# Stocking a 105 gallon tank



## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

Hello,

I have been keeping fish for many years specializing in African cichlids from lake Malawi. I have decided to give NW cichlids a try and, would like to ask for your opinions regarding the population and setup I am thinking of.

The tank is 5 foot long and 105 gallons. The filtration is via a Eheim pro 3 2080. I have also a large powerhead. I will be using a fine soft sand as substrat. I have large flat rocks to build caves and thinking of using sturdy plants like Anubias. The population I have in mind is :
-a pair of Geophagus.....specific specie to be determined depending on availability
-a pair of green Severum
-a pair of Firemouth
-a school of Silver dollars

Any thoughts or suggestions ?


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

A few thoughts...The only fish that might appreciate a cave effect is the Firemouths of the group you mentioned. It's a CA cichlid unlike the others which are SA. Its not that CA and SA cichlids can't be mixed but being predominently a SA tank, you might want to go with say Blue Acaras (lower level fish) or Festivums (upper level) instead and add some driftwood and rounded river rocks as structure which are common in the SA habitat. Also, even though Anubias is tough, it may not be able to withstand the Silver Dollars' and Severums' love of plants (to eat) so you might want to try artificial (silk or plastic) plants. I find that geos tend to do better in groups of 3 to 5 than in pairs to reduce aggression. Your filtration sounds adequate. Good luck with your project.
Here's a couple of pics of one of my SA tanks (180G)


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## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

Thank you for your well thought and informative answer ! The picture are stunning. Lots of fish in that tank ! I usually tend to Under-populate my tanks. Are your plants silk ? I fully understand how 3 to 5 individuals is preferable to a pair.....its something that I am used to with mbunas. I do have some good size driftwood pièces and some rounded river rocks. I'll go see today what my local fish store has to offer.....


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## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

Ok, I have started to populate the aquarium and got 5 Satanoperca Juripari and two Scalare to start. I am having second thoughts concerning the silver dollars since they grow so large. Would anyone have an opinion on a tight schooling fish in a south American setup ?


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## lp85253 (Sep 27, 2011)

buenos aires tetras might work well...


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## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

Buenos Aires Tetras looks nice ! I also like Colombian Tetras.

Continuing with my population, I got 4 adult Biotodoma Cupido. Great fish !


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## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

Ok, here is where I am at with the population

5 Satanoperca Juripari
4 Biotodoma Cupido
2 Scalare
2 Firemouth (that I probably wont keep)

I have a chance of getting some Gymnogeophagus labiatus "Rio Alomar" and was wondering if any of you have expêrience with them. Would they be a good fit in my group ? Am I correct to assume that the correct maintenance is in the harem form like 1M and 3F ?


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

This gymno species along with virtually all others are from the temperate waters of Uruguay which has seasonality (ie winter/summer variations in temperatures) They depend on cooler temperatures (65-70 F) for a part of their year to maintain their health and well being and IME if kept in constantly warmer water conditions, will gradually "break down". So I don't think they would be a good choice with your SA fish which do well in the 78-86 F range. Check this out

URUGUAY - WEATHER AVERAGES

ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 
Average Temperature (F) 62.3	73.6	72.8	69.3	63	57.6	52.5	51.8	53.5	56.6	60.7	66	
Average High Temperature (F)	72.4	85	83.6	79.4	72.8	66.7	61.2	60.5	62.6	66.1	71.3	76.7	
Average Low Temperature (F)	53.5	63.3	63.3	60.1	54.2	49.7	44.8	44.4	45.6	48.2	51.5	56.1


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## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

Thank you for the great info Notho. Quite a fascinating fish ! I read a good article on them. http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=174
I guess that since they are from northern Uruguay and do tolerate warmer temperature, they could be combined for a period of the year and transfered to an other tank for a cooling period. Cpmplicated and surely stressful for the fish though. A specific tank does seem more logical. Must be quite a search to find tankmates !! Bolivian rams ? Dimerus like you have ? Laetacara dorsigera ?

I will continue my search to complete my population.......very hard to find good quality compatible fish in my area......Anything you would send to Québec Notho ?


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