75 G Tank Compatiblity

Question
Hi,

My 4' x 1.5' x 2' tank has a 6 inch male severum all alone. I am planning to add 4 - 6 sub adult firemouths and a pair of GT ...

Will that be compatible and be a success..?..Can I accommodate all those or should I lose the severum ?Which all fishes among them are compatible?

Answer
Hi Karthik,
 Do you mean Green terrors, when you write GT?

 Compatibility is a tricky thing.  While it depends partly on the species, it depends a whole lot more on the individual fish and what they are doing.  For example, a severum might be fine with other fish when it is alone, but if it is part of a breeding pair, a severum might not be compatible with anything.  Basically, the idea that species x is compatible with species y isn't a good plan to follow.

In addition, compatibility depends a huge amount on how the tank is "decorated".  In a bare tank, a single fish like a red devil will easily claim the whole thing as his own, almost regardless of the size of the tank.  But, if you put wood, plants, and rock in there such that the tank is basically divided into two halves, a fish like a red devil or a severum will claim half and leave the other half for other fish.  The real art of decorating a tank is to create many, many possible territories, which then allows lots of fish to live "together".  

 Things get particularly tricky when you have a breeding pair of cichlids in a tank: at that point, they often get the urge to remove any possible predators of their babies. That's when you really need ALOT of structure in the tank to protect other fish.  

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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