Critique my bottom dwellers. Sufficent? Good choices? Need more? Other questions.

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Blown 331

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Feb 24, 2007
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Well I've got a 125 gallon African Cichlid tank. I'm still kind of in the process of building it. I transfered what I had in my 65 gallon tank to this and am still adding fish and decor. I had a common pleco (about 7 inch) and a synodontus cat (about 3 inch) from my 65 so obviously I need more especially now in a 125.
About 2 weeks ago my Neolamprologus leleupi had fry, I caught 11 and put them in a 20 gallon tank, they are all doing well. I have a few other species that mate also. Will more bottom dweller reduce the number of surviving fry? What I mean is, are they a greater threat than other cichlids?
Since the fry were removed I picked up a pictus cat and a loach. Shame on me for not remembering what kind of loach but it was something Bota I think. It's dark gray and white, relly cool designs.
Well today I bought another pictus since I read they prefer company. My synodontus doesn't seem to like the second pictus but now the 2 pictus found each other, they do great together. I really like them, they are super active and crazy.
I like the loach a lot too but I don't seem him much, just got him yesterday but I know where he hides. I am thinking of getting another loach like that so he has a friend and I'll remember the name this time. I've never had a loach and wow those are weird, it's almost like they waddle across the bottom. lol,
Any comments? Are 2 loaches, 3 cats and a pleco enough for a 125? Or they wont get too big will they? I got the pleco and synodontus used (LOL) about 2 years ago so I have no idea how old they are but I don't think they have grown. Sometimes I throw more food than the ciclids can eat before hitting bottom and wow those pictus go crazy, I hope they aren't starving.
 
I wouldn't mix pictus w/African cichlids. Aside from the different water chemistry, you want to breed the cichlids and keep predatory catfish in the same tank? I'd swap out the pictus for a group (6-10) of Synodontis petricola/lucipinnis. They're also social, schooling fish (like pictus, and 2 is a very small school) and will appreciate the same water conditions that the African cichlids will thrive in. As for numbers, same deal w/loaches. Having 2 is only asking for one to kill the other, then cause problems with the rest of the fish. Loaches in particular (more so than catfish) need members of their own species to interact with.
 
Also, Synodontis species is a good fish to control the population - i.e. they will eat your frys. So if your goal is to maximize fry survival in that tank, this is not a good idea.
 
Just the synos for me in that tank.
 
Sounds like I made some mistakes. They are all doing well together though. The loach is an angelicus biota. We did get another one and that really helped our first one out, they seem pretty happy together. The cichlids don't mess with the cats or loaches except if they go under this rock where the leleupi breed but they even go after the other cichlids if they go through that area.
And I am not using this as a breeding tank nor is that my main goal but when I see fry I do net them out.
 
I wouldn't mix angelicus w/Africans, they really don't appreciate the hard, alkaline water. I wish I could find some more of them, never see them locally. Red-tail botia's are nasty enough to hang w/mbuna, so are Asian upside-down catfish (look like balck Syno's, gold "flakes" on their sides.)
 
H3D said:
:iagree: They also need to be kept in much larger groups than just 2. I woud try to find them a new home.
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Thanks for everyones help. I've got an empty 29 gal and an empty 65 gal so maybe I'll just pull them out for now until I decide what to do with them and stick with the Synodontis, though that sucks they eat fry. lol.
 
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