# Help with a 150g stocking list.



## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

I was wanting some opinions from everyone about a good stock list for my 150g SA tank. Things like what has worked for y'all and good suggestions about what types of fish will get along the best. Im looking for some calmer fish. not so aggressive. I already have 6 satanoperca and two bolivian rams in my 55 ready for transport. I know I am getting 4 more rams since they are grouping fish. Here was some suggestions as to what I would like so let me know if its a good or bad idea/compatible or not. Angels,Kribensis, and i really want some apistos. sp. or any species or apistos for that matter. something with a little color in it. I would also like to keep a rare pleco but not one i have to feed veggies or meat. Just one like a regular pleco that isnt so high maintenance. Any input would be much obliged.


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

couple more suggestions here also.

Big Brow eartheater
Golden Rain eartheater
Helmet eartheater
Apistogramma Hongsloi Red Streak

And if compatible with my other suggestions do they also need to be in groups of 5+?


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

Oh, and a Paralabidochromis sp. Sorry.lol


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

Kribs & Paralabidochromis species are African are they not? I'm not saying you can't mix them without success - but just want clarify if you are looking at more of a mixed community type tank or a bio-tope type tank?

Also I am not familiar with common names of Big brow, Golden Rain, or Helmet eartheater - could you provide links to the species profile page?

For what it's worth I think a lot of the eartheaters/geophagines prefer to be in groups - so I think keeping multiple species may result in overcrowding of the bottom of the tank...


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

Yea I guess I didnt think about them being africans. I want strictly SAs. So exclude those that were africans. And here is the link to those fish I was talking about.
www.cichlidstation.com


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

Okay so those seem to be gymnogeo species... I am bu no means an expert on gymnogeos but I have read that some of them require a 3 or 4 month 'cooling' period in order to thrive... I have read of people having a sperate tank or pond that they put these guys into for part of the year... I have also read of other people that keep them in a species tank and just unplug the heater for part of the year (obviously ambient temps in your area will play a part in what you would do)... Again - this is only what I have read...

What are the dimensions of the 150g that you have?


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

6' long, 1 1/2' wide, 2' tall


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

ok well forget the gymnogeo species. lets just focus on what we know. those sounds too high maintenance. Lets just stick with some good Apistos, Geos, Angels, different types of rams and 1 rare pleco. any suggestions there?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *boose1357*,

I have successfully kept together in a 6 foot, 150 gallon tank,
6 Geophagus sp. 'orangehead'
2 mated pairs of Laetacara curviceps
1 trio (1m/2f) Apistogramma agassizii
40+ Lemon tetras
30ish Penguin tetras aka as Hockey stick tetras
18 Marbled hatchetfish
12 Golden pencilfish
10 Corydoras julii
2 orangespot bristlenose plecos
2 Royal whiptail catfish

The 3 spieces of cichlid I mentioned are all found in the Rio Tapajos in Brazil, along with the Lemon tetras, Marbled hatchetfish and Golden pencilfish. Plecos that are available in the hobby that come from the Rio Tapajos are Starlight bristlenose plecos, Leopard frog plecos - Peckoltia sp. L134, and the rarer Queen Arabesque pleco - Hypancistrus sp. L260.

Just a note on the plecos. It doesn't matter what species they are, all plecos have special and different dietry needs. Bristlenos plecos are good becuase they will eat the algea in the tank, but will also need occasional feeds of algea wafers and vegies like zuccinii. Peckoltia plecos will eat whatever you feed your cichlids and tetras, but again would also need atleast two feeds a week of some krill or small prawns.

If you were to keep a pair of Starlight bn's and a pair of L134 in a community tank, the bonus would be that thier dietry habbits would help round out the cichlids diet as well.

You could have a very nice community setup in a 150 gallon tank, but if you aren't interested in meeting the needs of every fish in it, don't keep those fish you can't look after. With the species I have mentioned you would be looking at a wide variety of foods for the tank; A good quality flake like NLS, a good quality pellet like NLS or Hikari, both algea and spirulina wafers, frozen bloodworm and spirulina fed brineshrimp, and frozen krill.


