cichlid mix in a 55 gallon

[fishdude]

Hey guys. I've got a 75 gallon and am thinking about putting some cichlids in it. The petstore nera my house has some, but I have seeon people's posts here about mixing some kinds.

I was thinking of some tiny convicts they have until I have a pairing and then remove the others, maybe some firemouths, and they have some gold severums. I didn't know that severums were gold too.

Would the mix be aliright? I mean, I would end up only keeping two of the convicts. Are there any others that I could stock in the tank?

 

[F-18 TECH]

That mix sounds ok. The severums in the gold color variation are particularly beautiful. I am also a big fan of the firemouths. However what is the water quality like in your home? Is it well water or tap? What kind of filtration will you be using? Also what kind of decorations are you going to be using? When I am starting a species specific tank I always ask myself these questions. Answer back and the forum may be able to give you a better answer as to your choice of fish.

 

[Jaybird]

the mix should work fine.

 

[fishdude]

I'm going to get some rocks to make caves and stuff and some plants. I'm not sure about what plants to get.

My tap water is about 7ph, but very very soft. I have an XP2, or 3 (can't remember the exact number). I've already bought a big bottle of Prime.

 

[JDogg]

Mix sounds ok to me, keep in mind that the convicts will breed like rats and will be VERY territorial and aggressive when eggs/fry are around

 

[goalorientation]

i've got a mix of fish from Indonesia, Africa, South America (BP) [i think its african mix], China, and Germany.

Can't stress enough how important water conditions are. 7.0 is neutral not soft.

 

[newfound77951]

sounds like what fishdude meant was his pH is 7.0 (neutral) but the water hardness was low (low GH or KH) = soft water. These can be low and still have neutral pH. In theory you can have soft, alkaline water or hard, acidic water, although it's not common. The two are related but not perfectly.

 

[goalorientation]

7.0 is neutal meaning water is not too hard nor too soft. 6.6's are on the soft side and 7.4's are on the hard side. the water is more acidic as you said around 6.0 and lower.

 

[iceywater101]

No like newfound was trying to explain is that ph is a reading of how acidic or basic that water is. Hardness and softness is messured by gh and kh.