# 75g green terror tank mates



## derrick (Feb 5, 2012)

hello all
After many years of keeping and breeding Africans I am looking to start a SA/CA tank. I will start with a 75g and want a male green terror but don't want a single fish in the tank so I am looking for ideas on tank mates. Here is my idea let me know what you think. Will it work? Also please give other idea options.

Here's my plan; (all juvies to start)
1 male GT 
2 convicts (male and female)
5 tiger barbs
5 Congo tetras 
1 catfish of some sort 
1 red tail shark (maybe)
1 yo yo loach (maybe)

I know I cant guarantee the sex from juvies so planned to start with and few then move out the others once sex is determined. Thanks for all your input I look forward to getting some advice.


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## EnemyNSA (Jan 27, 2016)

I know my pair of Convicts had no problems breeding.. and they turn into SUPER territorial little ^!&$ers. I had them in a 4' - 55 gallon with a couple other small fish, and had to remove almost everything else to keep the peace.

In my 5' - 125 gallon tank I have two breeding pairs and they're still pretty annoying, but there seems to be enough space for everything to not go nuclear.


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## Granamyr (Dec 16, 2015)

Green Terror - South America
Convicts - Central America
Tiger Barbs - Asia
Congo Tetras - Africa
Red tail shark - Asia
yo yo loach - Asia

It looks like you're trying to get all the continents in one tank. You could switch those tiger barbs for Mexican Tetras and then you could add North America to you list as they range into Texas. I don't know of any European tropical fish and Antartica is obviously out. So you would only be missing Australia then

Really though I think you're getting overstocked with that many different fish in there. The Green terror is going to take up most of that space on his own. Congo tetras are very active. I would say choose between the GT and the convicts and you're probably going to be better off in the long run with all the other things in the tank.

If you really want Convicts and GT though drop all the other stuff and get some diamond tetras or Buenos Aires tetras as dither fish and you'll be all with fish that are with much closer water parameters


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## derrick (Feb 5, 2012)

Something else I forgot to ask is what other cichlids would work instead of the convicts I like JDs, Jaguars, Texas, blood parrots... What else?


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

You should just consider small to medium size cichlids. Salvini's, Firemouths are a couple that come to mind.


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## derrick (Feb 5, 2012)

That all?


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

Not limited to just the 3 I mentioned.


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## THQ2 (Nov 4, 2015)

Too overstocked. If you are set on a GT and a 75G, just leave it as a solo fish.
If you really can't bear the thought of a single fish, I would add only one of each option you suggest:
1 pair convicts if you like action: you'll have WW3 constantly as they constantly breed and double team the GT. the convict fry will be a tasty live treat for the GT.
or 1 largish catfish that can fend for itself as a bottom feeder that doesn't get into the GT's way (eg., featherfin squeaker - synodontis eupterus, grows to 10")
Those tetras or barbs could work as dithers +/- feeders depending on how fast they are and how big the GT is.
RTS and yoyo loach a bit on the small side/timid side to stand up to GT aggression.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

smitty said:


> Salvini's, Firemouths


Some of the smaller to medium size CA could be an option as tank mates for a green terror. If a pair of convicts proves too aggressive, the male could be removed. IMO and IME, a single female con is seldom much of an aggression problem. Salvini definitely has the potential to become an aggression problem, especially a male....though there is always 1001 possible outcomes. IME, it's a more aggressive species then Green Terror. It also can get fairly large; almost similar size to a JD. I think stocking with CA is more likely to make for an aggressive tank, then stocking with SA tank mates.
Some of the potential SA tank mates: sax-type pike cichlid, belly crawler pike, festivum, severum, maybe some type of geo, even angelfish IME usually do OK and are left alone for the most part, if there are enough tank mates.


THQ2 said:


> RTS and yoyo loach a bit on the small side/timid side to stand up to GT aggression.


Don't know anything about yoyo loach, but definitely disagree about RTS being too small or timid. RTs get's plenty large; 5"+ and thick. IME, there seldom timid. If anything, they can become an aggression problem over anything they are dominant over. Terrible tyrants that can chase excessively. Fortunately, they are usually low down in the pecking order of a cichlid tank. But at earlier stages and younger/smaller size, they can become an aggression problem themselves. Or sometimes, you have cichlids that just don't want to bother standing up to them.


Granamyr said:


> If you really want Convicts and GT though drop all the other stuff and get some diamond tetras or Buenos Aires tetras as dither fish and you'll be all with fish that are with much closer water parameters


While it is true that GT and Buenos Aires Tetras come from fairly similar water paramaters.....convicts certainly don't! Not exactly sure what your point is about the mix of fish...and then suggesting essentially the same thing: all fish that come from different water bodies, many thousands of miles apart (?). From the east coast of Argentina (Buenos Aires tetras), many thousands of miles north, across the Andes to the west coast of Ecuador (GT) ......and then over 1,000 mile flight over ocean to Central America (convicts) which by the way, is considered part of the North American continent.


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## derrick (Feb 5, 2012)

Just a heads up I went with a 120 and this thread is no longer relevant thank you all


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## Granamyr (Dec 16, 2015)

BC in SK said:


> Granamyr said:
> 
> 
> > If you really want Convicts and GT though drop all the other stuff and get some diamond tetras or Buenos Aires tetras as dither fish and you'll be all with fish that are with much closer water parameters
> ...


I wasn't trying to say they are the exact same water parameters. Was just trying to say it's not a good idea to mix fish from that many different regions. Also aren't convicts basically ok in any water? They are about as hardy as it gets and adapt to just about anything.

If I said fish that were a bad combination I apologize.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Granamyr said:


> Was just trying to say it's not a good idea to mix fish from that many different regions.


If it is some how wrong to mix fish from different regions.....the point being every fish you suggested comes from different regions. :lol:

Different approaches to stocking a tank. Nothing really against trying to stock a tank with fish that come from the same body of water, but it can be very, very limiting in terms of what can be kept together. And with cichlids, sometimes they are the worst and most serious of competitors. 
I have a more practical approach to stocking. Each tank mate should be judged according to their temperament and compatibility. 
I'd definitely bet on an RTS surviving and thriving with breeding convicts, as I have kept them together, many times over many years, in different size tanks. In terms of schooling dithers, not so sure Buenos aires tetras have better chance, then tiger barbs or congo tetras, though it could be (?) Never kept either tetra, but IME tiger barbs did not last with cons. Personally, of all these kinds of schooling dithers, I'd choose giant danios as IME and IMO, I think they have the best track record of surviving with aggressive cichlids. but any schooling dither has to be able to swim and be able to stay out of territory or out of a cichlid`s way.
All the fish mentioned in this thread are hardy. If unaltered tap water is going to be used (declorinated of course), I don't see any issue with water parameters.


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## Granamyr (Dec 16, 2015)

I would venture to guess we have similar stocking styles from what you just said there. I don't believe I said anything about one body of water. Like you said that would be very limiting. I would really like to do that at some point having single body of water specific tank but that would be hard to have it be calm. I would expect the smaller fish would have to be the prey of the larger ones.

I'll stop derailing this thread anymore than I already have though. Just struck me funny when it looked like almost all continents were covered.


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