4ft long 110 gallon stocking ideas

[Jai'galaar]

So after a lot of hit and miss, and mostly miss, I decided to go with some less aggressive species in my 4ftX2ftX2ft tank. I really like convicts for nostalgic reasons so that's one species I want to include but not exactly sure about the others. I want something that's a bit bigger but as I've seen and read a lot of the bigger species simply don't fit into the "less aggressive" category. (Not that convicts do but at least they're smaller.) Is there anything I could keep in there with convicts that's a bit bigger but still not a murder machine?
I don't really care about keeping only CA or SA species together but as I understand a lot of SA species wouldn't really be happy about convicts.
I originally thought about three species but that could be too much.
Options I thought about so far:
severums
blue acara
firemouth
Cryptoheros species (yes I know they hybridize with convict)
Originally I thought about Dempsey as well but with only 4ft it seems risky to me.

Can you recommend any other options? I'm not a big fan of hybrids so no blood parrots please.
TIA

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Are we talking a pair of convicts? Or a group of all the same sex?

Honestly, IMO, the 120gal size is negated by the 4ft length. When it comes to cichlids, LENGTH is what really matters. I, personally, would not list any of the SA fish you have listed with convicts (severums and acaras). The firemouths MIGHT work, but also might not. A dempsey is possibly a more viable option than the others, honestly - depending on what your answer is to my convict question above.

 

[Crazylegs78]

One big CA/SA cichlid may do well with a bunch of much smaller convicts. S-K is 100% correct in her post above, severums and acara are a little too meek to put with boisterous convict cichlids. If you want to try this, I think a single big H. carpintis, A. rivulatus, or something along those lines could work. For the best possible chance of success, make sure there is a considerable size difference between the two species with the convicts being smaller. Also, provide PLENTY of hiding places for the convicts to retreat to when the larger fish goes on a rampage. I have a 7" carpintis female that I keep with a bunch of festae fry ranging from 1.5"-5" - in a 125g. She just establishes a territory and chases the other fish away every now and then. This same female carpintis terrorized my full grown severum pair when she was only 5" or so - in a 4' tank.

 

[duanes]

I agree about not keeping S Americans with Cons, or other of the Amatitllania genus.
Most S Americans prefer very different water parameters than Amatitlania.

Above are the type water parameters S Americans like severums com from
Below are the type water parameters Amatitlania, Thorichthys, and Rocio come from

If your tap water parameters are somewhere in the middle, you might be OK for both.
Blue Acaras are a middle of the road water parameter species
If your water parameters lean too much one way or the other, getting species that fit one or the other, may go a long way toward a healthy tank outcome.

 

[Jai'galaar]

I agree about not keeping S Americans with Cons, or other of the Amatitllania genus.
Most S Americans prefer very different water parameters than Amatitlania.
View attachment 1515115
Above are the type water parameters S Americans like severums com from
Below are the type water parameters Amatitlania, Thorichthys, and Rocio come from
View attachment 1515116
If your tap water parameters are somewhere in the middle, you might be OK for both.
Blue Acaras are a middle of the road water parameter species
If your water parameters lean too much one way or the other, getting species that fit one or the other, may go a long way toward a healthy tank outcome.

Central-American it is, then...
But I'm still not sure about the species it'd be safe to keep. I wanted something a bit bigger but in an only CA tank those guys are out of the question, I guess. Tried salvini in the past, for example, destroyed everything... one of the reasons I definitely want to play safe this time.

 

[duanes]

Central-American it is, then...
But I'm still not sure about the species it'd be safe to keep. I wanted something a bit bigger but in an only CA tank those guys are out of the question, I guess. Tried salvini in the past, for example, destroyed everything... one of the reasons I definitely want to play safe this time.

Yes I find salvini some of the most innately aggressive, yet small Central Americans.
Here are a few of the Amatitlania I have kept in similar size tanks.
But I only try to keep on species of a genus per tank, and often one species of cichlid, but the rest of the stock to be non-cichlids, such as tetras or live bearers

Amatitlania cutteri above
Amatitlania myrnae below, male in the middle, female right

Honduran redt point below

Another genus that could work in that size tank is Australoheros
Below Australoheros "sp Red Ceibal from southern S America, not the soft waters of the Amazon Basin

Male left, female middle, a pair in breeding color on the right
The Ceibals are from Uruguay, so I kept them without a heater, at room temp.

 

[Hybridfish7]

Central-American it is, then...
But I'm still not sure about the species it'd be safe to keep. I wanted something a bit bigger but in an only CA tank those guys are out of the question, I guess. Tried salvini in the past, for example, destroyed everything... one of the reasons I definitely want to play safe this time.

Rainbow cichlids (herotilapia multispinosa) are probably the most peaceful and hardy central americans I can think of. Amatitlania nanolutea will kill other smaller fish while spawning in my experience, and myrnae at the very least have the capacity to kill (mine have killed eachother), though I haven't lost any other species to them. My rainbows never killed anything, even with hundreds of offspring in an admittedly undersized tank. Shame I never got my F1 san juans breeding, I only ever got the domestic ones to spawn. A colony of those would do nicely. They'll get about 5-5.5", so not too small.

Yes I find salvini some of the most innately aggressive, yet small Central Americans.
Here are a few of the Amatitlania I have kept in similar size tanks.
But I only try to keep on species of a genus per tank, and often one species of cichlid, but the rest of the stock to be non-cichlids, such as tetras or live bearers
View attachment 1515151View attachment 1515152
Amatitlania cutteri above
Amatitlania myrnae below, male in the middle, female right
View attachment 1515153View attachment 1515154View attachment 1515155
Honduran redt point below
View attachment 1515156View attachment 1515157
Another genus that could work in that size tank is Australoheros
Below Australoheros "sp Red Ceibal from southern S America, not the soft waters of the Amazon Basin
View attachment 1515158View attachment 1515159View attachment 1515160
Male left, female middle, a pair in breeding color on the right
The Ceibals are from Uruguay, so I kept them without a heater, at room temp.

Duanes, cutteri aren't amatitlania...

 

[Caperguy99]

Yes I find salvini some of the most innately aggressive, yet small Central Americans.
Here are a few of the Amatitlania I have kept in similar size tanks.
But I only try to keep on species of a genus per tank, and often one species of cichlid, but the rest of the stock to be non-cichlids, such as tetras or live bearers
View attachment 1515151View attachment 1515152
Amatitlania cutteri above
Amatitlania myrnae below, male in the middle, female right
View attachment 1515153View attachment 1515154View attachment 1515155
Honduran redt point below
View attachment 1515156View attachment 1515157
Another genus that could work in that size tank is Australoheros
Below Australoheros "sp Red Ceibal from southern S America, not the soft waters of the Amazon Basin
View attachment 1515158View attachment 1515159View attachment 1515160
Male left, female middle, a pair in breeding color on the right
The Ceibals are from Uruguay, so I kept them without a heater, at room temp.

What would you say is an appropriate tank size/filtration for a pair of Salvini? Would they work in a 75 or would bigger be preferable?

 

[duanes]

A 6ft 100 gal plus tank if other fish, more than the pair are desired in the tank.
A 75 would work for a single mated, compatible pair (if provided with an incomplete divider just in case) so the female can escape the male., thru the escape hatch only she can fit thru, if need be, like provided in the festae tank below.

 

[Iwhoopedbatman]

I can't imagine there are many places shipping in wild convicts and only specialists like TUIC are going to be importing blue acaras. They're likely to be coming from the same or very similar water parameters if you're getting them from the LFS.