Tankmates in 75 SA mix with Africans?

[Crfish]

I am new here and I have a 75 gallon tank with:
1-Leopard bushfish
1-Gold-red Severum
1- Leopirnus Arcus (lipstick Leporinus)
1- Starry night eel
1- EBJD
1- butis butis (crazy fish)
3- Geophagus Abalios
1- L600
1- L400
1- L128
1- L190(might be getting rid of he is messy  )

Now I know that is alot but I am running 2 110 Aquaclears and water change every week when home from school but when im not home brother feeds and does water chages every 2 weeks.

Well when i was at cichlid world the other day the lady said my tank was understocked!! which I thought the opposite, but hey shes been working with fish much longer then i have.  Also, when i have went to Fantastic Fins (FF) they have told me that i could put peacocks or other haps with what i have because they are not that aggresive i guess.

Finally, the reason I ask if i can mix is because I have up at school a pair of Lake victorian obliquidens (red fin i believe)(they are in a friends 55) that I need to bring home this summer and wanted to see if i could put them in my 75 with what i have?

Ideas? or suggestions? or any comments help


Btw i have three tanks as of now the 75 listed above ^
a 30 at school with:
1- Apisto viegta
1- Keyhole cichlid
1- green severum(grow out i know will just sell some day)
1- hoplo cat (sorry dont know the scientific of the top of my head)
2- neon ruby barbs

a 10 at school
quarantine tank (possibly put the female obliquden in if breeding)

[linuxrulesusa]

The bushfish is from Africa but fairly peaceful toward anything it can't swallow.    Ditto the crazy fish (as far as origin).  The rest are SA fish, I believe. 

But I don't know that I would try a pair of East African cichlids in with the others.  Especially the EBJD is likely to get beat up as they are more fragile than regular JD.  The Vics may pic at your plecos as well, which I personally wouldn't risk. 

[Crfish]

okay thank you well then it seems ill be getting a 55 gallon then (I just dont know when) because i really want to keep my africans and i have always wanted to make a 3d background for a tank and it would be a perfect time to. quick thing what would go good with my vics?

[Crfish]

Also Do you think that the tank is overstocked? jw

[linuxrulesusa]

The guys (and gals) at Fins know far more than me about fish, so feel free to follow their advice.  I've only been to CW twice now, but I think they know their stuff too...but what works for them with their maintenance schedule and time may not work for you.   

Just saying I personally try to keep fish from similar geography or at least similar habitats together.

Incidentally if you're looking for a 55 I'm looking to get rid of one. 

But, as far as tankmates in your future 55, I'll let someone else chime in as I mostly do SA/CA, so I'm not up on the best mix of Victorian and similar species of cichlids.

As far as overstocked on your 75...not as a final say but more a helpful tool, you can plug in your species at AqAdvisor (free website) and after you put in tank size plus species and quantity it will give you an idea of best filtration/tank size for all the fish you have entered.  Maybe give that a try.  It will use adult sizes by default which is good because you see where you'll be when your fish grow up.

[Crfish]

Thank you so much linuxruleusa i know i commented on that thread the tank looks great and with all stuff its a deal i just dont have the room as of now i wish i could snag that from you but im afraid the parents would kill me if i brought another tank in the house(unless it was in my room But once again id have to make space. So if you still have it or maybe i can get some thing together where I can get it asap I will hop on it because I have been wanting a new tank as of late. My addiciton! hahaha

Also im an avide user of the aquadvisor but they dont have alot of my fish but in theory the tank is almost to the max if everyone gets full grown haha i just was wondering from peoples perspective because of the newly found info from the lady at cichlid world saying my tank is understocked lol

[linuxrulesusa]

Oh right, I didn't make that connection.  Sorry. 

Yeah, sometimes AqAdvisor doesn't have species, especially newer ones, but it's usually pretty good.

Even so, there's nothing wrong with being understocked.  And you'd be surprised how much mess those plecos can make...I had a single Whisper 60 and was doing OK with weekly water changes.  Then I added 4-5 plecos and had to bump up to 2x Ac110s to avoid doing gravel vacs every other day.  So, understocked + over filtered = less WCs and less mess to keep you and the fish happy. 

[Crfish]

  hahaha yes make life alot easier! well thaks again and glwys it should go fast!

[Regalblue]

I'd say leave your stock as is.  If anything you could try out some Jewels. (Hemichromis Bifasiatum )

But, if everything is getting along & somewhat peaceful, then I'd leave it.

[Crfish]

Alright sounds good thank you 

[linuxrulesusa]

I'd say leave your stock as is.  If anything you could try out some Jewels. (Hemichromis Bifasiatum )

But, if everything is getting along & somewhat peaceful, then I'd leave it.

From my experience with various pairs of jewels, they do best by themselves.  Very nippy especially when breeding.  But you might have better success.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not.  Leaving things as is is probably the better route.

[Crfish]

Yeah im just gonna keep what i have in there now.

And probably take down my 30 and restart a african tank for the time being. any suggestions i have one that i really like right now but im open to anything!

[linuxrulesusa]

Tangyanikan shell dwellers...multifasciatus or ocellatus; pair of kribensis or taeniatus; something else small.      Or oddballs like a leaf fish and African butterfly fish...lots of options.  This is in a 30" tank?

[Crfish]

yeah a 30 gallon normal not long i wish it was a long. but how much are the Tangyanikan just wondering and do you know what i should do to the tank like does it need sand or plant or what sorry I'm new to africans!

[linuxrulesusa]

Sand for the shell dwellers....many would like sand but some do gravel OK also.  A few dollars apiece as AI recall.  Maybe go to the MCA auction?  Or Fantastic Fins right near you has some I'm sure.  Most Africans don't need or will eat plants,  Africans from the lakes that is.  Lots of rocks and hiding spots.  Other Africans...I'm ni7 up on most other African species.