New - Stock my 190 gallon

[AndyHasCichlids]

Hey everyone. I need some advice stocking my new 190gal. Ive been reading on this site for years, now i need your help! I have been a fishkeeper for 8 years. I have kept a little bit of everything, in the last couple of years i have been into American Cichlids.
I currently have:
1 Cuban cichlid (nandopsis tetracantus) Male - Adult - 18-20cm (6years old)
1 Salvini cichlid - Female-Adult-10cm
3 Convicts - Female - Juvinile -6-7cm
1 Common pleco - Sex unknown-Adult-30cm (8 Years old)
2 Candy striped pleco-Sex unknown-Adult-10cm
*As right now the cuban is alone with the candy striped plecos (Cuban recently lost his wife -she got egg constapation?)
*And Salvini, convicts and the common pleco is in a tank together and have been for around 1year.
*(1cm=0.3937008inches)

I only want 1 of each, i want a community tank with no (if possible) spawning ?

What i want: (3/3 is most wanted)
1/3
Etroplus canarensis
Hemichromis exsul

2/3
Andinoacara pulcher
Cryptoheros sajica
Herotilapia multispinosa

3/3
Heros sp. rotkeil
Hypsophrys nicaraguensis
Andinoacara rivulatus
Paratilapia polleni
Thorichthys meek
Geophagus Alto sino

I am aware that all of these fish cannot be stocked together, size, aggresion etc. What i am looking for is the best option to get as "many" different combinations of these beautifull fish, then i will choose the combination i find most attractive, and add it in my new 190. I obviously want them to be "at peace" - not killing eachother left and right and I want to be sure they have enough space.

Tips for a cleaning crew is also welcome!

Scape will proably be fine sand, big rocks and big roots.

-Thank you for your time, Andy.

 

[tlindsey]

Hey everyone. I need some advice stocking my new 190gal. Ive been reading on this site for years, now i need your help! I have been a fishkeeper for 8 years. I have kept a little bit of everything, in the last couple of years i have been into American Cichlids.
I currently have:
1 Cuban cichlid (nandopsis tetracantus) Male - Adult - 18-20cm (6years old)
1 Salvini cichlid - Female-Adult-10cm
3 Convicts - Female - Juvinile -6-7cm
1 Common pleco - Sex unknown-Adult-30cm (8 Years old)
2 Candy striped pleco-Sex unknown-Adult-10cm
*As right now the cuban is alone with the candy striped plecos (Cuban recently lost his wife -she got egg constapation?)
*And Salvini, convicts and the common pleco is in a tank together and have been for around 1year.
*(1cm=0.3937008inches)

I only want 1 of each, i want a community tank with no (if possible) spawning ?

What i want: (3/3 is most wanted)
1/3
Etroplus canarensis
Hemichromis exsul

2/3
Andinoacara pulcher
Cryptoheros sajica
Herotilapia multispinosa

3/3
Heros sp. rotkeil
Hypsophrys nicaraguensis
Andinoacara rivulatus
Paratilapia polleni
Thorichthys meek
Geophagus Alto sino

I am aware that all of these fish cannot be stocked together, size, aggresion etc. What i am looking for is the best option to get as "many" different combinations of these beautifull fish, then i will choose the combination i find most attractive, and add it in my new 190. I obviously want them to be "at peace" - not killing eachother left and right and I want to be sure they have enough space.

Tips for a cleaning crew is also welcome!

Scape will proably be fine sand, big rocks and big roots.

-Thank you for your time, Andy.

Welcome aboard

 

[Backfromthedead]

Welcome.

You seem to be going for a mixed cichlid community. Not to stop you in your tracks, but this type of setup usually takes a lot of experience and sometimes a very big tank. The first two cichlids you mentioned, the Cuban and salvini, are among the heaviest hitters ounce-for-ounce of all cichlids and notorious for territoriality and ill temperament.

With your tank, a 190 gallon, I would focus on a group or pair of one of the desired species of cichlid, and compliment them with geographically appropriate dither fish and bottom feeders.

However, if you're set on trying a mix and match mayhem setup, I think the third option is closest to possible. Maybe a group of heros with a mix of andinoacara and geophagus to compliment could work as long as they can work out territories in the limited space of your tank. I would leave out the thorichthys from this setup. As a general rule, central american cichlids are better armed and more territorial than South American cichlids and quickly dominate them in the confines of an aquarium.

duanes can help more. He has kept all of these species.

 

[AndyHasCichlids]

Hello, thank You for your response. I know cuban and salvinii can be bullies ? My salvinii is very mild in her temper- Those 1-2-3/3 is meant as my personal rating as wich i mostly would like to keep, its not meant as "3 options" Its like a star rating. But yet again thanks ill look into the combination You wrote last ? - English is not my native language so there might be a bit spelling and gramma errors. Let med know if You dont understand what i mean ??

