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Tankmates for plecos ?

Posted: 12 Feb 2004, 19:52
by Harley
Hi there
My "good looking" tank in the livingroom need some change. It is a"corner tank" containing 350liters (77 UK-gallons, 92,5 US- gallons). It has a eheim outerfilter which pumps about 1000-1200 liters/h and a maxijet circulation pump at 1200liters/h. (thats about 6-7 changes of water in 1h)

Today the 350 includes a big pair of Heros Severus (south amerikan cichlids) , a Clown Knifefish, a 4-5"Golden Nugget, a 2" L075 and an 8" Gibbiceps.

The problem is that the Heros Severus destroys half of my tank setup =) but i can live with that. But, when they scare even my big Gibby so wont come out and eat... thats were i draw the line !

So,
something that can live in the current i have
something that isnt meen to my plecos !
and hopefully is interesting or beutiful for visitirs to look at =)

Btw, i LOVE south american cichlids, but they all tend to get too agressive once they start to making mini cichlids.. =/
Im kinda thinking about getting a couple of hundred tetras, at least they wont pick on my plecos =/
(Paracheirodon axelrodi ?)

ANY tips or ideas are welcome =)

Thanx in advance...

Re: Tankmates for pl*cos ?

Posted: 12 Feb 2004, 21:15
by MackIntheBox
Harley wrote:Im kinda thinking about getting a couple of hundred tetras...
:shock: :shock:
hehe, thats just... wow, lol

Posted: 13 Feb 2004, 00:12
by lizardking
Hi, how about half a dozen of discus? They go well with plecos and are lovely too!

Posted: 13 Feb 2004, 07:17
by Gabriel
Hrmmm... If you have a really strong current, I'm not sure the P. axelrodi will be too happy about it. They come from quiet waters in nature and aren't terribly strong swimmers--they'd probably just end up getting blown around. It goes without saying that you'll need to find new homes for your knife fish and c****ds if you plan to add small fish like tetras to the tank.

I'll study on it some more and see if I come up with any suggestions...

Posted: 13 Feb 2004, 10:46
by Harley
Yashmack, whats wrong with tetras ? :D
Have you ever seen a big tank with lots of plants and hundreds of tetras ? Its a beutifull sight...

Lizardking, yes, i have thought about discus, but they wont like my strong current... :cry:

Gabriel: so you think they might not like the current ? hmm...

If im going fore something else, ofcourse the cichlids will have to move.. but i would like to keep the knifefish if possible. Hes quite a carractere, he eats from my hand :D

Im looking forward to some more suggestions...

Posted: 18 Feb 2004, 16:28
by Harley
Thanx for all your help in this delicate matter !
I thought id give you an update on how it turned out...

The two big Heros Severus had to move. I gave them to my LFS. And in moved 4 small Heros Notatus (looks like severus but doesnt get as big, and they are spotted)http://www.zoopet.com/akvarium/images/300/1776.jpg
witch i had since before in another tank.
And i also got a pair of Cryptoheros sajica from a friend of mine.

This change gave almost immediate results. After only a day or two my L075 now comes out in the middle of the day, and he leaves his woodpiece and moves around !! (with was very unusual)
And the Gibby can eat his own food without being botherd.
The golden nuggets behavior hasnt changed anything yet though.

Oh, i almost forgot, i kept the knifefish =)

It looks a bit empty in the tank, but my catfishes are happy, thats whats important.

Posted: 18 Feb 2004, 16:40
by MackIntheBox
Harley wrote:Yashmack, whats wrong with tetras ? :D
Have you ever seen a big tank with lots of plants and hundreds of tetras ? Its a beutifull sight...
nothing wrong with them, and i havent seen that before, it just boggle the mind a bit, hehehehehe, thats a lot of tetras :shock: :D