Need help selecting a centerpiece!

Hey guys. After a fight with camallanus worms, I'm slowly working on restocking my 55 gallon.
Current stock

8 Harlequin Rasbora (will be 12)
2 Golden Wonder Killifish (either will get 4 more or after they pass of old age, get Marble Hatchets or an African Butterfly, depending)
7 Hara hara catfish
1 Candystripe pleco (will probably rehome as he HATES sharing the bottom)
1 black Molly (will rehome, only in there to eat a few stray hydra I found)
1 neon swordtail (will rehome, he was a transplant from my 29 that isn't set up any longer and he's nippy)
1 black phantom tetra (5 in QT, not getting more)
Nerite snails and amano shrimp, and MTS. Tank is planted and has one lava rock with two holes and manzanita branches.

I will definitely be adding 2 or 3 female rams. (2 GBR and 1 EBR, or 3 GBR.)

I was thinking an angel as my centerpiece, but wanted other options. I am very drawn to severums (which I think get too big), blue acara (I want the most), or maybe a rainbow cichlid.

Need suggestions and input. I always avoided the acara because I've read that they will uproot every plant but I've seen multiple people here say theirs don't mess with them, so I'm wondering if certain plants are more prone to being dug up or destroyed.

I know almost nothing about Rainbow cichlids.
I love the body type though.

 

I love angelfish but know nothing about the other cichlid species. That's too bad about the pleco. What is he doing that is causing the problem? Does he have caves to hide in? Alison

 

I'd do the rainbow cichlids. They're peaceful, shouldn't mess with the other fish. As you probably already know, mine is my avatar.

 

I love angelfish but know nothing about the other cichlid species. That's too bad about the pleco. What is he doing that is causing the problem? Does he have caves to hide in? Alison

He just seems miserable now that he's not the only bottom feeder, haha. I'm going to see if a friend wants him, otherwise I'll put him in the display tank at work

I'd do the rainbow cichlids. They're peaceful, shouldn't mess with the other fish. As you probably already know, mine is my avatar.

What colors do they come in and how many would I add? The tank is 80F, btw.

 

Mine's green, I've seen orange ones. I think there's other colors, but I'm not sure.
I'd get 2.

 

Mine's green, I've seen orange ones. I think there's other colors, but I'm not sure.
I'd get 2.

Male and female? Two male, two female?

What can you tell me about the blue acara? I like the orange Rainbows but have never seen them locally, want to have a few options.

 

Male and female? Two male, two female?

What can you tell me about the blue acara? I like the orange Rainbows but have never seen them locally, want to have a few options.

A male/female pair, 2 females, 2 males, I think any of those would be fine.
Acaras can get 5-7 inches, I would be concerned about the rasboras getting eaten. Blue acaras are peaceful with fish that are bigger.

 

I would think an acara would eat your rasboras eventually. If you can't find rainbows look into t bar or Honduran red points if you really want a cichlid for a center piece. And I would go with an adult male of which ever species you choose and stay away from pairs.

 

A male/female pair, 2 females, 2 males, I think any of those would be fine.
Acaras can get 5-7 inches, I would be concerned about the rasboras getting eaten. Blue acaras are peaceful with fish that are bigger.

They're not aggressive when spawning?
If I swapped out the rasbora and just got more Black Phantoms, that would be better, right? (Concerning Acara)

Are there any other species that come to mind that might be different?

 

They're not aggressive when spawning?
If I swapped out the rasbora and just got more Black Phantoms, that would be better, right? (Concerning Acara)

Are there any other species that come to mind that might be different?

No, rainbow cichlids, from what I've read (I researched them quite a bit before I got one a year ago) are not aggressive while spawning. I have never kept a pair, though, so I can't tell you first hand.

I don't know about black phantoms with an acara, they'd be better, but let slayer5590 chime in on that.

Maybe Cryptoheros sajica?

 

Phantoms and rasboras grow to about the same size. If you could find a male C sajica it would make a lovely centerpiece. The reason I mentioned the fish I did is because convict types have smaller mouths compared to fish like acaras.

 

Well, now I'm in love with the C sajica and can't find one anywhere!

 

Well, now I'm in love with the C sajica and can't find one anywhere!

Have you tried online?

 

Have you tried online?

That's where I'm looking. I'll check the availability list when I get to work tomorrow and see if I can get one. Only problem is our vendors use common names so if they're calling it anything other than a "T-Bar" I'll have no clue. But if I can't find it online (though admittedly I don't know good places to look) then I don't imagine I'll be able to get them through work either. I'll also try my LFS on the off chance they have a local breeder connection.

Going to ask my LFS today, as I checked every fish on every vendor I can order from at work and no C sajica.

Btw, how do you pronounce it just in case they aren't familiar. I always shudder to think of the hundred different ways I can butcher the pronunciation of some of the scientific names.
Is the 'j' in sajica pronounced like an English 'j' or like a Spanish 'j' that is more like English 'h'.
Don't want to look like a newb at the LFS hahaha

 

Sajica Pronunciation

 

Sajica Pronunciation

Lol, this is amazing, thank you.

So I heard that the Electric Blue Acara don't usually grow as big as the Blue Acara. I've seen a lot of people mentioning males more at 4.5-5" and females more like 3-3.5". I would mind considering a female, but wondering how badly she'd massacre my plants.
LFS will look into C Sajica, but they won't be placing an order with the vendor who MIGHT be able to get them for another few weeks.
They did have small rainbow cichlids. They were primarily green but I'm more drawn to the orange ones. How do they differ as juvies?

Maybe I'll get a juvie rainbow and a juvie EBA and see how they do. If either get to be a bad fit for my tank I can always give to LFS for a credit.

With the EBA having a price tag of $20 in my area, and being prolific breeders, almost makes me want to get a pair. I do have an empty 29 gallon for fry. Muahahaha

 

I'm not sure how rainbow cichlids differ as juveniles, sorry.
I'd go for an EBA female and see how it works.

 

I'm not sure how rainbow cichlids differ as juveniles, sorry.
I'd go for an EBA female and see how it works.

I could probably do a female pair, correct?

I'm looking at either getting a 85 or 90 gallon in the next few months, if I do, I wonder if I could add Rainbow cichlids, C sajica, or a red spot severum to the EBA and other stock.

 

I could probably do a female pair, correct?

I'm looking at either getting a 85 or 90 gallon in the next few months, if I do, I wonder if I could add Rainbow cichlids, C sajica, or a red spot severum to the EBA and other stock.

You probably could.

 

You probably could.

So the easiest way to sex the EBA would be pointed dorsal fin, right?

 

Males are bigger, they have longer dorsal and analfins, and they also develop a hump on the forehead. Apparently they also get more full bodied.

 

Males are bigger, they have longer dorsal and analfins, and they also develop a hump on the forehead. Apparently they also get more full bodied.

I wasn't able to tell the genders on the two we have at work. Slightly pointed dorsal fins but didn't look closely at analfins, tail fins are between straight and kind of rounded. They're 1.5"-2" at the most. I can't tell.

 

Too young to sex.

 

Too young to sex.

Okay, I'll likely just pick up a pair then and if it looks like one or both are male I'll trade them in at my LFS. I might nix the black phantom school because I haven't had good lucky getting a healthy batch.