Recommend A "guy" Fish

[karin]

So here is the quick story.

Snowflake gave me her 36 gallon tank and my idea was to switch it out with the ugly 29 gallon at my office. At the same time, I was dismantling the 10 gallon in the husband's "man-cave". So I start out with my plans and he, who never gave a hoot about fish, started getting all sad that I was taking apart the 10 gallon. Then he got really sad that I gave Snowflake the pygmy corys. So he convinced me to set up the 36 gallon in the "man cave" (walk-out basement, his office, TV room area.) So the 36 is set up and moved mature media into the filters and voila a beautiful planted tank with a pair of bolivian rams.

Now I'm pretty committed to the SA cichlids but I'm trying to manuver my husband to accept a 120 gallon or so tank in the future so I can't totally disregard his wishes for fish right now for the 36gallon. So he starts out wanting a moray eel. Well that was a no go. Then he wanted a tire track eel and we saw them at the store and it looks like all they do is hide. He also likes african butterfly fish which I've had and they are pretty uninteresting and I'm not that into live crickets.

Soo... help me out here. Any recommendations for a guy fish for the 36 gallon? I thought about a golden dojo (weather loach) to get the eel look. In the discussion section two people recommended cichlids but well I don't want to go african and I can't think of what works other than an angel or a keyhole and not into that all that much either.

By the way, all the maintenance is still my responsibility so I do get the primary say.

Thank you.

(P.S. HUGE THANK YOU TO SNOWFLAKE

 

[jacko32]

dwarf pike if its for the 36g c.regani thats a guy fish if its for a 120g tank i say severum or oscar or blue acara

 

[hamfist]

For the 120G, a big old grumpy red devil or midas is probably the ultimate "man fish".

 

[Liam50]

for the 120 what about a fire eel?

 

[karin]

oops the 120 gallon is a year a way. I was talking about the 36 gallon that is set up and ready and already has 2 Bolivian rams.
I'll check on the fire eel. Do eels just have a tendency to hide though. I thought the loach might be more interesting.

Dwarf pike might be very interesting. For a 36 gallon with other fish, would you stick to a single pike?

 

[jacko32]

oops the 120 gallon is a year a way. I was talking about the 36 gallon that is set up and ready and already has 2 Bolivian rams.
I'll check on the fire eel. Do eels just have a tendency to hide though. I thought the loach might be more interesting.

Dwarf pike might be very interesting. For a 36 gallon with other fish, would you stick to a single pike?

yeah single pike then something like bleading heart, diamond or black widdow tetras i have a pair of laetacara in with mine they get on great the pike is awesome it eats out of my hand

 

[karin]

Which dwarf pike do you have? Do you have a picture? They look like they may be hard to find in the US. But I'll give it a go.
Fire eels are out. I'm just not that into eels.
What about a single rainbow cichlid?

 

[jacko32]

Which dwarf pike do you have? Do you have a picture? They look like they may be hard to find in the US. But I'll give it a go.
Fire eels are out. I'm just not that into eels.
What about a single rainbow cichlid?

i have crenicichla regani pike there are a lot of options with the dwarf cichlids for that tank size

this is like the pike i have not my picture though but the same fish they grow to 6"

 

[snowflake311]

If he like eel like fish you should look at getting a Bichir of some kind. They mix well with cichlids and are really cool looking a very manly fish. That could be his fish.