Could this work?

[Mythic Figment]

So I am thinking of stocking a pair of Hericthys/ex-Cichlasoma bocourti in a 125 and was wondering about some tankmate/target fish to keep with them. I was thinking about having 4-6 Crytoheros nanoluteus in with them and providing several small clay pot hideaways that the bocourti couldn't get into in case of aggression. Thoughts?


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[Quo Vadis]

I'd get a bigger Crypto. My Nanos are very mild. I don't think they'd ever come out of hiding. Check out Chryptoheros panamensis, sajica, spilurus, chets, ect.

 

[Mythic Figment]

I could definitely be happy with some panamensis.


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[decoy50]

Bocourti are an awfully big - not only long, but deep bodied & hefty fish. Even stocking only a pair, thats going to be a heavy bio-load. Personally, I would look for a smaller fish to pair up in a 125 - you've got lots of options.

If you go the bocourti route, I think you're looking at 2 x 50% WCs weekly as a bare minimum.

 

[Quo Vadis]

What about Heterospila vieja? They stay smaller, are pretty peaceful, and pictures really dont do them justice.

 

[Mythic Figment]

Bocourti are an awfully big - not only long, but deep bodied & hefty fish. Even stocking only a pair, thats going to be a heavy bio-load. Personally, I would look for a smaller fish to pair up in a 125 - you've got lots of options.

If you go the bocourti route, I think you're looking at 2 x 50% WCs weekly as a bare minimum.

I really like the bocourti shape and color. I originally wanted a pearsei, but even a single one would have barely fit in a 125, so bocourti was my backup plan. What are some other options you can think of?


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[decoy50]

If you're looking to put a pair of cichlids in a 125, the list of what you can keep is far longer than what you can't. With big, more aggressive cichlids, the main worry is losing one of the fish to aggression. That can be helped with a larger tank, but it is still always a possibility.

If your planning to keep the fish for life in a 125, I'd stick around 12in max size or they just won't look comfortable turning around. If you wanted to get a group of bocourti, grow them out & let a pair form in a 125 you definitely can for a while. Might look a little cramped though when they fully mature, but if you're anything like me you'll be bored with them by then and be looking to move on to something else.

 

[duanes]

If you start the bocourti small enough, 125 will work for a while.
They get about the same size as pearsei in the end, but may take a little longer to reach full size.
I got my bocourti, a little over a year ago at 2"+.
The first time I had them, maybe 10 or more years ago they easily hit 14+" in 3 years, and outgrew my 150.
I expect to put them in a 500gal indoorpond of sort in about another year.

I have them in a 6ft tank (think it's a 125) at the moment, and they are now 5" to about 7", they should probably be 10"-12" in another year.

They share the tank with some Chuco intermedia, and because they are essentially non-predatory vegetarians, they are able cohabit with many other fish, and being nonthreatening, I might cautiously try adult nanos (although I never have).

The bocourti have shared the tank over the last year with everything from Madgascans like Paratiapia and Paretroplus, to festae, to bartoni



Another thought, I don't usually keep fish of the same color and shape together, because I find they seem to sense competition.
But a nano, although "yellowish", is so different in size, the color thing may be mute.
And I find, large vegetarian cichlids find security in a presence of groups of smaller cichlids, just as they would in the company of tetras or other dithers.

 

[Mythic Figment]

If you're looking to put a pair of cichlids in a 125, the list of what you can keep is far longer than what you can't. With big, more aggressive cichlids, the main worry is losing one of the fish to aggression. That can be helped with a larger tank, but it is still always a possibility.

If your planning to keep the fish for life in a 125, I'd stick around 12in max size or they just won't look comfortable turning around. If you wanted to get a group of bocourti, grow them out & let a pair form in a 125 you definitely can for a while. Might look a little cramped though when they fully mature, but if you're anything like me you'll be bored with them by then and be looking to move on to something else.

I thought bocourti maxed out at 12"? I read a couple profiles that said 12" was the max compared with the pearsei, who hit 14-17". It's the main reason I went with bocourti instead of pearsei.

So if you guys were going to stock a 125 with a pair of cichlids (8-12" and reasonably personable) and 2-4 smaller (4-6") target cichlids, what kinds of species would you think about for the big pair?


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[Mythic Figment]

If you start the bocourti small enough, 125 will work for a while.
They get about the same size as pearsei in the end, but may take a little longer to reach full size.
I got my bocourti, a little over a year ago at 2"+.
The first time I had them, maybe 10 or more years ago they easily hit 14+" in 3 years, and outgrew my 150.
I expect to put them in a 500gal indoorpond of sort in about another year.

I have them in a 6ft tank (think it's a 125) at the moment, and they are now 5" to about 7", they should probably be 10"-12" in another year.

They share the tank with some Chuco intermedia, and because they are essentially non-predatory vegetarians, they are able cohabit with many other fish, and being nonthreatening, I might cautiously try adult nanos (although I never have).

The bocourti have shared the tank over the last year with everything from Madgascans like Paratiapia and Paretroplus, to festae, to bartoni



Another thought, I don't usually keep fish of the same color and shape together, because I find they seem to sense competition.
But a nano, although "yellowish", is so different in size, the color thing may be mute.
And I find, large vegetarian cichlids find security in a presence of groups of smaller cichlids, just as they would in the company of tetras or other dithers.

Your photos are always awesome, duanes. How many tanks do you have?


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