Test your water parameters and see what fish suit those conditions. That would be a good place to start narrowing down a list.
Perfect 240 gal stocking
- Thread starter Eclipse390
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- 240 gallon stock ideas
We're getting closer to setting up the 240. We're clearing out the basement next week as we have a shipping container coming for storage.
I've decided that ultimately I'd like to stock this tank around an Oscar or pair of Oscars. SO cliche & overdone, I know. But I've had them in the past & love the personalities of them.
Is there anything you'd recommend with them? I was thinking Pictus cats as a bottom feeder - but have been reading mixed reviews about their longevity in aquariums. I'm also concerned about the Oscars attempting to eat them ?
My bf has been drooling over EBJD for years now, so ideally I'd also like to have a single specimen of them as well.
Filtration would have to be canisters as my tank isn't drilled. I have two fx6 right now, do you think I should consider a third?
Last question - what do you guys use for water changes? The good 'ol Python? Or have you guys installed WC systems to make your lives easier? We're starting from scratch in the basement & there is already a bathroom there with a water source. All opinions are appreciated.
I've decided that ultimately I'd like to stock this tank around an Oscar or pair of Oscars. SO cliche & overdone, I know. But I've had them in the past & love the personalities of them.
Is there anything you'd recommend with them? I was thinking Pictus cats as a bottom feeder - but have been reading mixed reviews about their longevity in aquariums. I'm also concerned about the Oscars attempting to eat them ?
My bf has been drooling over EBJD for years now, so ideally I'd also like to have a single specimen of them as well.
Filtration would have to be canisters as my tank isn't drilled. I have two fx6 right now, do you think I should consider a third?
Last question - what do you guys use for water changes? The good 'ol Python? Or have you guys installed WC systems to make your lives easier? We're starting from scratch in the basement & there is already a bathroom there with a water source. All opinions are appreciated.
Instead of the pictus, since it can be swallowed by a full grown oscar, get either a pimelodus ornatus or a pimelodus albofasciatus. The wetspottropicalfish has these right now.
EBJD are fragile and rather slow growing so you will have to pay for a 4"+ EBJD. These cost a lot of money at that size since it's difficult to get them larger. An oscar that outgrows it can easily stress the EBJD. A better alternative and less fragile is a green terror. However, if you end up with a breeding pair of oscars (originating from 6-8 2" juveniles), any cichlid can be terrorized in that 8 foot long tank.
What is the hardness (GH) of your tap water?
EBJD are fragile and rather slow growing so you will have to pay for a 4"+ EBJD. These cost a lot of money at that size since it's difficult to get them larger. An oscar that outgrows it can easily stress the EBJD. A better alternative and less fragile is a green terror. However, if you end up with a breeding pair of oscars (originating from 6-8 2" juveniles), any cichlid can be terrorized in that 8 foot long tank.
What is the hardness (GH) of your tap water?
This may be why I might just go with single specimens of each species I choose to get. I'm not in the right spot to be breeding large cichlids right now. I'll look into the species of catfish you recommended.
I've heard that about EBJD. I had a GT in the past, but it really struggled to stand up for itself in the set up I had. Not sure if that's the personality across the board, or I just had a very docile GT.
It's 50/50 to get a really aggressive GT versus a docile GT. The EBJD won't fair any better against the oscar than a GT. But chances are that the EBJD would get more way stressed and succumb to illness. You will need to get more than 2 cichlids if you want to spread the aggression out.
If you end up getting more cichlid (4-5), get a sump for the 240g.
Agree that you should go with a larger cat if you want oscars. A group of ornates would be great. Heres my 9" ornatus next to a 6" pictus to illustrate the size difference.
Check out lima shovelnose and vulture cats if you want just one or a couple even larger cats that will grow at a similar rate to the oscars.
Check out lima shovelnose and vulture cats if you want just one or a couple even larger cats that will grow at a similar rate to the oscars.
I'm really hoping to focus on the cichlids, they're more my jam. I want something for the bottom of the tank just so it's fun to watch.
I'll look into some of the other cats.
I've never kept Geo's before. They can hold their own against other semi-aggressive fish?
