# 90Gallon-Variety Cichlid; In dire need of words of wisdom!



## Juliangtmd (Apr 21, 2013)

Dear friends,

For starters my name is Julian, I'm 23 years old (24, 4/30!) with a 90 gallon tropical fish tank. I got my hands on my father's old (but beautiful) 46 bow front tank & stand. She has gotten into live plants and also got me into it. I have few plants in my 90 with too much (25Lbs.) fertilizer while she seems to have a better proportion of fertilizer than I in her 46. To stay directly to the point however, I am giving her the majority of my fish in the 90 while giving a good friend/ fish keeper the remaining fish to care for. In essence I intent to keep my juvenile Polleni (Paratilapia polleni) and add a variety of cichlids. I was hoping to add possibly 5 convict cichlids, 2 black belt cichlids, 2 oscars, and 3 Jack Dempsey cichlids. I know in the long run I will need to upgrade to a larger thank, which will not be an issue.

The main issue is I have a bala shark in the 90 gallon at the moment. This bala shark is awesome! I could literally sell him for a lot to a bala shark lover, I raised him with my (also small/ juvenile) clown loaches and it is clearly obvious the bala shark "Mason" has adapted the clown loach technique of swimming upside down, mostly for grazing purposes. I love Mason he's a great buddy, he never runs from me, never cowers, he comes to my hand, net, decors (while moving them) and he nips at me or the items. He hangs out near the magnetic glass cleaner while most other fish hide. He truly was raised to be the opposite of the common bala shark, for good or for worse; hopefully for better. Where I'm going is, I know bala sharks grow big vigorously! While keeping him in the 46 (Concealed with plastics that adhere to glass cover) won't hurt him for a short term, will putting him back in the 90 gallon when he's closer to 4.5-6 inches be alright with these cichlids?

I refuse to keep any living organism in a poor/unjust situation due to my own greed or desire. I want to start looking for an amazing owner for Mason now due to the fact true bala shark owners are really hard to find. True bala shark owners keep usually 5+ bala sharks in a 300+ gallon tank as they grow huge and swim not only often but fast, not to mention usually very jumpy.

I am also curious to know if Siamese algae eaters, or maybe scissortail rasbora could be accepted in this mixed cichlid tank as they too are also in my 90 gallon. I guess it would be fair to inform you of my current live stock, if you have any curiosity of what I'm trading for cichlids. 7 2"scissortail rasboras, 3 1" albino cory cats, 3 1" julii cory cats, 2 2" clown loaches, 3 3" clown loaches, 2 4.5" (tall) angel fish, 1 3" (tall) angel fish, 3 3" Siamese algae eaters, 2 2" black mollys, 1 2" red wag platty, 1 3.5" bala shark, 2 1" panda cory cats, and finally 1 3.5" polleni.

All of my fish get along really well apart from the 3 angels occasionally being cichlids amongst one another, or the angels tacitly moving out of the polleni's way when he comes threw. Now in the mixed cichlid tank this would not be the case at all, and I know that very well. However mixed researches said different things about mixing community fish with cichlids. I figured I'd hope someone experienced in a similar situation could help me out before I actually readjust my live stock in the next 3-5 weeks.

Thanks you very much for taking a significant amount of time to read my prolonged and perhaps even tedious forum questionnaire. As a form of remuneration if you're interested in learning how to get your tropical fish to become hand fed I could help you (please note some tropical fish, especially wild caught, just will not ever become tame enough to be hand fed) the best I can in advice and personal experiences.

In great beholden,
Julian.


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Hi Julian and Welcome to C-F!!

What are the dimensions of your 90 gallon tank?

Please clarify your statement that you have 25 pounds of fertilizer in your 90G tank. Do you mean sand or gravel substrate?

I don't recommend keeping 'tropical' fish with cichlids, especially if they are smaller as they can make nice bite-size meals for the cichlids.

Your desired stock list seems a bit too much for your tank size and if you are keeping the Angel fish, they will probably not do well.


