A possible stocking list?

[zackish]

Ok, I don't know if any of you have been following but I am in the process of selling everything out of my 29 and getting a 65 gal. cichlid tank. I am planning on doing South American Cichlids. After looking at a good link that hobbs gave me about compatibility I have come to what I think is somewhat of a stocking list for myself in my 65 gal. Now it may be too many fish but bear with me.
The list is as follows:
2-3 Firemouth cichlids
1 Green Terror
2 Convicts
How does that sound? I would be running an xP 2 or 3 and an eheim which I have to start looking into.
If I can have more fish than that and someone wants to add a possibility or an interesting fish just let me know.
One more question is if I went with a mbuna tank as my 65 how many fish would I be able to put in it vs. the list I have right there?

[Dave66]

Zack,
Very pleased you're stepping up to a larger tank. Many more options are available. The Convicts are real SOBs when they breed, and neither the Green Terror or Firemouths could handle them, and the only way out is up. I'd go with six of the Firemouths; that way you're sure to get a pair, and a Firemouth colony is a neat sight. The Terror needs to go in last, as he's not called a terror for nothing.
You'll need a school of some kind of dither fish to keep the Cichlids calm. If you're not using plants, sextet or octet of Red Hook Mets (Myleus rubripinnis) would work.
You'll need to set up driftwood and stone territories for the Cichlids so they can get out of sight of each other. The Terror will get a lot bigger then the Firemouths and more aggressive as they grow, so you make want to go with another option, like a pair of Vieja regani (http://cichlidae.com/gallery/species.php?s=256) or a group of six or seven severums.

Dave

[Lady Hobbs]

Man, that's one beautiful cichlid. I don't think I've ever seen them anywhere, tho.

[Dave66]

Man, that's one beautiful cichlid. I don't think I've ever seen them anywhere, tho.

That's a crummy picture too, Hobbsy. Well-cared for individuals are a gorgeous deep aqua blue. Also they are one of the more passive larger cichlid you can buy.
You'd have to special order to get them. There might be a few online merchants who sell 'em, but I haven't hunted them up.
Thought about a group of them in an empty 220 a couple years ago when I sold a group of pansy Altum angelfish, but as per my usual, went for something more esoteric.

Dave

[zackish]

Those aren't bad. Anyways, thanks for the input...I was kind of nervous about the convicts breeding a lot as I did not want to deal with that crap.
From what I understand you're saying I can't have convicts...?
I have some driftwood in my tank already but for the new tank I plan to get a bunch of large flower pots and maybe some bricks.
Also, as far as substrate....I know a lot of people like to use sand/crushed coral for the PH factor. Sand seems like it would be pretty easy to clean too. (it is in my SW tank at least)
However, I like the big river bed rocks you can get, are those an option or is sand a better idea?
I plan on getting fake plants with the exception of keeping my HUGE amazon sword I have right now in my planted. It is one of the ones that is a very large variation of the sword.

Are green terrors out of the question? To me, severums kind of look like firemouths. What other options do I have?
I have been looking around at this site hobbs gave me and if you click on the type of cichlid it gives a community that they go along with. If you click on the community it then gives you other fish that can go well with it.

http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10cichlids.htm

I was just looking at that site and I was wondering if a couple jack dempseys and a green terror would be too much for the 65. I think they may get a little too big for it eh?...

[Lady Hobbs]

Severums look nothing like firemouths. Firemouths are one of the few cichlids I can easily pick from all others.

It's good that you are doing research and asking the questions rather than rushing out and impulse buying and then having problems later. I wish I had done that with those angelfish!

[Lady Hobbs]

http://www.timstropicals.com/Compatibility/CompatibilitySearch.asp

Here's another and will probably get different answers. LOL

[zackish]

Ya, I need to save money too which is helping in delaying me get the tank therefore I am researching.
That link you gave me pretty much gives me the same compatibility for firemouths.