Just got a new 55gallon tank for my little boy, Im pretty new to the fish world. and wanting to get some really cool looking fish for him. right now all i have is an oscar, a african ciclid, and a few guppies... Looking for some opinions, on what to buy next....
Coolest Looking Freshwater Fish
- Thread starter azboostin
- Start date
Pretty sure all you will have is the Oscar and the African Cichlid; the guppies will be a snack for Mr. Oscar!
Had two SAE in with my JD; ended up as a snack for "Jack"!
Had two SAE in with my JD; ended up as a snack for "Jack"!
The easy answer is "nothing". The oscar by itself is probably going to be too big for the tank. The guppies will be gone already because the oscar will eventually eat them. What kind of African cichlid do you have?
I'd probably get rid of the oscar ASAP and just switch over to an all African cichlid tank.
I'd probably get rid of the oscar ASAP and just switch over to an all African cichlid tank.
You you could probably keep about 15 or so mbuna in the 55g. Is the electric blue Sciaenochromis fryeri or Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos Maingano? Fryeri are a piscivore while the Maingano is a herbivore. If you've got the fryeri I'd probably stock the tank with more fryeri and some Labidochromis caeruleus since their diets wouldn't be too different. If it's Maingano then I'd look at other herbivore mbuna so you'd have a standard diet.
thats good, blues and yellow labs breed easy in a group that size.
But i would keep the oscar and move the cichlids out to a nother tank
But i would keep the oscar and move the cichlids out to a nother tank
Guppies will breed like crazy, Oscar will get depressed, outgrow the tank and eat anything it can fit in it's mouth. Jonah seems to have got it right. I'd also suggest getting some peat filtration and plants with a good substrate and a strong light. 15 may be a little too many if they become breeding pairs but if you provide good cover, hiding places and a proper sectioned out tank (so they can each have a section to themselves with free swimming space as well) they should be fine.
Also consider a small pleco (perhaps a bristlenose) and PLEASE dont just go out and buy the most "cool" looking fish you see. Do some research on it before you buy it. It really wont be so cool when it starts to die from the wrong environment or because you dont know how to look after it. If you cant find a website with info just ask here and we'll get you an answer asap.
Also consider a small pleco (perhaps a bristlenose) and PLEASE dont just go out and buy the most "cool" looking fish you see. Do some research on it before you buy it. It really wont be so cool when it starts to die from the wrong environment or because you dont know how to look after it. If you cant find a website with info just ask here and we'll get you an answer asap.
An oscar is a cichlid, and it sounds like he wants more than one fish is his tank so I would also have to suggest the african also.
jwddboy said:Guppies will breed like crazy, Oscar will get depressed, outgrow the tank and eat anything it can fit in it's mouth. Jonah seems to have got it right. I'd also suggest getting some peat filtration and plants with a good substrate and a strong light. 15 may be a little too many if they become breeding pairs but if you provide good cover, hiding places and a proper sectioned out tank (so they can each have a section to themselves with free swimming space as well) they should be fine.
Why would you want to use peat with Rift Lake cichlids? Their natural conditions are extremely hard water with high pH. Most of them are notorious plant eaters too.
Mbuna don't form pairs like South American cichlids, the males will breed with as many females as possible, and the females have been known to breed with multiple males too. Having single pairs of either cichlid will normally result in the female being harassed to death by the male.
I don't always know all the answers, but I have been keeping and breeding cichlids for over 10 years so I've got quite a bit of experience with them.
Yea the oscar will get too big and should only be kept in the 55 if he is by himself and even then it should be in a 75 when he is full size. The oscar is a South American cichlid and needs different water conditions than your african cichlid. If you get rid of the oscar you could fit 15 or so lake malawi cichlids which are some of the most colorful and "cool looking" fish I think. If you're gonna go with malawis get crushed coral or sand substrate and make sure you have plenty of rock stacks/caves to hide in. I would also do fake plants because africans like to nip at real ones. I have a similar setup so check my sig for pics.