----------



## Juliangtmd (Apr 21, 2013)

Dear Deeda,

I'm entirely grateful you've responded not only in a timely manner but with good points. Do not worry I will never stock too many fish in my tank, I will certainly take all advice into consideration, I really care for all living species. I do intend on buying this 210 gallon display I've seen recently at a local fish store. However the purchase will be about 1 year away from now ><. 210 gallons of water should be more than plenty for roughly 95" of fish + the size of 2 full grown black belt cichlids, note I haven't researched into black belt cichlids yet... they do seem pretty cool though. Here is a more relative list to your response. Please note: this post was my first ever and I certainly forgot to list major details as it seems a bit confusing now that I've reread it. Thanks again for having an interest in promoting my knowledge of a cichlid community Deeda .
P.S If I don't respond quickly I will get a response for you in due time!

1. Dimensions of my 90 gallon are 48" (L) x 18" (W) x 24" (H).
2. I have fertilizer gravel substrate.
3. I intend on giving all of my tropical fish including the 3 angel fish (cichlids)to my girlfriend and finding a great home for the remaining fish.
3.5.I was curious if I could keep the scissor tails (adult size 5") and the bala shark (adult size 14") in a community cichlid environment.
* 4.In the new (juvenile) live stock of the 90 gallon, I hoped to have 1 polleni, 5 convict cichlids, 2 oscars, 3 Jack Dempseys, and possibly 2 black belt cichlids.
5. I had a good feeling the scissor tails would not make it in a cichlid community, but I was certain the bala shark would be fine.


----------



## Juliangtmd (Apr 21, 2013)

and thanks for welcoming me!


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

You may want to check out the Species section at the top of the page to find out about the particular fish you want to keep.

For example, Black Belts are a Central America fish and can be particular nasty, grow extremely large and would need a 72" long tank for a compatible pair. Here is a link to their profile.

I've not heard of fertilizer gravel, do you know what brand it is?

You could also check the Articles section (in my signature) for a basic cookie cutter setup for a 75G tank (the largest we have a fish stock list for) to see some recommendations for stocking your 90G tank. You are considering stocking juveniles at this time for your tank but you need to have the right mix of fish for the best success.

You also haven't mentioned what filtration you will be using on the new tank. Oscars are fairly messy and require over filtration.


----------



## aicardi (Sep 15, 2012)

Deeda said:


> I've not heard of fertilizer gravel, do you know what brand it is?


I have this in our heavily planted Beta tanks. What I have is Eco-Complete planted aquarium substrate. It's black.
Personally I would not have this in my cichlid tanks. The reason is that the substrate is very sharp and cichlids love to dig. Mine do anyway.
I am afraid that it might damage their little mouths, or, they would stop digging altogether.


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

I would agree that it is not the best choice of gravel for cichlids. If there was a chance to swap it out, I would.

The 210 is a pretty big tank, but once these larger cichlids get spawning, it will seem very small in a hurry. If you want a variety of larger more robust cichlids in a 210 gallon aquarium, my recommendation would be to only keep one of a number of different types, that are highly unlikely to spawn together. These fish can cohabitate together, but when spawning starts, you are in trouble.


----------



## Juliangtmd (Apr 21, 2013)

Dear friends,

I went to a more advanced fish store today as a professional youngster works there. He obtains much knowledge in aquarium plants and cichlids. He too did not recommend black belt cichlids as they can become very nasty in the variety of species I hope to nurture. He also advised I did not mix more than 2 of any species as the odds are they will dominate if they breed. Not to forget the odds of a pair being of opposing sexes would be fairly slim, not to mention they may also not arouse or satisfy one another if they were of the opposing sex. However he mentioned with 5 convicts I am almost dooming the other fish as convicts, especially in abundance, will undoubtedly mate and go into a frenzy. So with that said... I clearly need to reconsider my tank's live stock. I really do appreciate you all helping me out here, hopefully I'm not appearing annoying or idiotic towards any of you, haha.

