7ft cichlid opinions

I have a 7ft and I've been extensively researching (because there are so many options!!). Dimensions of tank measure 2.1m x 70cm x 70cm. I have a fluvial fx6 canister for it and am planning to buy a heap of large driftwood and rocks to break up lines of sight etc. I've decided I want to do an American cichlid tank.
So far I was thinking:
1 albino tiger Oscar,
1 tiger Oscar,
1 pleco (unsure of the species I would like yet - open to suggestions & recommendations),
1 convict,
1 red devil,
1 fire mouth,
1 Jack Dempsey,
1 blue Acara and
5 silver dollars

heard mean things about the Red Devils but have also heard people who have made it work. Never had Americans (or any cichlid for that matter) before so any experience or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sounds amazing and what an awesome tank!! How many litres is that? My tank (not quite so large) arrives very soon and I am going into american cichlids too for the first time

 

Thank you!! I'm excited to set it up soon! From memory its 1073litres I think? I remember converting it to gallons and it being 283 lol. Its exciting getting a new tank! How big is yours going to be and do you have any idea which Americans you're wanting to try?

 

A 7 foot tank does offer a lot of options. You might consider the following:
Red Terror cichlid (Festae) Green Terror cichlid (Rivulatus) SalvinI cichlid
Jaguar cichlid.
Flagtail (Semaprochilodus insignis) Red Hook Silver Dollar (Myloplus Rubripinnis).
I've kept most of these in the past and were awsome. The Jaguar
& Flagtail continue to be on the wish list.

 

Thank you!! I'm excited to set it up soon! From memory its 1073litres I think? I remember converting it to gallons and it being 283 lol. Its exciting getting a new tank! How big is yours going to be and do you have any idea which Americans you're wanting to try?

Over a thousand litres! That thing is going to way a tonne. Literally! What with filter substrate and rocks etc you’ll be look at like 1500 kg plus I reckon.

Mine is about 757 litres so bang on 200 gallon. I’ve got all my fish in QT already. I’ve gone a huge mix as they’re all babies the size of a stamp. When they grow I may well have to reduce numbers but being as they are cichlids that is likely anyway due to aggression.

I’ve got a mix: Oscar, jack Dempsey, green terror, firemouth, some Severums and a blood parrot

 

That tank is huge! Probably 90%+ of the cichlids available in the hobby could be kept in there. I am no expert on cichlids, but have you also considered African cichlids? You could have a fantastic looking community of rift lake cichlids in there. I'd keep a group of featherfin cichlids (Cyathophpharynx species) in there personally, but then again I am biased towards species tanks.

 

Congrats on the new tank!! Your going to need more than one fx6 for that big a tank and those size fish. At least 2. Next the thing with those fish is they can become very aggressive with other fish. Oscars get big but are not as vicious as the Red Devils can be. Dempsey’s also may fight with oscars. So my advice is read up on these fish and buy small fish and grow them out. Some times when grown out together they get along. Tank certainly is big enough. Maybe get 2 instead of one of each. Good luck.

 

Over a thousand litres! That thing is going to way a tonne. Literally! What with filter substrate and rocks etc you’ll be look at like 1500 kg plus I reckon.

Mine is about 757 litres so bang on 200 gallon. I’ve got all my fish in QT already. I’ve gone a huge mix as they’re all babies the size of a stamp. When they grow I may well have to reduce numbers but being as they are cichlids that is likely anyway due to aggression.

I’ve got a mix: Oscar, jack Dempsey, green terror, firemouth, some Severums and a blood parrot

Luckily, my poor dad had to transport it with my uncle and his workmate while I was at work. They did a good job lol.

That's a pretty decent sized tank then! Cute! Do you mind sharing a photo? Maybe an uncommon opinion but cichlid tanks are better off a bit overstocked as long as the owner can keep up with maintenance because most are aggressive/semI aggressive. As long as there aren't any main bullies or little guys that get picked on they should be fine. Sounds like a good mix! You'll have to keep us updated how things are going when they grow!

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That tank is huge! Probably 90%+ of the cichlids available in the hobby could be kept in there. I am no expert on cichlids, but have you also considered African cichlids? You could have a fantastic looking community of rift lake cichlids in there. I'd keep a group of featherfin cichlids (Cyathophpharynx species) in there personally, but then again I am biased towards species tanks.