 

[AndyHasCichlids]

Thab

Welcome aboard

Thank You! ?

 

[duanes]

Since both E canarensis and`H exul are about the same size they may work together well.
The Etroplus seem to do best in a shoal.

Although I have not kept them with exul, I have with similar size Madagascan cichlids successfully.
Your 2nd option may also work, because each is different enough fro the other.
I have kept all 3, but not together.


I have also kept your all the species in your 3rd option, but not together, but it may work, because they all seem different enough they may not see each other as competitors, at least until all reach maturity, and territoriality.
But the severum are generally considered soft water species. while nicaraguans are hard water types, the rest more generalists.
In the case of differing water parameter preferences, one may suffer.
I find meeki often do best in shoals 6 or more of their own kind, without more aggressive tank mates.


My tetracanthus needed a 6 ft tank to themselves, they were very intolerant of any other cichlids.
In their natural habitat they are the only cichlid species.

I have also found that as they mature, salvini are not good cichlid community species.

 

[AndyHasCichlids]

Since both E canarensis and`H exul are about the same size they may work together well.
The Etroplus seem to do best in a shoal.
View attachment 1500153
Although I have not kept them with exul, I have with similar size Madagascan cichlids successfully.
Your 2nd option may also work, because each is different enough fro the other.
I have kept all 3, but not together.
View attachment 1500154
View attachment 1500155
I have also kept your all the species in your 3rd option, but not together, but it may work, because they all seem different enough they may not see each other as competitors, at least until all reach maturity, and territoriality.
But the severum are generally considered soft water species. while nicaraguans are hard water types, the rest more generalists.
In the case of differing water parameter preferences, one may suffer.
I find meeki often do best in shoals 6 or more of their own kind, without more aggressive tank mates.
View attachment 1500156
View attachment 1500157
My tetracanthus needed a 6 ft tank to themselves, they were very intolerant of any other cichlids.
In their natural habitat they are the only cichlid species.
View attachment 1500158
I have also found that as they mature, salvini are not good cichlid community species.

Thank you Duanes! For all the advice and for showing me your beautifull cichlids! I will try to upload my own so you can see, and i will for sure upload pictures of my 190 when its stocked! I read online that the Exsul would do good with american cichlids, i think i read it on Fishbase.

The 1/2/3 was meant as a kind of a "star rating" not as much as option 1,2,3.

So the ones in 3/3 is the fish i would most like to keep!

If you could choose from 2, 3 -To mix with my Cuban(male) Salvini(female) and convicts(3female), wich would you choose?

The cuban is the most important to me ive kept him for 8 years - The salvini and convicts i am prepared to switch out if they lower my "combination" options
I do have an empty backup 65gallon, if any fish ends up being mistreated by the others.

Thank you for your time!

 

[duanes]

Because prefer biotopes in most cases, I try not to mix continents, sometimes even countries within a continent, or even separate lakes within a country .
With tetracanthus being the only cichlid in its habitat in Cuba, I would not mix it with them with any other species of cichlids.
Just as when I kept Nandopsis haitiensus (the only cichlid from that island) they were the only species in a large tank.

I try to do the same by mixing Magagascans with only other Madagascans, and Africans with other Africans.

Because that is my preference, and philosophical bent, it is probably why I had 20 tanks when in th US.
When I see cichlids (or any fish for that matter) together with fish they would not share habitat with, it seems odd to me.
An example would be Asian Clown loaches with cichlids from Nicaragua just doesn't make geographical sense to me.
But there are also other reasons, ....hard water fish from Mexico, just do not often do well with soft water fish from Ecuador,
or temperate (seasonally cool water) species from Uruguay that need winter cool temp drops, often suffer if kept with warm water species from Panama.

Above a Uruguayan community, below the tanks winter water temp.

Of course some species are quite adaptable, but.....its not always immediately apparent when juvies, and some aren't.

 

[AndyHasCichlids]

Yeah i understand where you are coming from. I totally agree that some fish should really not be mixed, and thats also why i ask. I have also kept species only myself up untill now(Piranha tank, Mbuna tank,Shell Dwellers tank, Tetra tank) I am responsable for my fish and their well being, and i wont buy fish to take them home in a tank where they get beaten or feel bad in any way.
I might let the cuban be for himself in a sepperate tank (And look for a new wife for him)
Im taking the list i made to my nearest fish stores next week and ask them for advice too.

Gorgeous fish you have!


This is my cuban. Picture is from May 10th 2021