Texas Cichlids

too aggressive, i'm guessing.

my 55 has a breeding pair of nicaraguenses, a small red hump geophagus, 2 juvenile severum, a 5" african knife, and a chinese algea eater. please note i said african knife, not clown or black ghost. ive had it 8 months and its only grown an inch and a half.

the sev's will move to my 125 when they hit 5-6" but its not too bad right now. the nics keep the others out of the area they lay eggs in, but nobody gets beat up.
 
when the fish is full grown, i'd imagine just a pair would be fine. once mine hit 5-6" their growth has slowed down. might be another couple years before they max out [males around 10" females - around 8"] so until then, there's room in my tank for a few more not-very-aggressive fish.

nicaragua cichlid

aquamojo's nic's

one of my nic's
malenic.jpg
 
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Texas cichlid is aggressive and gets big.

Question you have to ask yourself...

1. What aggression are you looking for?

2. Can you handle aggressive fish (some people can't)?

3. What's your water chemistry out from your tap water?


55g tank...can't hold too many fish and can't get fish that is more than 8".
 
i am looking for an aggressive fish for it, but it doesnt have to be.

i assume i can handle it, but i wouldnt know for sure since i have never had a very aggressive fish.

the water is slightly hard and alkaline.

What would be a good fish for me? I would like to have as big of fish as i can get, with out cramping them...and prefereably have a pair(will settle for just getting one of a certain kind if i like it enough).

btw, that is a cool fish. thanks for the pics.
 
There are a few cichlids that you can consider...if you are looking for SA or CA cichlids.

As for aggression, you can always try your hand on Convict to see if you like and can handle their aggression. Convict isn't the most aggressive fish, but they are always a good starter for people who are interested in SA or CA cichlids. They are easy to breed and easy to get.

There is also Jack Dempsey. Not very aggressive, but male is a very colorful fish when fully grown. Max size 8". Rarely get 9" or 10". This fish grows fast.

Or Carpinte, cousin of Texas Cichlid. They are fairly aggressive...not as aggressive as Texas Cichlid. And they aren't as big as Texas Cichlid. Average size between 8" or 9".

Greet Terror, not very aggressive, but get very beautiful when fully grown. Average size is between 8" to 9". Very rarely get to 11" or 12".

Salvini, fairly aggressive. Very colorful. Average size is between 6" or 7".

All these fish I mentioned...are hardy fish. Can handle ph between 6.5 to 8.0. I like keeping them between 7.0 or 7.5.
 
Could either Carpinte or Salvini be paired in 55g.? Would it have to be male/female? I like them, but i dont know if i could find a female.

Thanks helping me out with all the questions. I want to make sure i get something that i will like and be able to take care of.

*also green terrors, forgot to put it in the question.
 
I'm going to try breeding carpinte in my 55gal, but if/when things go sour, I'll have to use a divider. Salvini might work as well... but have a divider ready to go... most cichlids don't like it when their breeding partner isn't ready to go for another round of spawning.
 
Salvini will do fine with 55g tank...pairing off.

Carpinte and Green Terror are possible to pair off in 55g tank. As mentioned by DarthV...you have to have divider ready in case things go bad.

If you need to look for great divider, check out www.aquamojo.com

His divider is great if you plan to breed these fish.
 
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