aquarium lover wants to know:
I am looking for fish combos for my 55 gallon tank and don’t know what to get. The 55 isn’t established but it won’t have fish in it for at least 2 more weeks. Give me you ideas.
I am looking for fish combos for my 55 gallon tank and don’t know what to get. The 55 isn’t established but it won’t have fish in it for at least 2 more weeks. Give me you ideas.
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:03 am
put 1 or 2 jack dempseys
October 5th, 2009 at 6:53 am
lake malawi cichlids are generally compatible with each other, also very pretty, here are some that can go in a 55g (don’t use all of them-overcrowding is bad for the tank and will cause territorial issues)
albino/blue/orange blossom/red/yellow peacock
blue johanni
bumblebee
cobalt blue zebra
demasoni
electric yellow
orange blossom fuelleborne
kenyi
red zebra
5-8 would be good, depends on size of fish. heres a link with feeding/breeding/care/etc info for all the above fish
lake tanganikan cichlids can go together with caution, here are some that will go in a 55g
albino ornatus
brevis
albino brichardi
calvus
caudopunctatus
cylindricus
duboisi
gold head compressicep
gold ocellatus
jeweled goby cichlid
marlieri
orange leliupi
again, 5-8 would be good, depends on size. heres there link
oops these are african… oh well there still pretty cool. african has a few more choices than SA
here are some misc. african cichlids, they are all compatible
kribensis/albino kribensis
buffalo head
nanochromis
you could have 5-8 of these, too, heres their link
and here are some north/south american and new world, they are compatible together with caution
firemouth
green texas
red devil
green/gold severum
rainbow
pink/black convict
jack dempsey
apistogramma
cockatoo
salvini
and a bunch more, heres their link. some parrots are dyed, and rams are too peaceful for an aggressive community
angelfish are cichlids, you could have a species tank with 6 of them, or maybe 6 discus they are (schooling) cichlids too but neither of those are very aggressive
October 6th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Well, South Americans typically get larger than their African Counterparts. IMO, for that tank size, I’d recommend getting some African Cichlids instead of the South Americans…but if you’re set on the South Americans, I don’t blame you. Typically once I get it in my head what residents I’ll have for my tank, that’s what I want to stick with.
If you’re willing to put in a little more work than normal, you could use your 55 as a “starting” point for some of the larger South Americans. My ex had a 55 South American tank setup that he used solely to beef up baby South Americans, and then sell to local breeders/fish shops/hobbyists. That might be an option for you…and it’ll let you have fish that you typically can’t keep for long in those tanks (Buddas immediately come to mind!)
Alternately, if you’re interested in keeping the fish their entire lives, I find Red Devils (though very agressive) are extremely pretty, and fun to have. I’d steer away from Oscars…they tend to be rather dirty…but they do have a lot of personality.
Jack Dempseys are gorgeous as well, and so are Green Terrors - which are hard to find around my area lately!
October 8th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hi It would depend on how skilled you are with keeping fish. But I would try the following.
Hardy and easy to keep Oto’s, Cories,
Easy to Medium to keep Cardinal tetra, Angels, Rams
Medium to hard to keep Discus, Hatchet Tetra
These are just a few that you might want to try. Good luck with your new tank.
October 11th, 2009 at 6:06 am
try this link
October 12th, 2009 at 4:13 am
You really do have multiple possibilities here. Sometimes links help, but I’ve found just putting a question in a search engine and posting a link without actually reading over the content only makes things worse. It’s always best to list your thoughts on why things will work.
I agree as well, and I prefer Africans, but if you are set on South Americans and this is your first grouping of South American Cichlids, I’d elect to go with a more peaceful species. I started out with the more peaceful Africans and as I learned about them, I moved upwards in aggression from there.
Clearly, a Jack Dempsey or Green Terror, would have to be solo. These are NOT community type fish, rather they are rule the tank types, and mixing a pair of unsexed juveniles is only playing with fire and poor advice. Try out Blue Acara or Bolivan Rams. If you like either of these, you can community them with Severums. These are milder and excellent starters for a new cichlid keeper. They may not be as exciting as others, but getting into an aquarium of aggressors without knowing what to expect or how to watch for trouble is going to lead to dead fish. Be patient and work your way up.