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I had posted this in the Cichlid forum but was getting little response so I'll post it here as well.

I have been in the middle of setting up a new tank for my two Jack Dempsey's (both roughly two tyears old), when suddenly this morning I discovered them both dead in their original tank. My pleco is still ok and looks to be healthy.

I have done a little research on some fish that I potentially would get. I have only ever had single species tanks so am a little unfamilar with what might work. Anyways here is what I was thinking:

1 - Severum
3 - 6 German or bolivian rams
4 - 6 Barbs or danios
4 - Silver dollars
4 - Blue Acara

I think this combo would work but I would appreciate some comments. Also would it be possible to substitute any species with Jack Dempsey's.

I also have currently a 7" pleco. Would it be possible to add additional loaches or corys, if so which species would be the best?

First of all how big is your tank? The combo may work in a big enough tank. Keep in mind also that most plecos get BIG (about a foot)

Inky

sorry forgot to put that in there, its 72G

Even in an aquarum that is 72 gallons, the Plec could prove problematic. Yes, some Plec species grow big enough to outgrow a 72 gallon! Before committing yourself to any other stocking plans, do whatever it takes to find out WHAT species of Plec you have, because that could - if you're unlucky and have one of the juggernauts - place severe limits on what else you can have in there. Common Plecs are fairly bad news in this regard, as [1] they tend to appear in shops far more often than they should, given their growth potential, and [2] they can reach an alarming size as adults. Mind you, they're not as bad as Adonis Plecs - if you have one of those, then start worrying BIG TIME because an Adonis Plec can reach a whopping three feet in length - a former aquarist acquaintance of mine won prizes at fish shows in the UK with his juggernaut specimen, which was big enough to require two people to lift the fish, and four to lift the display aquarium at the show!

Once you've solved the Plec identity problem, you can move on to other stocking options. If you're lucky and your Plec is a species that won't grow much bigger than 7 inches, then you can start thinking about your Cichlids and other fishes, but if you've got one of the big boys, you might have to look around for a new home for him before you launch into a new setup ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks for the info. I am assuming it is a common pleco. Relatively how fast do they grow because I took him/her from my uncle about a year ago and since then he has grown ~2". Before I had him/her I believe he had it for at least a year probably a year and a half. So approximately this pleco is 2 and half years old, are they like cichlids in terms of they grow through their ifespan or do they reach there maximim size relatively early in their life.

Planet Catfish to the rescue ... Page on Common Plecs

"Common Plec" covers a multitude of sins, to the point where you might not even be able to identify your fish to Genus level, let alone species, without a dissection (sigh). However, even if you haven't got one of the Panaque species (which are 20 inch bruisers in some cases!) you're still looking at a 12 inch fish once it's fully grown, so it'll place a restriction on what you can have with it in the 72. Plus, as you're already no doubt aware, large Loricariid catfishes can defecate on an industrial scale, especially the wood feeders (ask Cup_of_Lifenoodles to show you his collection of photos of gravel beds turned into silted Panaque poo farms ). That one fish on its own is going to place a seriously heavy loading on your filtration system, and if you intend keeping other things with the Plec, it might be a good idea to start saving up for a big external canister filter to help keep that aquarium sweet, because big Plecs can foul even a large aquarium in a surprisingly short time.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I was planning on adding a fluval 404 cannister filter to go along with the wet/dry filter that came with the tank (fitted for the canopy). Would that be sufficient filtration. I know in the old tank with the two jack dempseys and the pleco I was putting alot of time and energy into filtering the gravel as well as the regular water changes.

Basically, if you have spare filters for the project, press them into service. My personal view is that when you have a fish species present in an aquarium that loads a filtration system heavily, you can never have too much filtration. Trouble is, with some Plec species, their capacity to foul the water is such that even if you have THREE big Eheim external canister filters running on the aquarium simultaneously, you'll still have to gravel vac fairly often to remove the truly colossal quantities of gunk that they can produce. While your Common Plec may not be one of the truly egregious offenders in this regard compared to Cup_of_Lifenoodles' big Panaque species (which are horrendous generators of filth given half a chance), it's still a good idea to assume that it possesses a fairly shocking pollutant capability, particularly once it piles on some serious body mass.

Yes, put the Fluval in there, and if your budget will run to it, a HOB and an external canister filter as well won't be overdoing it! If this seems like overkill, then bear in mind that if you have four filters running on that setup, the failure of one filter won't be a catastrophe even WITH a heavy bioloading species resident in the aquarium. Plus, your fishes will appreciate the effort you've gone to, and will be delightfully free of pollution stresses, which will kill off at a stroke many maintenance problems. A 72G aquarium with several big filter systems running on it is a dream setup for just about any fish species other than those that grow too big for a 72, and I know for a fact that if I was able to bestow that degree of largeese on my Panda Corys, they would think all their birthdays had arrived at once even though I look after them well as it is


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Last night I went and bought a 404 cannister (good deal at the LFS, 30% off). I have a penguin and a fluval power filter from my old tanks that I could put at least one of them into use as well. Also yesterday I finished setting up the tank with rocks, driftwood and gravel so hopefully by tomorrow night I will be able to fill it with water. I'm getting pretty stoked about getting this thing going.

Also I have been thinking and if possible I might donate my pleco back to the LFS if they take it, if not a buddy of mine might be willing to take it off my hands as he has an absolutely fantastic setup at his home and at his shop. If I do decide not to keep him and start from scratch with this new tank would my set up posted earlier work.

Simple answer - yes. Though the stocking might have to be tweaked somewhat to make it optimal.

Of course you don't HAVE to lose your Plec if you're really attached to it, just plan around it.

Trouble is, some people buy Plecs when they start out because [1] they're still fed with the misinformation that Plecs are great algae eaters and won't grow too big, which depending upon species may be true or false, and [2] superior alternatives aren't readily available in some places. Why on EARTH the Hypoptopoma and Parotocinclus Loricariids aren't more widely available in the hobby defeats me utterly, because if you're looking for a modest sized algae eater that's a bit bigger than an Otocinclus, but smaller than a Bristlenose, and in several cases quite cute to look at into the bargain, these two Genera are ideal. Having said that, there's a new Parotocinclus species in the news that isn't an algae eater - it eats freshwater sponges of all things!

EDIT - my mistake - the sponge feeder is an Anostomid (relative of the Leporinus Characins). However, two new Parotocinclus have been discovered


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002