55 gallon stocking?

[Elite]

Hey, I have just come across another opportunity to get a 55 gal or 2, (yay), and one thing I'd really like to do is move my extremely vicous male convict into a tank with other fish (he has a 20 long all to himself...I'd prefer to use a tank that size for other, friendlier community fish or shellies). This may be a bow front tank, I'm not sure how that affects how many fish I can put in this tank.
So, as of now I have the one convict. Other fish I'd like in this tank would be jack dempseys, blood parrots, jewel cichlids, and red/green terrors. I also love midas, but I know they grow too large. Would any of these fish work in that size tank with a really, really, really mean convict? My cons were born and raised in a 55 gal with jacks and parrots, but the tank seemed a little over stocked (about 5 parrots, 3 adult convicts, 3 adult dempseys, and tons of fry). I do NOT want any more convicts. Seperating them when they try to kill eachother just costs too much, lol. Oh, and I would like them to get along with plecos. I have one common (my most expensive fish yet with how mcuh I'll have to upgrade his tanks), and within the next couple of weeks will be getting 2 bristlenose plecos, and one albino veiltail bristlnose pleco. The common is the one who would be moving into the tank (he's about 9" right now). Oh, another fish I really, really, really want is a severum. Would he just get killed by a con and the other fish, or would he be fine? He's why I want both the 55 gals this person has...I must have a severum, lol.
Ideas?

 

[David]

Severums are not among the most aggressive cichlids, as far as I know. A really mean convict would probably tear it apart. If you really want one, I'd get soem dither fish too like gouramis.

 

[Vip]

Insted of getting 2 55g's why dont you just get the one large tank, lets say 125g or so, because then you will be able to get the Midas, Green Terror or Red Terror, anyone of those 3 fish will be fine in there (Just not all togeather)
You would have a couple of options:
Green Terror + Jack Dempsy + Catfish
Red Terror + Convict + Catfish
Red Terror + Green Terror
Blood Parrot + Convicts + Jack Dempsy + Catfish
Midas + Green Terror + Convicts

Its your choice but by all means take a good look into what you want because i would much rather prefer the larger tank because you options open up alot more.

 

[Elite]

But you see, that way I wouldn't be able to get my severum. I want 2 55s because I want one to be the agressive tank, and the other can have my sev. I really want no more convicts, though. And I know the con could prolly whoop a firemouths butt (that was my first thought). So I started thinking about equally aggressive, if not more, cichlids. Ones that could stand up against my little dude. The 1 convict and 1 pleco MUST be in the tank (well, until the pleco gets his large tank, which will be in the far future). I would prefer more than one other fish. Would 1 dempsey, 1 convict, 1 pleco, and 4 giant danios (or some other small"er" fish like that) work? Or will the dempsey just get too large? I really don't want to go any larger than a 55 gal for this tank because I don't have the money or the room right now for the larger tank, as well as it's really, really hard to find bigger tanks used (55s are hard enough). That and the whole severum thing.

What are my options for the 55?

 

[Vip]

Dempsy, convict and the pleco will go fine, but im not to sure about the danios, the JD might be abit to agressive for them as he will cliam part of the tank for himself.

 

[Elite]

great Would it just be too much if I added a blood parrot or 2, as well?

 

[Vip]

Yeah 2 blood parrots would need 55gs as well.

 

[Elite]

your last post kinda confused me, lol. Are you saying yeah that's too many fish, or are you saying the parrots are fine in a 55 (with all these other fish)? Sorry it's late and my mind is getting dumber by the second

 

[Vip]

2 blood parrots to a 55g and thats it

 

[Elite]

ah, thank you for clarifying
Would the dempsey get too aggressive for tiger barbs?