I know! That's why I'm having so much trouble trying to choose fish and fish that are compatible lol. I have considered Africans. They're really beautiful. From experience at my workplace and other peoples accounts oscars have lots of personality so I'm 100% set on them. Many people suggest not putting africans and Americans together so I'm going to stick to the Americans. Species tanks look stunning!

Congrats on the new tank!! Your going to need more than one fx6 for that big a tank and those size fish. At least 2. Next the thing with those fish is they can become very aggressive with other fish. Oscars get big but are not as vicious as the Red Devils can be. Dempsey’s also may fight with oscars. So my advice is read up on these fish and buy small fish and grow them out. Some times when grown out together they get along. Tank certainly is big enough. Maybe get 2 instead of one of each. Good luck.

Thank you!! I was looking into extra filtration 1) because it is a big tank like you mentioned and 2) oscars and plecos alone, are so messy lol. Yeah I'm going to try get the pleco and silver dollars first and then add all the aggressive cichlids all together - kinda worried if my tank will be okay when adding all them at once - although they are going to be young/small so it should be okay. I'm going to try get fish that can hold their ground if there is an issue and not cause issues. I'm thinking of the electric blue Jack Dempsey because they are meant to be less aggressive then the regular Dempseys. If there are any issues, either being a bully or being picked on too much I'm going to put in the divider and rehome them. If I get 2 of each of the fish that were listed as 1 (not including the oscars as I consider them a pair) will my tank be too overstocked and will there be any issues between the pairs?

 

Luckily, my poor dad had to transport it with my uncle and his workmate while I was at work. They did a good job lol.

That's a pretty decent sized tank then! Cute! Do you mind sharing a photo? Maybe an uncommon opinion but cichlid tanks are better off a bit overstocked as long as the owner can keep up with maintenance because most are aggressive/semI aggressive. As long as there aren't any main bullies or little guys that get picked on they should be fine. Sounds like a good mix! You'll have to keep us updated how things are going when they

perfect. Alas my father is 1,000 kms away and uncles closer to 15,000! Hahaha. Yeah I am very happy with the size I bought: bigger than I ever though I’d have. such a shame it’s just not big enough for a stingray

mate I am dying to show photos but the tank comes in a Couple of days. I have literally spent the entire weekend moving furniture around,setting upto the perfect space.

I agree about overstocking. That said my aquarium won’t get anywhere near capacity for a year or two! Won’t have to worry about overstocking for a while. That makes me want to revisit my original intention of getting some dither fish (silver dollars for example). All the fish I have are absolutely tiny. Though oscar already shows some feisty personality and the black diamond Cichlid and the JD both attack food like it’s a live fish!

once tank is set up I’ll definitely be sharing some photos.

Re: upkeep: I actually enjoy it. I mean I hate the mess and the buckets - but maintaining a tank is the closest we get to patting our fish my cat is curled up on my lap now, my dog resting her head on my arm. Fish can’t get that. So we feed them well and look after their tanks and that way we are good owners

 

I don't know much about cichlids, but I had to click on this discussion when I saw the title. I couldn't help but think "Is there a cichlid that gets to 7' long?"

 

I don't know much about cichlids, but I had to click on this discussion when I saw the title. I couldn't help but think "Is there a cichlid that gets to 7' long?"

Nope however, some of the peacock basses of the amazon and Tanganyika's emperor cichlid (not to be confused with the malawI peacock of the same name) can approach 3 feet long...among the few cichlids that might need a larger tank than this one.

 

That tank is almost 300g so that amount of fish should be fine. You’ll need some good hard scape so the fish can make there own territory. Sounds like a good tank. I’d research the fish before you do it though. If you haven’t allready. In that big of a tank there shoulldnt be a problem but some of those fish can get vicious. Lots of other big cichlids out there. Severums and geophagus are great looking fish. Same with keyhole cichlids. What kind of pleco will you get?

 

I just want to let you know that I am very jealous of your tank. That's all.

Thank you!! I was looking into extra filtration 1) because it is a big tank like you mentioned and 2) oscars and plecos alone, are so messy lol. Yeah I'm going to try get the pleco and silver dollars first and then add all the aggressive cichlids all together - kinda worried if my tank will be okay when adding all them at once - although they are going to be young/small so it should be okay. I'm going to try get fish that can hold their ground if there is an issue and not cause issues. I'm thinking of the electric blue Jack Dempsey because they are meant to be less aggressive then the regular Dempseys. If there are any issues, either being a bully or being picked on too much I'm going to put in the divider and rehome them. If I get 2 of each of the fish that were listed as 1 (not including the oscars as I consider them a pair) will my tank be too overstocked and will there be any issues between the pairs?