Alright so what I have in mind now looks something more along the lines of:
1. An albino tiger Oscar.
2. 3 Jack Dempseys (As they do not breed nearly as easy as convicts and less than oscars).
3. A black convict.
4. A polleni (the one I currently nurture.)

You are all right, I don't want them to be cramped up nor have the runt be placed in a small space under a denture of a rock in the back of the aquarium. I do believe I am now speaking more realistically on terms of the live stock. However if I am still wrong please inform me as you already have. Now for the filtration and gravel.

I'm uncertain if the fertilizer is a "fertilizing gravel substrate." So I do apologize for the confusion. Rather I'll post you a link after I tell you the name of it. I got it from Petsmart; "Flora Max." http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo

I currently have a 400 marine land bio wheel without carbon, instead I have the media (white cylinders) to allow bacteria growth. I too have a 350 Marine land "Magnum" canister filter. I also have an in tank Fluval U-4 "(34-65gal.)" which I have on the surface setting for the most flow and aeration. I soon hope to replace the 350 magnum Marine Land canister as it rattles softly. I hope to get the Fluval 405 canister filter as I really enjoy the set up and chambers within this particular canister based filter.

As far as my lighting system I have a Coralife lunar aqua light compact florescent fixture high output. I have a feeling I should no longer need this bad boy for a cichlid tank. It's fairly expensive to run and I'm considering getting my hands on one of them new LED light fixtures for under $250. With the ability to expand from 4' to 6' which would be conservative for my up coming upgrade to a 6' tank, that I persuaded my soon to be wife to allow me to purchase.

I have all the fish out of the tank even the polleni at the moment, he resides in my hospital tank. It's amazing how exciting it can be to get cichlids. I have the polleni out for the intention of welcoming him to his new how when the other residents arrive so they can all fix themselves at the same times, this has many purposes. I'm now waiting for the bacteria to begin growing on my new rock. This will also give me the time I need to clean my filters, and plan out the final set up for my tank.

Before I forget... My tank decors consist of a well designed cavern or house if you will made of rock. I literally made it so that this cavern has 2 levels the first floor with 4 different merging hallways. The second floor has 3 merging hallways. The top has a hole in the center with a well looking structure built around the hole. The purpose of the well structure is to unite all the floors going up/down the center of the coven. In doing so the light penetrates somewhat to the bottom, the purpose is to wake up the sleeping fish when it is day time. I also have long thing pieces of bog wood filling the gaps in the holes of the ceiling fixtures which gives the coven a very natural look. It too has Java ferns blossoming from the cracks and seams of the coven's top. I'm very happy with my layout and I get many complements when people see it, especially for the first time.

I'm very happy to join a very welcoming and helping community, you guys are awesome.

Thanks to all!
-Julian


----------



## Juliangtmd (Apr 21, 2013)

correction in last extended paragraph, regarding the bog wood: "I also have long thin pieces of bog wood..."


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

The Jack Dempsey don't breed as easy as convicts, but then the only thing that breeds easier than convicts in this world are rabbits and mice. Jack Dempsey are still easy to breed. Keep in mind that you would still be overstocked if you had to keep the 4' tank, and also the polleni could end up being a bully to the Oscar, if the polleni is a male. A 6ft tank, and a few other fish and this is less so.

Also note that albino fish often don't compete as well as regular fish. When the Oscar is 10" +, this is probably an advantage. For when the Oscar is smaller, particularly smaller than a polleni male, this could pose a problem.


----------



## Juliangtmd (Apr 21, 2013)

Dear Fogelhund,

I did research after your latest post, it seems your words of wisdom are very accurate. I'll try one of each species, also I'll avoid getting the Oscar all together until I have the 210g. Thank you for your input I really appreciate your help. I'll probably find a new species to replace the Oscar, one of smaller size. If you have any recommendations I'll take your advice seriously. Thank you and to everyone else also for catching a huge mistake waiting to happen. The last thing I'd ever want is to cram into a tight space (as seen on You Tube more than 80% of the time.)


----------

