# Species Suggestions for SA tank



## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

Hi Forum,
I have had my 180 gallon SA tank up and running for over 6 months now. Had some ups and downs and I really wish I had time for a tank journal like I had planned to do. 
My stock list includes
1 adult female Chocolate Cichlid (6", one eyed and very gentle)
5 Tapajo Red Top (3-5" gentle with other species)
3 Keyhole Cichlid (3" gentle and peaceful)
10 various plecos (range in size from 2" clown pleco to 7" common pleco)
6 cories (various types)

Ph is 6.8 and temp is 78 gh and kh are low

Filtration is high, includes xp 4 and fx5

Lighting is light with 2 coralife 6500 48"

heavily laden with Manzanita logs

substrate is light brown pool sand , 1/2" deep

lightly palnted with Java ferns (lost a bunch of Java recently to a nitrate spike and black hair algae infestation  situation repaired with no loss of fish)

Ok enough of the background info,
My question to the forum is....
I am looking for some top water feeders to add some life to the upper half of the tank, from 10' away the tank looks like a ghost town since the fish are all so well blended with their environment.
Any suggestions for some fish local to SA (or perhaps CA) that spend the majority of their time in the upper half of the tank.
Prefer something peaceful or mildly aggressive, perhaps a schooloing fish, I was thinking about angels also?
Look forward to any suggestions.


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## adanac50 (Apr 26, 2010)

Nice setup....Flag cichlids or Festivums would be a nice addition!


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## Holyarmor (Apr 29, 2010)

You can try Flagtails, silver dollars or severums. They all actively travel ongoingly across the tank in all sections.


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

Festivum Cichlid, I have always wanted those.

Anyone know max size on a silver dollar?


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## beN (Apr 21, 2010)

those are some awesome frickn peices of wood!!!!

maybe a vampire tetra   they would hang in the middle. he's not as mean as you think 

or a black aro???


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

gimlid said:


> Festivum Cichlid, I have always wanted those.
> 
> Anyone know max size on a silver dollar?


Festivums would be nice. I had 4 silver dollars and the biggest was 6" excluding fins. They can get pretty big and are very fast swimmers. I got rid of them because I found it spooked my Chocolates, but maybe it was my setup. Maybe some Congo Tetras?


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## pistolpete (May 2, 2010)

I think that you pretty much have enough cichlids in there, even if they are all peaceful they still like their space. Any large tetra species will fit the description of what you are looking for. Blackskirt, or bleeding heart tetras would be large enough to not get lost in there. A school of hatchets would be nice too, but they stick so close to the surface that they would not fill your "void".

I would also suggest painting your back glass black or very deep blue to hide all that hardware. Adding some floating water sprite would make surface swimmers feel more at home and may make your other fish come out more.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Flag cichlid will be a nice top/mid water. or a large school of bleeding heart will be a good addition with color.


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

pistolpete said:


> I think that you pretty much have enough cichlids in there, even if they are all peaceful they still like their space. Any large tetra species will fit the description of what you are looking for. Blackskirt, or bleeding heart tetras would be large enough to not get lost in there. A school of hatchets would be nice too, but they stick so close to the surface that they would not fill your "void".
> 
> I would also suggest painting your back glass black or very deep blue to hide all that hardware. Adding some floating water sprite would make surface swimmers feel more at home and may make your other fish come out more.


I have 8' of blue/black backing I need to hang back there, for sure.
Tetras are a good idea too.


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

beN said:


> those are some awesome frickn peices of wood!!!!
> 
> maybe a vampire tetra   they would hang in the middle. he's not as mean as you think
> 
> or a black aro???


Haha a Vamp would scare my wife and kids and maybe me too


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## angryinsect (Apr 21, 2010)

pinktail chalceus would fit nicely and stay in the top third of the tank


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## christhefish (Nov 8, 2010)

angryinsect said:


> pinktail chalceus would fit nicely and stay in the top third of the tank


i was going to suggest them too 
nice fish i had some before very fast


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