Suggestion For A Centrepiece Please

[m00se]

Hi all. I'm just (hopefully) nearing the end of my clone-cycling in my new 75gal, and will be transferring over the contents of my current 25gal when it's ready (they'll be able to stretch their legs nicely!). The new tank has a gravel substrate, and will be relatively heavily planted when my plants turn up (hopefully on Wednesday).

The inhabitants as they are now, and when I transfer them over, will be:
-1 red-tail black shark (male) - about 6"
-1 large blue gourami (male) - about 5"
-1 corydoras catfish (male) - about 4"
-1 dwarf gourami (male) - about 2"
-1 red swordtail (female) - about 1.5"
-1 otocinclus (?sex) - about 1.5"

I also plan on getting a nice shoal (about 10 or so) of praecox rainbows and probably another bottom-dweller, maybe some glass cats (if I can't resist), and maybe a P.gertrudae (cos they look so ###### cool ).

I'd really like a nice centrepiece fish, though, and have read up about all sorts of cichlids almost to death. There seems to be so so much to learn, and so many different requirements for different fish. I want something that's relatively peaceful but not overly timid, that will do well with the tankmates listed above, can handle a gravel substrate, won't trash my plants too much, and which is preferably nicely coloured and has a bit of character to it.

My water is hard (about 14 degrees), the pH of my tapwater is 7.2-7.4, the tankwater a fraction lower, and the current fishies have been living very well at a shade under 80F.

Anyone with experience able to suggest anything that will fit my criteria?

 

[dazsmith69]

id buy more of each fish, theyll feel very lonely by themselves!

1 of each fish is a strange tank combo! definately get more otos, more corys and perhaps couple more gouramis as your centrepieces, although your red tailed black shark will keep growing and may eat your otos and attack your corys

 

[m00se]

Yes I know it's a bit odd with only one of each type, but I have been trying to take it slow without too much fishload on the tank, and they all seem very happy with one another and on their own, so I've just let them be rather then adding more of each. Definitely planning on getting more corys though, he's only been in for about a month, everyone else seems to ignore him The oto has been in there since the same day as the black shark (just under a year) and he hasn't eaten them yet - although I suppose he might eat new ones.

I'd really like a cichlid of some sort to go in there with them, but I just can't work it out, they all seem so different and need specific water conditions and substrates etc. etc.

 

[meguro]

I'd go with blue acaras and/or some keyhole cichlids. There's about 4 different types of blue acara so you might want to google them if you don't like the pictures in the link below (or to work out which ones are available in your area). Although they're all fairly similar still, in both appearance and temperament.

blue acara
keyhole cichlid

 

[m00se]

Keyholes look like they might be the way forward. Any tips on getting a breeding pair? Do you just have buy a bunch of juvies and wait for them to pair off?

 

[Bobtastic]

You really need to keep Gourami in pairs and corydoras are shoaling by nature and shouldn't really be kept in numbers less that 5-6. As I understood it Red Tailed Black Sharks are pretty aggressive fish, I'm not sure that they'll mix to well. Not sure about Swordtails, if they are like Platies (another livebearer) they don't actually shoal and I think they can live quite happily on their own.

Like the others have said it's a bit strange to just have one of a varied number of species of fish. Most fish tend to behave better/more naturally when groups with their own kind.

 

[meguro]

Keyholes look like they might be the way forward. Any tips on getting a breeding pair? Do you just have buy a bunch of juvies and wait for them to pair off?

Groups of 3+ can live peacefully. But if you only want a pair, then you'll be looking at doing what you described.

Also, while blue acara get aggressive when breeding (like any cichlid), they're peaceful when kept singularly.

And my experiences with rtbs is that they're territorial but don't damage or stress fish that much (at least mine anyway).

 

[m00se]

There was a second large gourami but she died...the surviving one was bullying the hell out of her, so I left him on his own. The shark's happy on his own, if a bit skittish from time to time, and I've read you shouldn't keep more than one shark in such a size tank so I left him alone too. The swordtail is chuffed to bits on her own, although I could do with getting more cories and ottos for sure, didn't know when I got him that corys should be kept in groups I'll get more corys and ottos when I move the existing ones over (hopefully this week, cycle-dependent), and please forgive my ignorance thus far

 

[Bobtastic]

Everyday's a schoolday! I'm definitely still learning loads!

 

[m00se]

You'll be pleased to hear I bought another 5 corys today to keep the other one company...although he's about four times their size now, but I don't suppose any of them will mind

 

[ALW]

I'd go with blue acaras and/or some keyhole cichlids. There's about 4 different types of blue acara so you might want to google them if you don't like the pictures in the link below (or to work out which ones are available in your area). Although they're all fairly similar still, in both appearance and temperament.

blue acara
keyhole cichlid

Yep i agree Blue Acara, you need some more Ottos and Corys (at LEAST another 3 of each, althought the more the better) and a few more swordtails wont hurt too!