Ideas to round out my tank?

[Kelsi]

Hmm thinking more, I think I want to get rid of my catfish, along with the pleco and SDs, keep my bichirs as the sole bottom dwellers, perhaps add an armored fellow, and get a pair of angelfish. Thoughts?

Replying to myself here, either way, whether I go with a breeding quartet of red hump geophagus or angelfish, I'm going to keep my nocturnal bottom dwellers as my bichirs

 

[Kelsi]

I have a pink tail chalceus, i have six and they school together, but still i see some aggression between them, they stay on top even when lights are off. I heard that when younger they are aggressive toward each other and becomes mellow when they age. They said its better to have six of them or just have one.

They are pretty for sure, but I've been leaning against the torpedo shaped fish, from an aesthetic standpoint

 

[Kelsi]

As i could see, polys are not very aggressive predators and would be good companion for every fish that is'nt too small. I've a similar tank, with one big wild severum and 3 common plecos. Before i used to have 5 nile tilapias, but they grow too big for my tank, the severum was always very calm and not aggressive with anyone.
I really like the idea of the geos. They're amazing fishes. I love particolarly the tapajos red head. They're sociably fishes and not so aggressive.. well.. for cichlids standards. The only problem i think you may have, is that geos are bentonic dwellers so they'll be really in the same spots of the bichirs.
Another good idea maybe i think could be to make a greater group of severums.(maybe of the same size of yours)
Other big but not too bad cichlids could be as good, i think. I think mesonauta, acaras, and angelfishes should be fine.
Big schooling characins/barbus/or rainbowfishes could be also a good idea.
Also...I don't jnow if they will stay in your tank.. but south american pike characins?

I've been playing with the idea of an angelfish pair and get another bichir, after rehoming my catfish and pleco. Maybe have a small group of Irian rainbowfish filling out the cracks

 

[Polyaddict86]

Me personally i like the SD, they are hardy and can take a beating againts polys, SD are not sensitive to water perimiters and have a school of 8 is nice setting for the mid tank. I like SD's to is that they wont bother getting in your polys tilapia at night so you polys wont have to compete for food.
I have polys for bottom, SD in the middle and pink tail chalceus on top and so far everyone works fine. Even when th polys try to eat the SD, the poly cant swallow it and just endup letting it go.

 

[clm08k]

I love the look of blue acaras, bosemani rainbows, red rainbows, melanotaenia rainbows, congo tetras, and koi angels. Do you know if those would work? I wish parrotfish or pufferfish would work...but I know that is not gonna happen lol. It would be awesome to do a mbu puffer in a bichir tank.

As i could see, polys are not very aggressive predators and would be good companion for every fish that is'nt too small.
Other big but not too bad cichlids could be as good, i think. I think mesonauta, acaras, and angelfishes should be fine.
Big schooling characins/barbus/or rainbowfishes could be also a good idea.

 

[Polyaddict86]

I love the look of blue acaras, bosemani rainbows, red rainbows, melanotaenia rainbows, congo tetras, and koi angels. Do you know if those would work? I wish parrotfish or pufferfish would work...but I know that is not gonna happen lol. It would be awesome to do a mbu puffer in a bichir tank.

I would work on smaller species like most lower jaws, but anything that are 5" its a gamble. For most lower jaws you would want atleats 10" and 1" thick fish to go with the poly, but sometimes still dosent work.

 

[Polyaddict86]

I would work on smaller species like most lower jaws, but anything that are 5" its a gamble. For most lower jaws you would want atleats 10" and 1" thick fish to go with the poly, but sometimes still dosent work.

Correction:
I meant it would work on smaller species like most upper jaws.

 

[clm08k]

Correction:
I meant it would work on smaller species like most upper jaws.

Hmm... since I have the ornate, I might have to go mainly lower jaw cause not a lot of upper jaws besides the ornate, will get as big. Or would it be okay to mix smaller upper jaws with the ornate?

 

[Polyaddict86]

Hmm... since I have the ornate, I might have to go mainly lower jaw cause not a lot of upper jaws besides the ornate, will get as big. Or would it be okay to mix smaller upper jaws with the ornate?

It would be fine aslong as the grith is similar, upper jaws dont open their mouth wide not like a lower jaw, but still keep an eye cause the bigger the ornate get the more territorial it gets.
Suggestuon is raise them together while they are young.
Provide less hiding spot so no fighting in territory.
Last and the best idea is to have more polys in the tank. lolz

 

[Polyaddict86]

Hmm... since I have the ornate, I might have to go mainly lower jaw cause not a lot of upper jaws besides the ornate, will get as big. Or would it be okay to mix smaller upper jaws with the ornate?

There are upper jaws that are called big three, teugelsi, ornate and weeksii. Those are the biggest upper jaw species.
Teug is the biggest from the three, its the nicest pattern and color, aggression not like the ornate, its more calm, price its the most expensive of all upper jaws maybe all polys.
Ornate is the second biggest of the three, it has a nice patern too, aggression is bad compared to the other two, price is the cheapest of all three.
Weeksii is the third biggest, can be second but ive only seen one the is really big, aggression i believe its shy compared to the three, price its fair on the size.