hard stocking question

[rookie]

ok at first thought i was going to go with:
2 angels (already got)
3 festivums
2 german blue rams
a school of some SA fish
10 pepered corys (already have)
3 bn plecos (already have)

for my 110g, sounds good on paper but i read the festivums would eat all my live plants and i couldnt decide what schooling fish to go with to keep the SA/CA theme.

so now im thinking:

2 angels (already got)
3 keyhole cichlids
8 german blue rams
10 pepered corys (already have)
3 bn plecos (already have)

so what do you think do you like the new plan?
can i even keep that many GBR's togeather?
do you think that many GBR's would be boring?

[Algenco]

I've never kept Festivums so I can't comment, as to the Rams 8 would do fine in a 110g

[Northernguy]

I've never kept Festivums so I can't comment, as to the Rams 8 would do fine in a 110g
What ratio of male to female would be good?
Could you do all male?

[Dave66]

Rams are group fish, that is, in nature they travel in groups of related fish of various ages, so eight is not too many, and I also always recommend at least eight of a Cichlid species for a good chance of a peaceful tank.

With eight Rams you'll have a chance to see natural behavior between them, which is far from boring. You'll also have a 90 percent chance that a compatible pair will be established, and you'll have several successive spawns from them.

Since your tank is larger, and planted, you could double the group of keyholes, and have at least eight angelfish. For the center of the tank, a school of at least 24 of a larger tetra species. I'd suggest either lemon or diamond tetras, since neither will bother the flowing fins of the angels. You could easily have a school of 48 of either of those species in a tank of your size.

Dave

[rookie]

wow thats great news about the rams dave. do i split it 50% male 50% female or is there a better mix i would love to bread them. It just sounds like alot of fish for my tank. do you think they will be croweded, expecially with all those angels

[Dave66]

When Rams are small, and aren't injected with hormones to make them color up early, which shortens the life of the fish by 2/3rds, it's difficult to determine the sexes. Doesn't really matter the ratio; just buy eight and see what shakes out. If you're lucky you'll end up with two males and six females, since the males will have their picks and you'd be highly likely toward successful spawns.

A 110 planted is perfectly capable of supporting that many fish as long as they are added a few at a time every two weeks to allow the bacteria to adapt to the new influx of nutrients.

I've two planted aquaria that are around your size. In a 75 gallon, I have 36 Lemon and 18 Rosy Tetras, a dozen Corydoras guapore and six of dwarf bristlenose species - Ancistrus claro. In a 180, there's 12 dozen Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus, a dozen of a tetra species that is quite rare in the hobby, twelve Hypoptopoma gulare, and eight Pseudolithoxus tigris, which is a small, ornate pleco species.

So my recommendations for your 110 isn't out of sorts, as long as you add just a few fish and allowing some time between additions. It will take some time to fully stock your tank, but to have a tank full of colorful, vivacious fish will be within your grasp.

Dave

[rookie]

wow dave thats amazing thank you so much for all your help

[jaysee]

Have you thought about some bolivian rams? I am getting one - could easily get more....