Angelfish And What?

[FlyJumper]

Ummm... So by my recent purchase of my marbled angelfish in my 30g has really limited my choices (darn angelfish); I'm really trying to keep the term cichlid in my tank (but not generally) if you know what I mean . So does anyone have any good suggestions for more calm cichilds that do well in a 30g planted tank.

I was thinking dwarf, like german ram and apistos, but I'd like a more broad choice to choose from too.

 

[n3ont3tra]

There's not that many peaceful cichlids... there's Discus, but your tank is too small. There's keyholes, but I have no idea what they're temperment is. There's rams, peaceful. I would get some loaches if I were you.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

No that tank isn't too small. Two adult discus would be great in a 30 gallong. I have 6 juveniles in a 29 gallon. SO it would be fine to get 2-4 IMO. But you have to be open to upgrading in the future if need be. They may not grow large. Especially if they pair off and mate as discus and angelfish tend to stop growing when they start to pair off and lay eggs on a regular basis.

Also any dawrf cichlid is a possibility. Parrotfish and severums also tend to be less agressive than some other cichlids, but severums are tank busters. Ink spot calvus are fairly peaceful and a beautiful cichlid.

 

[rdd1952]

Although angels are cichlids they have very different water preferences from most cichlids. Angels prefer soft slightly acidic water where most other cichlids prefer hard, alkaline water. I would go with a nice community tank as angels are generally very peaceful.

Edit: What is the pH, GH and KH of your tap water? Those would be important to know before you seriously consider discus.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Thats too general of a statement rdd. WHat i think Rdd means to say is most cichlids are classified as AFrican Cichlids, and if they are, they prefer hard and alkaline waters. But almost every south american cichlid loves extremely acidic water.

 

[rdd1952]

I stand corrected. Thanks for reading my mind.

 

[FlyJumper]

Thanks for all the replies... Yes thats exactly what I thought about the acidic water, because angels come from the same region and I would think the water would be the same too.

I like the idea of the discus, and may give it a go in my 30g. How big do they generally get to be?

Whoaaa... I just called my lfs and they were $39.99 for a 3 in., I don't think I'm willing to pay that much for a fish right now. Maybe in the future.

Any more suggestions?

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Thats about as cheap as they get. Discus are the most expensive fish in the hobby generally speaking. I just bought 6 for 310 dollars. It's no chumps change kind of fish.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Well I don't think that 30 gallons is sufficient even if you upgrade later. It would be better to have a proven pair of Discus along with the Angelfish. You could try to get a pair but it would cost some money. Maybe some Ram or Apistos would suite the tank better.

Oh and by the way, I know a website thats based in Asia, that are selling Discus anywhere from 5 or 10 dollars to 40 dollars.

 

[FlyJumper]

Well I don't think that 30 gallons is sufficient even if you upgrade later. It would be better to have a proven pair of Discus along with the Angelfish. You could try to get a pair but it would cost some money. Maybe some Ram or Apistos would suite the tank better.

Oh and by the way, I know a website thats based in Asia, that are selling Discus anywhere from 5 or 10 dollars to 40 dollars.

The place in asia sounds good to me, they ship to the u.s?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Not sure, last time I checked they had a major flaw in the website, it wasn't working correctly. I have seen other websites that supply Discus for cheaper then 30 dollars, it's just the shipping that adds up. I'll check the site, and if they have fixed it, I will link the address.

http/www.jkfarm.com/

As you can see somethings wrong...

Try to get a hold of a local breeder, and go directly to the source. Where do you live? There may be a hatchery or farm or even a small local breeder near you!

 

[FlyJumper]

I live in california, san diego... Thanks for the links I'll check places to find them near me.

 

[Tolak]

Cheap Asian discus are not worth the cheap price. Most all are culls raised in substandard conditions. Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

About the cheapest you will find discus that are any good are $10 per inch of body size. I wouldn't suggest anything smaller than a 2" discus, so you are looking at a minimum of $20 per fish.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Cheap Asian discus are not worth the cheap price. Most all are culls raised in substandard conditions. Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

About the cheapest you will find discus that are any good are $10 per inch of body size. I wouldn't suggest anything smaller than a 2" discus, so you are looking at a minimum of $20 per fish.

Actually, I know the shop that gets their Discus from there. It's the biggest and best fish store from my home town. All the Discus they have are healthy, none are stunted or in bad shape, of course they also breed in the store but the link on their website for Discus is that place.

My Co-workers who were born in the Philippines, knew breeders who would sell Quarter to Dollar sized Discus anywhere from 10-30 cents!

 

[FlyJumper]

I'll probably end up going with the apistos, thanks for the help though