Thinking of getting a cichlid other than angels

ryverrat

ryverrat

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Feb 14, 2008
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Currently I am beginning to raise angels. I have one breeding pair but hate culling the slow growing/deformed offspring. Instead of just putting them in clove oil I am thinking of getting an aggressive cichlid that can do my dirty work and get a live meal at the same time (since my puffers won't eat the angels). I have 1 30g that is empty to use (I know most require 50g min.) Is there any cichlids that are aggressive and will stay relatively small (would work as only fish in the 30 g)?
 
i can't think of any off the top of my head. . . is there a local fish club in your area? you may be able to find someone with a large cichlid who would be happy to take the culls off your hands. and that way you don't have to watch your little deformed babies get eaten.
 
Cons might work.
 
A convict or firemouth would be fine in a 30, and would quite happily eat the culled fry. You could actually keep a pair of either in that size tank, but then you'd need another tank/fish to eat THEIR fry...
 
how big are the babies at the time you are able to cull them? in my head it seems like they might be a little big for a convict, or at least big in the sense that it won't be a "one-bite" deal. an oscar or something similarly large will just suck them in and you'll never see them again.
 
The culls are under dime body size- most are little bigger than pea size, some are pea size. They would be one bite for a large oscar. Don't know of any fish clubs in NE PA and don't have any friends with cichlids either. Doesn't both me to watch a fish do what is natural (I raise snails to feed my puffers)- the waste of the fry that could be used as food does bother me.
 
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get convicts then, but if you get a male and a female, expect many babies soon...
 
i had a fivesome of large congo tetras that would eat anything and everything even gambusia fry but 5 large full size congo tetras will be pretty expensive
 
Personally, I think you should put no aggressive fish in with angels. They are too slow and their fins are too tempting to nip at. One way you can put down fish humanely is to fill a dish with a tight lid with water, put the fish in it, and then place it in the freezer. Their body temperatures will drop with the water temperature until their entire body shuts down. They can't tell anything is happening.
 
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