Looking For A Peaceful Pair

[BigbruiserAl]

Apistogramma cacatuoides is not a good idea in commnity tank if your going down to a breeding pair, they are peacefull fish normally once the female has egss they turn very aggresive this often results in the female killing your male if he keeps bothering her, Having a few females helps.

 

[thisguyek]

what if i say im not really interested in breeding. does that change any opinions? i mean it would be cool to see some babies, but thats not my main goal. i realize that most times this is the ideal way of going about it, but its not my main priority.

 

[KittyKat]

what if i say im not really interested in breeding. does that change any opinions? i mean it would be cool to see some babies, but thats not my main goal. i realize that most times this is the ideal way of going about it, but its not my main priority.

How do you propose to prevent a male and a female from breeding? If you go for only one sex, the fish won't have colours which are as good. Personally, I think keeping cichlids without the company of their own kind is not a nice thing to do to most.

I would consider your water on the too hard side for soft water fish like Apistogramma cacatuoides.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Instead of cichlids, how about a group of 4-6 Hoplo Catfish?

 

[creeker]

Maybe a pair of Pearl Gouramis?

 

[thisguyek]

what if i say im not really interested in breeding. does that change any opinions? i mean it would be cool to see some babies, but thats not my main goal. i realize that most times this is the ideal way of going about it, but its not my main priority.

How do you propose to prevent a male and a female from breeding? If you go for only one sex, the fish won't have colours which are as good. Personally, I think keeping cichlids without the company of their own kind is not a nice thing to do to most.

I would consider your water on the too hard side for soft water fish like Apistogramma cacatuoides.

i know i cant keep them from breeding... I understand that the BEST possible scenario for a pair would be to get a mating pair. I also understand that nearly all fish are social to a point and prefer to be in groups. Im just saying that breeding/mating is not my main priority, although i would consider it a bonus!


I take it that getting down to a mating pair is a bit of work... how long on average does it take for a pair to form? then its the issue of finding new homes for the odd balls...

is it easy to find people selling known pairs of fish?

how many angels could i keep in a 55gal? they can grow to be quite large...

hmm.. i dont know what to do... lol!

 

[thisguyek]

as far as ram cichlids go... has anyone had luck raising them in cooler, harder water? (74F, 8.2Ph) they look quite interesting, but i want to make sure they would be alright in my tank.

 

[thisguyek]

sorry for all the consecutive posts got nothing better to do than research fish! lol

i hear quite a lot about kribs... what's your experiences??

 

[lowthy76]

sorry for all the consecutive posts got nothing better to do than research fish! lol

i hear quite a lot about kribs... what's your experiences??

if you get kribs get 2 females, if you get a male and a female they will cause havoc in your tank once they decide to breed!

what about a pair of kissing gouramies? they are really interesting fish

what about a pair of kissing gouramies? they are really interesting fish

 

[coldcazzie]

what about a pair of kissing gouramies? they are really interesting fish

Tank isn't really big enough for a kissing gourami, and definitely not a pair!

Hoplos are very nice - they would fit well in a 55gal. Again though, you run the risk of a breeding pair. And they will breed. Lots!

 

[KittyKat]

i know i cant keep them from breeding... I understand that the BEST possible scenario for a pair would be to get a mating pair. I also understand that nearly all fish are social to a point and prefer to be in groups. Im just saying that breeding/mating is not my main priority, although i would consider it a bonus!

Well, if the conditions in the tank are favourable for the cichlids are good and you have males and females, then they will breed

I take it that getting down to a mating pair is a bit of work... how long on average does it take for a pair to form? then its the issue of finding new homes for the odd balls...

It depends on the species, my keyholes paired up once they were about 6-12 months old, keeping in mind that they live for around 10 years.

is it easy to find people selling known pairs of fish?

It depends where you look. It is possible to pick up two fish from an LFS which look like they've taken an interest in each other, especially if they have been there a while. It is quite difficult to actually buy a proven breeding pair.

how many angels could i keep in a 55gal? they can grow to be quite large...

Legth, not volume of the tank is important here: 6 *might* work in a 4ft tank, but it would be hit and miss.

as far as ram cichlids go... has anyone had luck raising them in cooler, harder water? (74F, 8.2Ph) they look quite interesting, but i want to make sure they would be alright in my tank.

I have at 25 C / 77 F, but I do NOT recommend keeping them in such alkaline water.

i hear quite a lot about kribs... what's your experiences??

Usually go haywire when breeding…

 

[thisguyek]

I'm assuming that keyholes are the same when it comes to the hard water? I've noticed south american cichlids like soft water and africans like hard. is that the jist of it?

Seems like the suggestions made are all suited best in soft acidic water, which i cannot provide. I do have a nice large piece of driftwood, which i thought would have helped bring it down, but that doesnt seem to be the case.

with the kribs... what do you mean by haywire? they get really aggressive? other than that, how are they?? If i were to get two females... would they stick together?


we've been focusing quite a bit on cichlids... are there other tropical fish possibilities? most tetras need groups, as do barbs...

perhaps i should see what could be done about softening my water... I dont have money to go out and buy and RO filter (which would help, right?) i heard peat moss works, but how well??

 

[KittyKat]

I'm assuming that keyholes are the same when it comes to the hard water? I've noticed south american cichlids like soft water and africans like hard. is that the jist of it?

No: as I said earlier, keyholes are naturally found in everything from soft water to hard, brackish (half marine) water. They will live well and breed in almost any water type. Generally, it is safe to assume that SA is soft and African is hard, but there are actually quite a few exceptions which work in reverse.

with the kribs... what do you mean by haywire? they get really aggressive? other than that, how are they?? If i were to get two females... would they stick together?

Haywire means that they can go on a killing spree of everything in the tank, but it very much depends on individual fish, of course. How females act will also depend on individual fish, they're usually fine.

we've been focusing quite a bit on cichlids... are there other tropical fish possibilities? most tetras need groups, as do barbs...

Gouramis, as someone else mentioned: many come from neutral water areas and some can even be found in hard, brackish water, so a lot of species would suit your tank well.

perhaps i should see what could be done about softening my water... I dont have money to go out and buy and RO filter (which would help, right?) i heard peat moss works, but how well??

It's not worth adjusting the hardness of the water and RO units are a lot more bother than they are worth, especially as you would need to add the salts and carbonates which you remove right back.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

what about a pair of kissing gouramies? they are really interesting fish

Tank isn't really big enough for a kissing gourami, and definitely not a pair!

Hoplos are very nice - they would fit well in a 55gal. Again though, you run the risk of a breeding pair. And they will breed. Lots!

I did not realise they were prolific breeders, its till very early days but I've had four ~5cm ones for a few weeks. Absolutely loving them, so bold and friendly, had them eating defrosted food out of my fingers this week!

Have they been known to breed in hard alkaline water like we have here on the south coast?

 

[thisguyek]

well thanks for all of the great info and advice kittykat! I think i will be making a trip to the LFS tomorrow to do some window shopping! that should help narrow it down a bit, knowing what is available!

Ill let you know what i find