jri4

I have two options right now, and need your expertise help in deciding. I can get either a 46 gallon bowfront or a 55 gallon rectangle tank and stock either with Cichlids. My question is, which tank do I go with and what Cichlids do I stock it with. I am looking for fish with personality similar to an Oscar, but color and a size small enough that I can put many in there. CichlidRecipe . com put about 20 Cichlids into a 30 gallon tank, is this correct? Please advise me! Thanks!

P.S. If not cichlids, what else should I put in this new tank?

KittieKat

well they say to overstock cichlids because it helps with their aggression.. one fish isnt picked on all the time.. instead everyone picks on everyone..
IMO bigger tanks are always better but thats just me..
i like blue ones thats all i can really say b/c im not very knowledgable about them even tho i think theyre awesome!

COBettaCouple

The larger tank would give more room for cichlids, but either would be large enough for them.

5 or 6 cichlids would fill a 30g tank. You could go with more than 1 species, but you want similiar aggression levels. Check www.cichlid-forum.com for more detailed species spec sheets on the cichlids.

steveangela1

20 Cichilds in a 30 gallon seems like a bit much, we just bought a 55gallon rec and we are stocking about 12-16 max in it. We are using the mbuna cichilds from Lake Malawi and that was what the store recommend to us for our tank. Of coarse the fish we are choosing has some serious aggression issues! What you are choosing are peaceful cichlids, you shouldn't have to overstock those species, if you stick with the peaceful natured cichlids like the german blue rams (peaceful cichlids-new world cichlid).

jri4

I guess cichlidrecipe.com didn't put 20 cichlids into a 30 gallon tank, but approximately 18-20 fish total including a school of barbs and a pleco or something like that. I cannot remember for sure. Pretty much I am decided on a 55 gallon tank, but now my decision lies: Malawi Cichlids or put a Jack Dempsey or a Oscar in there? Lots of colorful fish or a large personable fish?

Barbrella

For a great fish with lots of personality, you can get a Jack Dempsey for your 55 gallon.

They're also very beautiful, and can be found now in turquoise and electric blue.

You could probably keep some sort of pleco with it.

jri4

its decided! i am getting 75 gallon tank and stocking it with (hopefully):

2 electric blue jack dempseys (a male and female)
1 pleco
6 rainbowfish as dither fish

should I add more or less? please give me suggestions on what I should do instead...

MissMTS

I have heard that with Jack Dempseys a male and a female mate frequently and you can end up with a lot of babies. You may want to research it. I have never owned them myself, I just read that somewhere.

FishPerson

why not try putting Oscars in that 75 gallon?

jri4

I originally wanted to keep 1 JD and an Oscar in the 75 gallon tank, but thought it might be too crowded. I will have an Aquaclear 500 Filter and Bio-Wheel 125 as filtration, providing 625 gph filtered through the 75 gallon tank. Of course, I always do water changes weekly. The tank will not be cluttered with accessories, just enough decor to provide adequate hiding.

How about a JD, Oscar, and some sort of dither fish?

Barbrella

75 gal is not big enough for an Oscar and a JD. You need to pick one or the other.

Neither need ditherfish, since neither is shy.

You could put one oscar or JD and maybe some Silver Dollar tetras.

jri4

oh i dont know what to do... at least i have time until it is set up... I am either going new world cichlids or african, but I really wanted a bigger fish as a pet... ya know like a dog that swims in water constantly, and I know JD or Oscars are good for that.

Please I'll hear all and any sugestions. I want to be happy the first time so I don't have to take fish back or sell the somewhere else!

Barbrella

Have you thought about the Gold Severum? Not as massive as Oscars, but still very big, they make wonderful pets and they're strikingly beautiful. Your 75 gal would be ideal!

They also won't wreck all your decorations as oscars may and you can have plants with them.

I had a breeding pair, and I loved them. They knew me and would follow me around the room in their tank. They would eat from my hand as well and were very intelligent as far as fish go.

http://www.centralpets.com/animals/f...h/fwf6083.html

jri4

the gold severum is beautiful! I really like it. I get confused whenit comes to minimum tank size, though. Is the minimum tank size the smallest a fish can live in by itself?

It would be an awesome sight to have an electric blue JD swimming around a Gold Severum in a 75 gallon tank. Is it possible?

Other combos that might work with a blue JD?

Green Texas Cichlid
Firemouth
Red Devil
Salvini
Gold Severum

What could I do? Thanks to all and Barbrella for showing me that awesome Severum!

joshthefisherman

If you want a chiclid im guessing you want something agressive or intelligence or beuty Oscars are all those although they get fairly big 12-16 inches so if you wanted to go with and O id get just one although have seen two in a 75 and thrive. JD are also all those but i think win the beauty pagent part of that in my book you could get a male and a fmale but will end up with tons of babies Just do research their is tons of info of all chiclids on the net

jri4

I really have my heart set on getting an electric blue Jack Dempsey as the main fish in the tank. My LFS carries them, so I will try to buy one from there. But I am a maniac for having colorful fish, and would like another nicely colored fish, not silver, black, or brown. Any suggestions on what could hold it's own against a Jack Dempsey and a Pleco?

joshthefisherman

what size tank again im confused

jri4

75 gallon rectangle

now im thinkin malawi african cichlids... hopefully about 15 over a course of the entire year...