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

I like apistos what type thou?


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

Very good info Dead. Exactly what I was looking for. I love all your ideas except the communitys. I just dont really like them that much. Although I have never seen them in schools. I bet in schools they are stunning. Am I right? I like the 3 cichlid choices you picked and i liked the fact that if they were in the wild they would all come in contact with each other. That is what I am going for. I think the marbled hatchet's would be a good idea for communitys. they are unique looking and pretty. How would I know if the curviceps are pairs or not though? And can i order the Apistos m/f on my own accord offline? Well thank you for the advice man. Good stuff. keep it commin.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

That was very good advice by DFF and would make for a very cool set-up... If you wanted to go more 'generic' or readily available you could maybe go with 8 - 10 Bolivians, a Trio of A. Cockatoo, 5 or 6 Keyholes, and a Rotkiel Severum - you may be able to fit in a Chocolate cichlid as well...

Any of the BN plecos are great because although they are not rare, they are not the common pleco - which is known to grow big, stop eating algae, and poop a lot.


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

Yea that sounds like a plan. the keyholes are kind of bland though right? And I already have 6 satanoperca. You factored that in also huh?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

I would be very hesitant about keeping apistos with most medium to larger cichlids. Put it this way. If the cichlid is likely to eat a tetra, it is likely to eat the female apistos if not the male. While my smaller geophagus species didn't try and eat my apisto agassizii, I do know larger G. altifrons will eat apistos if they can catch them. Adult satanoperca do grow to a similar size as adult altifrons.

Is the 150 gallon tank you will be using the one in your signature? If so, you are rehousing or selling the Flowerhorn aren't you? I would not put any of the calmer species of cichlids in with a flowerhorn.

A South American community tank is simply a tank stocked with fish from one or more of the regions of South America. So you will often see tetras and other dither fish, cichlids, plecos and other catfish species in a community tank.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

boose1357 said:


> Yea that sounds like a plan. the keyholes are kind of bland though right? And I already have 6 satanoperca. You factored that in also huh?


I must admit I forgot all about the satanoperca... I'll think again... Although the eartheaters, severum & chocolate cichlid would be cool...


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

boose1357 said:


> 6' long, 1 1/2' wide, 2' tall


Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here...but those are the dimensions of my 135 gallon tank...Not that 15 gallons make a huge difference, but that's 10% smaller or so.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Your right *mithesaint*, those are a 135 gallon dimensions. A 150 is 3" taller usually.


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

The length and width are correct. I was probably suppose to measure the height from the very top and very bottom. I just did the glass on the height. not the black top or bottom.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

The width & length are the more important dimensions as far as _most_ cichlids are concerned...

I've thought about it and DFF's list for an SA community tank with some dwarf cichlids was pretty cool...

If I was doing a group of larger cichlids I would go with the suggestion I made earlier - 6 satanoperca, 1 rotkiel severum, 1 chocolate cichlid. When everyone was mature they would fillout the tank nicely and it should be rather peaceful.

I would want to add a school of tetras - but my first choice would be congo tetras which are not south american (I kept them with a Rotkiel before with no problems though). Smaller tetras like Cardinals might end up as lunch for the Sev...


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

yea i like that idea illy. i just need to know where i can get a rotkeil and cholocate. any suggestions? and would my group of bolivians be ok with that set-up as well? i will choose one of those tetra dithers too btw.


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## boose1357 (Jan 14, 2008)

could I keep a Uaru amphiacanthoides "triangle cichlid" in there as well?


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

Maybe - I've heard mixed stuff about them in regards to numbers... Crowding wise I think a single specimen would work better if you were keeping the other fish I suggested - but some say that Waroo's need to be in pairs or more

I just don't know enough about them to offer any solid advice. I have heard they are pretty placid and sedate - which could go well with Jurapari, Chocolate, and a Rotkiel (although some severums can be mean).


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