Is this a possible 125g setup?

[domjd05]

I have decided to stop purchasing fish (with the exception of 1 more angel for my SA tank) and just take care of what I have for now.. and eventually when all my fish pass, I am going to sell all my tanks (55, 46, 35, 30, 10) w/stands lights you know that whole works, and put it towards one big tank.. I'm thinking a 125 should get the job done...

My wife and I were pondering the setup... she wants oscars.. I want.. other fish.. here is what we came up with

1 oscar
1 tiger datnoid
1 Green Terror
1 Red Devil

I guess you could say were are going for an aggressive community tank..? Please don't be scared to throw in some other suggestions or just to tell me I'm nuts so I don't waste a ton of money on some doomed fish.

[btate617]

I won't say you are nuts but I don't think things will work out with those fish in a 125.

Brian

[Red]

I wouldn't, dats need bigger tanks that that. And with oscars GT's and RD's is a hit or miss..

[domjd05]

The dat is more of a pipedream.. I have never even seen one around here, but at the very least we want an Oscar and a GT.. We wanted a red devil because we used to have one, and loved it but we had to give it away because we were getting too many tanks w/no time to take care of him...

what else could go with these?

[Red]

Its what you want to try, with these cichlids, they can be nice to each other or end up killing every other single fish in the tank..

[domjd05]

I know.. cichlids are all like that, just on different levels.. but most of you know a lot more than I do about compatibility, just wanted to know what your thoughts were on it, thanks.. feel free to add any suggestions.

[Northernguy]

Oscars, severums and a pleco!
If you want Oscars.There are many other fish that will go with oscars.
JDs,SDs,Parrot fish(iffy its a blu-ray thinglol).
I'm sure MCHRKiller will have some suggestions!,when she is on!

[Red]

I agree with NG severums and JD's are best and have the highest suriving with each other. And if you want maybe some SD's or giant danios. And don't do a blu-ray, I am always on that guys tail about overstocking!

[domjd05]

ok.. what is a SD, and JD's are illegal in Maine, they can survive in cold water.. we found that out the hard way.

I'm Reeaallly set on the gt and an oscar still haha but keep em comin!

[btate617]

Also like Red said earlier... its your tank, try what you want. But with that list you may end up with one fish in your tank, or it could work out.

Brian

[Red]

Silver dollar, and if you want a GT get it then, because you seem so set on it.

[domjd05]

I like severums I just didn't know they could go with oscars.. interesting.

I'm not set on the GT, I just saw one up close for the first time the other day and I was amazed.. they are beautiful, I would love to have one.. Honestly I probably will try to put one in there.. but thanks for the warning.

[bushwhacker]

JD's can survive in cold water? thats a tropical fish man... if your in florida ok i'll buy it but otherwise no

[Red]

Its true bush, they can adapt to live in cooler waters, but the thing I don't get is how they survive the winter..

[domjd05]

I live in Maine, and no lies, my LFS owner placed one in a tank and left the tank outside for a day (the average winter temp around here is 20 degrees or so).. at the end of the day there was a thin layer of ice covering the top of the tank, and the jd was still swimming around inside, they took the fish out and put him back into a normal tank (I imagine they sloowwlly acclimated him), and he appeared to be fine.. he did say that the jd was more aggressive then ever after that.

[thatcichlidguy]

That's a very ambitious stocking, But it has some issues. Namely the RD. These guys are all over the board with respect to their aggression level. Some stay docile for a long time , others are evil from day one. Eventually though they will become intollerant of other fish in "their" tank even if it is mellow when smaller. Keep in mind they are big powerfull cichlids with enough jaw power to give you a big bite that can draw blood as adults. Not a fish for the faint of heart. Oscars are big co-dependant crap factories and while they have a lot of personallity , a 14" fish can make a hell of a mess of not only the aquascaping, but the water itself with the large amounts of waste they produce. GTs are one of my personal favorites. As juvies they are often quite shy , and can be tricky with more aggressive fish of similar size while young. Once they get around 7-8" they start to live up to their name. This acara grows to 10" and is a powerfull fish that can dominate a 6' tank. Not as territorial as an RD, but will certainly try to rule the roost. Not really a good mix with a large territoial Central American cichlid . Datnoids are very slow growers and sometimes cant be weened onto pellets or flakes . Cool when big but take forever to get there.

Personally I would suggest only one of those and not all of them together. A GT and say an Oscar could work but makes for a crowded tank when their "personallities" come into play. I'd also ditch the RD unless you plan on this being a 1 fish show. An Oscar or a GT with some smaller cichlids with some attitude would work well . Severums make good tankmates for Oscars and GTs as well.

