra canister filters around if I need more filtration. Thanks so much, I really want to do this right and have found Cichlid-Forum to be a huge help!


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I personally find severums to be dull. I would also up the angelfish count to 5 as they can be surprisingly aggressive among themselves. I started off with 3 cory metae in a 17 gallon tank and they kept breeding like mad. Any cory would do, but just make sure that you get a school of at least 6. My favorites are adolfoi/duplicareus, which I keep in my 90 gallon. Congo tetras would make nice dithers, and they are very active.

I have no experience with acaras.


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

I've never kept severums but I really like those red spot gold severums. It's like a poor man's discus! If I up the number of angelish up to five, would I still be ok? Here is what the stock would be.

5 Angelfish
2 Severum
5 Red Head Tapajos
2 Threadfin Acara
1 Galaxy Pleco
1 Green Phantom Pleco
12 Lemon Tetras
12 Corys


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I think that you will be ok because the RHTs stay small.


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

I thought I'd revisit this now that my 210 Mbuna build is almost done (just a few more species to stock). Instead of a 150 I decided to get another 210 so that gives me more room to play with. Since these tanks are right next to each other I am calling them "Gondwana", after the super continent made up of Africa and South America before Pangaea.

I have been doing some reading and it sounds like Severum and Festivum both like to tear up plants and can even destroy Anubias. I really want this build to look a lot like Nodima's tank with lots of driftwood but also some live plants. I'm thinking mostly Anubias (even though they are from Africa and not South America) because anything planted is going to get torn up by the Red head Tapajos, but For those that have kept Severum or Festivum, should I be concerned?

I would love to do a 210 that had angelfish, severum, rht, threadfin acara, festivum, a couple of fancy plecos, corys and some kind of tetra as dithers. I'd love more advice!


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

I never had problems with Festivums & Severums eating plants - but I have heard the can/will do that.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

I'm not sure who is doing it, but my java ferns and anubias are being razed in this tank. Suspect severums, but I've never actually seen any fish actively feeding on them.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

When I kept uaru, festivums and severums, the festivums would feed on romaine lettuce and the severums would eat peas. My uaru would eat anything green, including unpalatable plants such as anubias and java fern.


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