Electric Blue Jack Dempseys are man made and don't end up growing as large as the regular Jack Dempseys, that is, if you can get them past 3" without them dying for no apparent reason.
My 6" Jack Dempsey isn't as aggressive at all. They get into fights but they're not killers. If the sole reason for a EBJD over a regular JD is aggression, I think you should be fine with a regular Jack Dempsey in my opinion.

 

perfect. Alas my father is 1,000 kms away and uncles closer to 15,000! Hahaha. Yeah I am very happy with the size I bought: bigger than I ever though I’d have. such a shame it’s just not big enough for a stingray

mate I am dying to show photos but the tank comes in a Couple of days. I have literally spent the entire weekend moving furniture around,setting upto the perfect space.

I agree about overstocking. That said my aquarium won’t get anywhere near capacity for a year or two! Won’t have to worry about overstocking for a while. That makes me want to revisit my original intention of getting some dither fish (silver dollars for example). All the fish I have are absolutely tiny. Though oscar already shows some feisty personality and the black diamond Cichlid and the JD both attack food like it’s a live fish!

once tank is set up I’ll definitely be sharing some photos.

Re: upkeep: I actually enjoy it. I mean I hate the mess and the buckets - but maintaining a tank is the closest we get to patting our fish my cat is curled up on my lap now, my dog resting her head on my arm. Fish can’t get that. So we feed them well and look after their tanks and that way we are good owners

Stingrays are cool but I don't have the budget and probably not enough space either haha.

The upkeep is one of my favourite things too! I love siphoning all the waste out of the gravel - its probably a bit weird but its somewhat therapeutic to know and see that you're actually making a difference in there. The water spillage and buckets are definitely the worst though. I've seen that you can pet some of the larger fish and somewhat train them? Some fish will let you once they get used to it and as long as you aren't constantly rubbing off their protective slime coat they should be good.

That tank is almost 300g so that amount of fish should be fine. You’ll need some good hard scape so the fish can make there own territory. Sounds like a good tank. I’d research the fish before you do it though. If you haven’t allready. In that big of a tank there shoulldnt be a problem but some of those fish can get vicious. Lots of other big cichlids out there. Severums and geophagus are great looking fish. Same with keyhole cichlids. What kind of pleco will you get?

Yup! Will be a bit costly but worth it in the long run. I'm going to add lots of driftwood and large rocks like lava rock or large Texas holeys as well a few medium river rocks. Ive read terracotta pots are good little hideouts but I don't know where to get them in Australia apart from Bunnings but they don't really have what I'm looking for so I think I'm going to look further into that. Any other heavy ornament recommendations would be appreciated! I was thinking about severums but I think I've ruled them out never heard of geophagus or keyholes before. will look in to them. I don't know what pleco I would like yet so do you guys have any recommendations?

 

Hey mate. Didn’t realise you were in Oz. Yeah so bunnings is great. I bought a whole bunch of terra-cotta pots from there for hiding spots. Other than that there are heaps of “garden centre” type places - I like the “terra cotta world” types. What city are you in? I may be able to give a couple of recommendations.
Over 1,000 litres is huge for an Aussie tank - we tend to stick to the 30 gallons as “large aquariums” - what a sight it will be!

 

Hey mate. Didn’t realise you were in Oz. Yeah so bunnings is great. I bought a whole bunch of terra-cotta pots from there for hiding spots. Other than that there are heaps of “garden centre” type places - I like the “terra cotta world” types. What city are you in? I may be able to give a couple of recommendations.
Over 1,000 litres is huge for an Aussie tank - we tend to stick to the 30 gallons as “large aquariums” - what a sight it will be!

Will have to head down to Bunnings soon then! We have a few garden places where I live so I should go check them out as well. Just was a bit concerned about any chemicals that may have been used on the pots. Did you do anything special before putting them in your tank or is it pretty safe to just put it in there. I'm in QLD near the coast line so way more options than living inland. Haha yeah, it was a monster for my dad to transport - hardly fit on the back of a large ute trailer. When compared to American large tanks though, mine is still a little 5yr old. Its going to be a joy to keep and look after!

 

Mate as long as you buy unglazed pots you’ll be fine. I had mine soaking in water for a couple of days but more to save room and put them with driftwood.

I hear ya. I have a dual cab ute but paid the store for delivery!

Looking forward to your updates - even if you are a cane toad queenslander! Go the blues!!! Cockroaches all the way