120 Gallon Cichlid Stocking

[Farhan123]

I've just gotten the opportunity to possibly get a 120-gallon high tank. 48 by 24 by 24. I was wondering what I could put in there. The only thing that must go into that tank is my Rio Nany scalare

I am hoping to have a few med-sized cichlids.

Tank has 1 Sunsun canister filter rated for 100 gal but I may get another.

I have a list of a few cichlids/fish I would like but am unsure how to number them properly.

Angelfish
Severum
Discus - If I go with discus it will be discus only with an angel or two maybe some small tankmates like GBR and cardinals
Geophagus
Plecos - not a must but small/med plecos would be cool
Vieja?
Acaras?

Any combos of the above?
Really into geophgus but also contemplating a discus tank. Don't think I could mix the 2 in a tank that size.

 

[A201]

I like the Geophagus / Angelfish combination. Maybe add groups of Columbian & Diamond Tetras. A Gold Nugget Pleco would go well.
Speaking from experience, Discus are beautiful boredom that can be problematic at times. Lol.

 

[Farhan123]

Thats what I was worried about too. Discus although beautiful, do they do anything? How would numbers go with that in a 120? But I'm still interested in the angelfish-discus combo.

 

[A201]

Nine or ten Discus would fill a 120 gal. tank. Just like all Cichlids, a hierarchy will develope & likely at least one mated pair. They just sort of meander slowly from one side of the tank to the other.
The weakest Discus will be the whipping boy & might end up stunted. Frozen blood worms & brine shrimp is a must.
Need to keep Discus hot, 82 - 86 degrees. Discus are a little wimpy as compared to Angelfish and are prone to disease. One reason not to keep Discus & Angel's together. An Angel might harbor diseases that have little effect on them but would decimate a Discus.
Discus are a big investment. Look to spend at least $500 minimum for a group of ten.

 

[RD.]

Angels typically outcompete discus when eating etc. Not a good mix, at least in a tank that size. Discus are not as difficult/challenging as many think, it depends on what you buy. Stendker discus tend to be very hardy, I have seen them raised by a local breeder on pellet food, 80F, one large weekly water change, and pH of 8.0+. No problem. Buy some sketchy fish from a LFS, and it can be a whole different situation. You can see some of his fish in this past discussion.

(1) High pH discus sellers | MonsterFishKeepers.com

 

[Farhan123]

I don't think keeping the discus alive will be the most challenging part as I will be buying 4inch discus from a reputable breeder - haven't decided on which yet but probably Hans - and multiple WC a week. I was hoping the angel-discus combo would work if the Discus outnumbered the Angels. I'm talking 5-6 Discus to 1-2 Angels. I didn't think feeding would be a problem if I fed in different areas allowing the discus and angels to eat.

 

[Ogertron3000]

I would stick with the angels as you have more options for tankmates.
Personally I would get the angels, some cories and some keyhole cichlids. Possibly instead of keyholes you could have rams, curviceps or maybe even blue acara but thats a bit risky. You could also have a school of tetras.
I think thats more interesting than discus anyway.

 

[Farhan123]

I was also planning to do an angelfish biotope. However, how would I stock it? I'm thinking region specific.

Some fish I would like

-angelfish
-severum
-geos?
-rams/apistos?

 

[C. Breeze]

I have rio Nanay proteus pikes and rio Nanay biotodoma cupido which are similar to geophagus and would like to have angels with them but the fact that my pikes are breeding pair has thwarted that plan but a pair of angels with 4 or so Cupid’s (male and 2-3 females) and a pike would be an awesome tank.

 

[Farhan123]

Sadly the seller of the 120 backed out last minute. So welp I'm stuck with a 75. Still not sure what to add to it though. I currently have a severum and a Rio Nanay angel. I was thinking of adding another angel and also looking in a clown pleco, some cories, tetras, and/or some dwarf cichlids like apistos or rams. Thoughts? Pike cichlid looks really cool how would one of those go? Preferably things from Peru as well, trying to maybe make a biotope.