55 Gallon Cichlid Tank Advice

[josh65]

need opinion on which is a better stock list firemouth cichlid, convict cihlid, female dempsey, 3 pictus catfish or firemouth, convict,3 pictus cats and rainbow cichlid

 

[minnnt]

The JD will outgrow it pretty quick imo... a Firemouth/Ellioti should be fine. You could have a nice pair of Rainbows or Honduran Red Points (similar to convicts) I have a pair and they stand their ground but aren't as aggressive as straight cons. There is also a White Convict, Yellow Convict and a Jelly Bean Convict. The parenting nature of Convicts mean they can be extremely aggressive at breeding time and will attack basically everything in the tank. Most of the other strains don't seem as aggressive.

You could also consider Kribensis or a variation of them if you wanted to try something a bit different such as the Nigerian Red or Yellow etc.

I would say there could still be a lot of aggression if you combine all three together, even if single specimens are kept, especially when adults. The Pims can be quite aggressive too I think.

 

[twodoctors]

Agree as above. Out of the 3, Firemouth is the least aggressive. I had a small JD for 1 day and it swallowed one of my tiger barbs whole. The JD was only about 2.5-3" at the time. Convict are again more aggressive than firemouth, on par with JD as I understand. I think rainbow cichlid are similar as well.

If you want a cichlid tank, why not go for a mbuna tank? You can have more fishes, and they are a lot more colourful. Otherwise try a pair of medium size cichlid, be it JD or Firemouth. Don't get a convict pair though, as they breed like rabbit and you'll have too many fries that nobody wants.

Adrian

 

[tenohfive]

Whilst I've kept pim pictus until recently in that sized tank IMO it's too small. For starters they really need to be kept in bigger numbers (5-6) and for seconds there just isn't enough swimming room for them.

I'd go with a Firemouth or Ellioti (personally I prefer the Ellioti - stunning fish), a rainbow cichlid and something else - prerably something peaceful - a keyhole or similar. For dithers praecox rainbows are a good shout.

 

[minnnt]

Keyholes are nice and very placid for a cichlid! Rainbows are also on the lower end of the scale for aggression.

 

[ChilliPepper]

My JD isn't aggressive at all, in fact she's quite mild mannered. She stands her ground from my Firemouth and Nic, who are much more aggressive. I wouldn't have one in a 55g long term though.

IME Firemouths and Convicts are pretty much the same - pitbull bullies. Ellioti would be a better choice.

The tank isn't big enough for Pictus, they are an active fish and it isn't fair to keep them in too small a tank. They also need to be in a group.

Rainbow cichlids are not noted to be aggressive, but never kept them myself.

Keyholes, Apistogrammas, Bolivian and German Rams, Laetacara and Kribs would all be a good choice for that size tank. Along with a nice shoal of Praecox Rainbowfish or some sort of tetra. Cories for the bottom, and or loaches.

Depending on the dimensions, you could also have Angelfish in there.

 

[josh65]

Was not planning on getting a pair of any cichlids and was planing on getiing one convict one firemouth and rainbow cichlid instead of dempsey would this work

 

[ChilliPepper]

Was not planning on getting a pair of any cichlids and was planing on getiing one convict one firemouth and rainbow cichlid instead of dempsey would this work

It could work, but the Rainbow may be bullied. Not sure how they'd be with the other two.

 

[josh65]

It could epend on individual fish but this may work

 

[josh65]

now thinking how about a pair of Jacks and maybe some sort of active scavenger catfish like a pictus

 

[Jackiee]

My JD isn't aggressive at all, in fact she's quite mild mannered. She stands her ground from my Firemouth and Nic, who are much more aggressive. I wouldn't have one in a 55g long term though.

IME Firemouths and Convicts are pretty much the same - pitbull bullies. Ellioti would be a better choice.

Same for me, I have a 4 inch Jack Dempsey and he's a huge softy.
He just minds his own business and roams around the tank, never takes a shot at anybody, not aggressive at all,
but will hold his ground when confronted by another fish (example: my male convict).

I have a mated pair of convicts, a small 2 and 1/2 inch female, and a 3 and 1/2 inch male,
and of all the fish in my tank (blood parrot, severum, oscar, jack dempsey), my male convict is by far the most aggressive,
and him and my female have began breeding, and I'm sure they'll start doing it pretty regularly now, it might be an annoyance to me.

You may want to pick another choice concerning the convicts.
and the minimum tank size for one jack dempsey is 55 gallons, its preferably to have a larger tank, at least 75 if you want a pair of Jacks.
If you were to have 2 Jacks in a 55 gallon, even though its not recommended, they must be the ONLY fish in there, and you need good filtration, frequent water changes to make it work,.

 

[josh65]

Okay then thats what i am thinking i am going to do

 

[josh65]

How about 1 dempsey 2 to 3 pictus cats and 4 silver dollars

 

[minnnt]

I don't think your tank will be big enough for the ones you mentioned in your last post.

 

[tenohfive]

Second time - that tank is too small for pictus. And its too small for silver dollars.