Well, With my 220 going a friends way for his Champs (Good Choice Bob, they will need the size)

I will be Maxing Out a 125 for my South Americans\Geos...Much easier to maintain (esp if I have to travel, like I am going to be, and have been again)

Lets Start with the Stand, This stand is Hand made by a good friend Kegger22, and has to be the best stuff ever...Who has been hired to make me a canopy to match the quality and absolute awesomeness (is that a word? In my world, freaking yeah it is) of this Stand.



Now I will be doing the Background with my custom Paint, (Rust Oleum Stone Coat)

Using my UGJ System that Dragon and I did for the 150 I had eons ago, (Need some direction on the PVC Painting, want to Paint the PVC Black to match the "25% Salt - 75% Pepper Look" and am going to use the Krylon Fusion that LoCell used on his, Black? Yup Black....

For Filtration will be using my ProClear 300 Wet-Dry as well as a Ehiem Classic 2217, 2x-AC 110 and a Powerhead for mid water movement.....(Overfilter for Large Stocklist)

Now I need some feedback, and some suggestions on Possible Lights, to best enhance these guys....

Oh Yeah, the Fish:

Possible:
Geophagus Red Head Tapajos
Geophagus Tapajos II "Peachface"
Geophagus Megasema
Heros appendiculatus
Hypselcara temporalis
Aequidens portalegrensis
Aequidens tetramerus
WC - Aequidens pulcher
WC - Mykrogeophagus altispinosa

For Sure:
4x-Myleus schomburgki (Heckel Stripe Silver Dollar)
10x-Hyphessobrycon anisitsi (Buenos Aires Tetra) (6 Standard - 4 Albino)
17x- Botia almorhae (YoYo Botia)
3x- L144 (Albino Bristlenose Longfin Pleco)
3x- L144 (Calico Bristlenose Longfin Pleco)

The Substrate as stated will be a mixture of 3M Color Quatrz, 25% White, 75% Black, there will be Holey Rock on Both ends with a nice hunk of wood in (My Wagon Wheel) the middle to break up the rock, or, I might just do Holey Rock all the way thru, with some small wood pieces in the mix for the plecs to nibble on………


Thought, Concerns, Comments?

Nuthman~

Tank and stand look great. You don't really have to do anything special with the lighting unless you plan to do a planted tank. I have 10,000K lights on my tank and the colors look great. I have also seen others suggest 6,500K but haven't tried them yet myself.

I actually like the look of the 5600k "Sunshine" Bulbs that GE makes. With a custom canopy you could hide stock lighting up in it and it would look pretty nice and bright I think.

Thank you! Lighting is one of my "New" conquest(s)......This will now be my Baby, so I will spend as much as I need to get the best possible!

Any feedback on Stock choices??

I usually build my own lighting. I find it to be just as good and way cheaper than most of the commercial solutions.

As for your stock list, my only concern would be the Sev. All the ones I've ever seen have been complete wussies, and have gotten the rough business in with any other cichlids that weren't other sevs.

Not that long ago I had to keep a 5 inch red severum in with a few koi to keep it from being picked on until I got a tank set up just for it. I've had parrots kill off Severum when I wasn't around too.

The Heros with the geos should be fine the Aequidens should fit really niceas well. I would up the Silver dollars to 6-7 they will be much more pleasant to watch and will feel safer with the current planned stock. As for lighting I am no pro but I like the look of 6500k bulbs for most Cichlids in general. Your filtration looks great, no changes there...Sounds like a sweet project, good luck with it!

Thanks, I do have 2 more standard Silver Dollars of the same size, but was worried about Bio-Load...6 is what I have now in the 220!

So No Problem with the stock? I was also looking at a group of Dwarf Pike, as I have kept Regani and Comps before, but also have access to Crenicichla notophthalmus as well.....They would do very well I believe.

Well it is a big bioload but with the filtration planned and a regular maintnance schedule you should be good. I think adding the pike might be pushing it but the ones you mentioned only get about 4-6 inches.

Yeah, that's why I stick to the Dwarf Species.....Allthough they are large dwarves...

Like Jumbo Shrimp?

Ok, It looks like this is what I am going with:

Thoughts?

5x-Geophagus megasema (GO)
5x-Geophagus sp. "Tapajos Orange Head" (GO)
5x-Geophagus sp. "Tapajos II" (Tapajos - Peachface) (GO)
1x-Aequidens portalegrensis (3")
1x-Aequidens tetramerus (GO)
2x-Crenicichla notophthalmus (Dwarf)
1x-Hypselecara temporalis (GO)
7x-Hyphessobrycon anisitsi (Buenos Aires Tetra) (Very Small)
4x-Myleus schomburgki (Heckel Stripe Silver Dollar)
2x-Myleus rhomboidalis (Silver Dollar)
2x-L144 (Albino Bristlenose Pleco)
1x-L264 (Sultan Pleco)

The Geos are all max of 6" fish, the Port can get to 8, the Tet can get to 8, the dwarf crens 4" max, The Chocolate is my big fish at 10-12", the BA's are tiny, the SD's are nice and chunky, but I have allowed for the filtration, with my maintenance scheduele. I may not do the Tapo II's as I am afraid of hybrid's...

Too Much??

Well it is a pretty hefty stock, but totally doable IMO. I am one for overstocking esp Cichlids....With the planned filtration and a good maintenance schedule It should be quite a beautiful tank!

How about this:

5x-Geophagus sp. "Tapajos II" (Tapajos - Peachface) (GO)

and replace with

2x-Heros appendiculatus

Reduces the Load a touch and changes the look....

5x-Geophagus megasema (GO)
5x-Geophagus sp. "Tapajos Orange Head" (GO)
2x-Heros appendiculatus
1x-Aequidens portalegrensis (3")
1x-Aequidens tetramerus (GO)
2x-Crenicichla notophthalmus (Dwarf)
1x-Hypselecara temporalis (GO)
7x-Hyphessobrycon anisitsi (Buenos Aires Tetra) (Very Small)
4x-Myleus schomburgki (Heckel Stripe Silver Dollar)
2x-Myleus rhomboidalis (Silver Dollar)
2x-L144 (Albino Bristlenose Pleco)
1x-L264 (Sultan Pleco)

Not to mention a 100% South American Tank!

I would go with one Heros appendiculatus (Turquoise) and one Heros sp. 'rotkeil' (Red) if you are going to sub out the 5x-Geophagus sp. "Tapajos II" (Tapajos - Peachface) (GO).

Problem is I have 6x lil appends, who are F1's from F0's who were Shed Aquarium Fish, and although I have access to a bunch of Roks, they are much bigger, that could be a problem...

Oh, I see...yeah!