[Wild Turkey]

I agree with oscar and severum, possibly JD. Oscars will rip up any live plants anyway, and severums enjoy eating some types, so if you are dearly worried about aquascaping, they are not a good choice because of it.

Severums and Oscars seem to get along pretty well in all instances I've seen. Considering all these fish are semi-aggressive, you can expect some rivalry, and establishment of pecking order, but thats different than them beating each other to death, which I think the more species of large sa cichlid you include, the more likely that will become.

[domjd05]

I'm going to have some aquascaping but for the most part the fish are going to be the show of this tank.. there wont by anything fancy as far as the aquascaping goes.. I like the Idea of the GT severums and oscar.. Deff. don't need a red devil, and the datnoid was just a thought.

I can't have a JD they are illegal in Maine.. I'm pretty sure pirannahs are too.

[domjd05]

I'm possibly thinking of adding a texas cichlid to the mix... so now we have:
Texas Cichlid
Oscar
Green Terror
Possibly a severum..

in my new non-exsistant tank.

[thatcichlidguy]

That has a better chance of working , the Texas will be a wild card though. They're pretty aggressive and will pick fights they cant win. They're persistant about it too. Everyone I've had has been a homicidal maniac but many people have kept them in communities successfully. Really it's a toss up whether it will work or not. A Severum on the other hand will almost be guaranteed to work, almost. Always the off chance of getting a mean one but it's not very likely.

JDs are tough as nails but cant survive cold water for very long. They can live for several hours in it but not long enough to survive a winter that far north. Basicly they go into a sort of comatose state as the temp drops , then they die . As for them being illeagal , it's the first time I've heard of a cichlid being illeagal but then some states have some pretty silly laws. And BTW, if they're illeagal, how did the guy at the LFS have one?

[domjd05]

Well, I believe this all happened back in the 1980's. a fish biologist in Maine must have found a JD in a lake.. river.. pond, who knows, but obviously the story broke, and my LFS put one in a tank to see if it it was true.. and it was. He obviously did it before the law was put into effect..

I don't understand why there is any confusion about this... I would love to have a JD but I cannot, nobody stocks them in this state, because they are illegal. That's just how it is here... and yes, Maine has some pretty strict rules regarding our rivers and lakes and such!

I stumbled on this whole subject because I once was getting rid of a jewel cichlid at my LFS and he normally does not stock them.. he looked at it and asked me if it was a JD and said "well I hope not because those are illegal" then proceeded to tell me the story about keeping one in a tank outside... Keep in mind the story about the tank outside happened back in the 80's.

I don't know how it is in other states or countries, but if you go ice fishing in Maine, they actually have biologists ride around on snowmobiles and come to inspect your catch, to make sure there is nothing out of the ordinary with what you are catching.. It's not unusual to have 2 or 3 come by a day and check your catch.
the biologist are not to be confused with the Game wardens, who just check to see if your using legal bait/have a license, etc.

It may seem strange, but living in maine, it's no surprise they would do something like that, because the JD is not a native fish.. therefore the states view is that it does not belong, especially because it is an aggressive species (more aggressive than the fish we already have in our water ways... who knows..)

That's all.

[domjd05]

Moving on, I thought the severum would be a stretch also, but others seemed to think it would work.. I guess I can consider the severum replaced by the texas... is a firemouth to timid or could it hold it's own ina tank like this? keep in mind I will be getting all of these fish when they are small.. most likely around 2''

[btate617]

Like everyone has pointed out, there really is no sure answer. Everyone has said it could work, or maybe not. Some of the fish you list are nothing but trouble for some people and others say it will work.

I'm possibly thinking of adding a texas cichlid to the mix... so now we have:
Texas Cichlid
Oscar
Green Terror
Possibly a severum..

And now a firemouth.

You will be hit and miss with the green terror and texas, depends on the fish. I have had a pair of green terrors in a 6' tank with Laetacara curviceps and other small peaceful cichlids with no problems. I have also put green terrors in with Neetroplus nematopus a central american cichlid that is normally pretty nasty and the green terrors made very short work of them. Depends on the fish.
Some people say firemouths are mean and tough. I think they are big babies. They will come out and flare their gills then look for some place to go and hide IMO.
I am glad you diched the Amphilophus labiatus, you probably would have ended up with a single fish. Although they are a great fish, I finally got some fry to grow out from someone local, they are pretty difficult to mix with others.

Brian