basicly a cichlid question

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

jadefoodog

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Messages
53
Location
oklahoma
ok i was kinda wondering the smallest fish that i could feed live stuff to . i plan on breeding feeder guppies but im mostly interested in useing crickets. and convicts are my very very last resort. im leaning twards new worlds cause i feel more likeness to them, you know they seem more familliar.

but if theres some africans that would work better id like to know.

oh and by the way feeders wont be a staple food its more of a treat for me to watch and the fish to eat.


my big fish options are a jack dempsy or an oscar but i want to go smaller if i can.
 
what size tank are you planning on putting these fish in??? I feed all of my fish frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp.
 
probably a 55g. thats why i want to go smaller than an oscar . but i still want somethign that has intelligence and personality . id like for it to recognise me from other people like oscars do. also id like for it to chase down feeder fish

i was readyign on a few species and it seems my only lead is maybe a firmouth but i dont have any information relevant to their personality or intlligence.
 
can't 1 oscar be kept in a 55 gallon? A lady at work told me they had an oscar and a pleco in a 55 gallon for like 5 years or something.
 
yes it can. esspecially since i plan on doing a big veggi filter with a 60g rubermaid container making the acctuall water footprint 100g after substrate and decorations. but it gives the fish little room or turn. dont get me wrong when i build my 6'long x 3'tall x 2' wide im putting a oscar in there.

for those who dont know. a vegi filter is basicalkly a sump but instead of filter media its full of all kinds of plants with very high output lights. also the vegi filters a good place to hide thermometers and add extra filters. this wont take away the need for waterchanges but it will highly curb it

but its a good way to culture alot of plants for sale or for other tanks and you get the benifit of plants in a tank that the fish would destroy real plants.
 
An oscar will do ok in a 55 I think 75 is better. JMO I would think a JD would be a better choice just a touch smaller.
 
Do you want cichlids? Cause there are tons of non-cichlids that go nuts for crickets. Hatchetfish love em and my rainbowfish go crazy for them too. As far as small cichlids I do have a german blue ram but he never eats the crickets. I'm not sure if this is cause the competition for them is so fierce or just because he has no interest.
 
well i also want them to be big enuff to chase down feeders. also hatchets and rainbows are more aquarium fish and less of a pet fish . ive got plenty of aquarium fish. i want something with intelligence and personality , and cichlids are known well for such traits. im still looking at the firemouth ima do some forum searches see if i can come up with any personal opinions on these creatures stemming from first hand exsperince. .
 
all my cichlids have personalitly. but the has the most by far would be my demasoni. he is a picky little bugger and he wont come out of his little cave for anyone but me. so far from my cichlid experience they have tons of personality and will all hunt for feederfish. why crickits? just out of curiosity
 
cause since i raise and breed praying mantises i have an abundance of crickets. lol.

im almost to the point where ima throw a toss up between an oscar and a jack dempsey but i dont kow exactly how they would compare . i know an oscar is suposed to be like a water dog and will beg for food and know his owner from a group of people. but i lack any kinda information on jack dempseys asidd from max length water conditions and all the basic facts
 
not really the male has plenty of time to escape more often than not he just offers himself to the female . its almost like hes aware he only has a few weeks left to live anyhow and gives imself up in an effort to give the female enuff energy to lay her eggs before she also dies off. also a mantis is a relative of the cockroach and also has 2 brains and could live without a head until it dehydrated.
 
Back
Top Bottom