55 gallon and alot of cichlids?

[dynasty187]

Ok so I just got a new 55 gallon tank and I'm leaning towards the Cichlids.

I've heard the best thing to do in order to minimize aggression is to crowd the tank? I would like as many fish as possible around the 5-6" mark.
I've read alot about the fish pairing up and breeding, would it be best to get all females of say convicts or any other type?

I've got a rena filstar xp3, so filtration is not a problem.

thanks.

 

[jm1212]

you could have a group of 5 angels if you want a species tank.

 

[dynasty187]

Angels are cool but they are not my top choice.

 

[liv2padl]

I've heard the best thing to do in order to minimize aggression is to crowd the tank

you've heard wrong. crowding a tank results in severe stress syndrome. fish under sstress do not exhibit proper color, do not develop proper fin form, do not exhibit proper metabolic development, do not exhibit normal behaviour, do not develop proper musculature, do not develop properly functioning organ systems and as a result, slowly lose their inherant resistance to disease. this results in a significantly shortened lifespan and along the way, lots of diseases for which the poorly conditioned fish is a good target. additionally, in an effort to establish territory in a tank which is too small for the number of fish you've got, the alpha male will harrass and kill the underdog(s).

if you want to keep cichlids, decide on which type of cichlids you want ... Africans? New World? then we can more specifically help you in terms of numbers.

 

[dynasty187]

Thanks for clearing that up.

I like convicts, Jacks, green terrors, Firemouths, Jurupari, Salvini.

 

[ChilDawg]

A single GT would be okay in that tank, as would a single Jack.

 

[liv2padl]

Geophagus jurapari grows to ten inches and does best in groups ... your tank isn't large enough for such a group.

Nandopsis (Crytoheros) octofasciatum - the Jack Dempsey, grows to ten inches and 'can' do well in the company of firemouth cichlids. this fish has 'personality' however, and some can be hard on tankmates. unfortunately there's no way to know in advance which way your dempsey may decide to go, so you need to be prepared to remove him should he prove too pugnacious. if it were me, i wouldn't chance it.

Archocentrus nigrofasciatus - convict cichlid, grows to 5-6 inches. this is a very scrappy little fish when spawning and a breeding pair will dominate a territory of 2 square feet at a minimum. this makes keeping a "pair" in a tank with other fish difficult (for the other fish) in a tank of less than 4 feet. if you're looking to set up a "community" cichlid tank, sticking to a single convict would make life easier for your fish.

other cichlids i can highly recommend for your tank size include:

Cryptoheros myrnae
Cryptoheros nanoluteus
Cryptoheros sajica
Cryptoheros spilurus
Cryptoheros sp. ‘Honduran redpoint’

any of these can be kept in "pairs" with other fish and in doing so, you'll get to experience the full breeding behaviour of some truly beautiful fish.

 

[pugwash]

From your favourite list, you could easily have a pair of FM's with swordtails swimming around (potentially 2 pairs would fit in the tank, but you'd have to aquascape accordingly blocking lines of sight) and a small pleco or something.

A pair of Salvini's is possible in this tank, only if the tank is dedicated to them solely - they have 2 teeth that rip apart even larger cichlids, let alone anything smaller. They are savage to tankmates when breeding, but have beautiful breeding colours.

Liv2padl's suggestions are good. I'm currently looking for Cryptoheros sp. ‘Honduran redpoint’, as these are very nice imo with relatively good behaviour (compared to convict's which they're closely related too) and quite rare in the UK still, but easier to get hold of in the US.

 

[Cylon]

I don't have africans. But I heard some where that you can stock heavyker with them then North & South American Cichlids. Plus they are smaller fish.

Maybe this is what dynasty187 heard about overstocking?.

So if you want more fish I would guess your thinking of Africans.

 

[liv2padl]

I heard somewhere that you can stock heavyer with them then North & South American Cichlids.

in my opinion, people who say that the way to control aggression just don't understand the biology of African Mbuna.

african Mbuna should be maintained in tanks with a LOT of rockwork which provides a cave for each female at a minimum and other caves for male territory. insufficient territorial boundaries result in stress. people will say that Mbuna exist in compact groups of many hundreds of fish crowded onto a rocky area in the wild. true ... but the very important difference is that in that compact space there are thousands of caves to support the number of fish present. those fish that cannot be supported both by nutrition availability and territory can leave to begin a new colony elsewhere. in the confines of your glass box, the fish cannot leave. result ... stress. stress leads to a shortened lifespan and even death.