Geophagus in a 125 gallon

[Big Ounce YKD]

I am going to be setting up a 125 gallon tank in the summer and plan on stocking it with some Geophagus, however which species, how many and what tank mates are problems that I have.
For tank mates, I like the idea of some silver dollars or perhaps some other species of cichlid- such as green terror or blue acara, however again, I am unsure of how many or if it will at all work.
The main focus of this tank is to be the Geophagus, however I really like the look of acara and green terrors and like the idea of keeping single specimens of either with the Geophagus- if they will work.
Thanks for any assistance

 

[ryansmith83]

If you want to mix them with terrors you'll probably need a small group of the larger, sturdier geos like winemilleri or altifrons. As young fish they tend to do best in groups of at least 4 but preferably 6 or more. The trouble there is that altifrons can be very large growing fish. A 125 sounds large, but after recently seeing an altifrons that was almost as long as my forearm, I realized a group would need a much wider and larger tank than my 150. So my suggestion if you pick a large-growing geo species with aggressive tankmates is to plan a tank upgrade in the near future.

Conversely, a group of smaller species geos like sp. Tapajos (the redhead/orangehead geos) would do well with blue acaras and they wouldn't outgrow your tank. A sizeable group of them would comfortably live in a 125 with a couple tankmates like more peaceful acaras, Heros, or something along those lines.

 

[Big Ounce YKD]

If you want to mix them with terrors you'll probably need a small group of the larger, sturdier geos like winemilleri or altifrons. As young fish they tend to do best in groups of at least 4 but preferably 6 or more. The trouble there is that altifrons can be very large growing fish. A 125 sounds large, but after recently seeing an altifrons that was almost as long as my forearm, I realized a group would need a much wider and larger tank than my 150. So my suggestion if you pick a large-growing geo species with aggressive tankmates is to plan a tank upgrade in the near future.

Conversely, a group of smaller species geos like sp. Tapajos (the redhead/orangehead geos) would do well with blue acaras and they wouldn't outgrow your tank. A sizeable group of them would comfortably live in a 125 with a couple tankmates like more peaceful acaras, Heros, or something along those lines.

I had been looking at Tapajos, as I think that I read elsewhere that they aren’t as large. How many would you recommend in a tank of my size then- for both the geos and some blue acara?

 

[tlindsey]

ryansmith83 is a very experienced member and would personally agree with his advice. Welcome aboard

 

[ryansmith83]

I had been looking at Tapajos, as I think that I read elsewhere that they aren’t as large. How many would you recommend in a tank of my size then- for both the geos and some blue acara?

The orangeheads will likely max out at 4 - 6”. Every now and then a large male makes it to 7” plus but it’s rare and takes years. I always start with 6 - 8 juveniles of any given cichlid to grow out. In a tank that size there’s no reason you can’t maintain a group of that size for life.

For the acaras, you can do the same for grow outs but once they hit a certain size and start pairing off they will probably become fairly intolerant of each other. You can always thin out the numbers as they grow.

You can also use the geos as a centerpiece fish and then add some singles of things like acaras. There are lots of medium sized SA cichlids that do well with geos. You may also consider a sizable group of dithers like deep-bodied tetras — don’t pick anything too small or the acaras will eat them.

 

[Big Ounce YKD]

The orangeheads will likely max out at 4 - 6”. Every now and then a large male makes it to 7” plus but it’s rare and takes years. I always start with 6 - 8 juveniles of any given cichlid to grow out. In a tank that size there’s no reason you can’t maintain a group of that size for life.

For the acaras, you can do the same for grow outs but once they hit a certain size and start pairing off they will probably become fairly intolerant of each other. You can always thin out the numbers as they grow.

You can also use the geos as a centerpiece fish and then add some singles of things like acaras. There are lots of medium sized SA cichlids that do well with geos. You may also consider a sizable group of dithers like deep-bodied tetras — don’t pick anything too small or the acaras will eat them.

OK, thanks for the advice, I think I’m going to go with probably eight Geophagus and some acara, and then thin that number down as you suggested.