geophagus tank mates?

[Teakwood]

Im in the process of cycling my 55 gallon tank. and Im trying to plan my fish. Im a terrible decision maker. So ALOT of thought is going in to the best mates in the tank. The only fish I have now that I KNOW will live in the 55 are my albino cory cats, we've been through alot together and they deserve space to play. Also possibly a couple snails. A friend suggested I look into the geophagus as a couple awesome looking fish in my tank, the dilemma is I cant find much info about how they would do in a community tank with bottom feeders like corys. I also really like the idea of kuhli loaches as well and maybe a school or 2 of some tetra breeds. Im not stuck on any specific fish (except the corys) I tend to like weird freaky looking fish which tend to be fish that will eat my corys or be to aggressive, If the Geos are to aggressive for a community tank thats ok I can pick other fish but I would love some info on how they do in communities. Thanks!

 

[Teakwood]

Also If this is already discussed somewhere please link me, My search didnt come up with much. I should also add while im ok with semi aggressive fish and providing adequate hiding for smaller fish I dont want my smaller fish to live terrified of there tank mates....

 

[rocksor]

Get fish that won't compete with your cory cats and other bottom dwelling fish. A geophagus will compete with your cory cats for food.

What about severums? They are pretty colorful and stay around the mid to upper half of the tank.

 

[Teakwood]

Thanks I'll look them up

 

[Leviathan64]

What is your substrate? Geos like to sift sand. If you have gravel then I would look into severums as mentioned. If you have sand or are switching to it then your options are many. Just keep in mind adult size as your tank size will limit you.

 

[Teakwood]

What is your substrate? Geos like to sift sand. If you have gravel then I would look into severums as mentioned. If you have sand or are switching to it then your options are many. Just keep in mind adult size as your tank size will limit you.

I have small(pea sized and smooth) natural toned gravel in my tank. I know if I go with a cichlids variety I need as peaceful as they come thanks for the suggestions.

 

[rocksor]

If you like the look of blood parrots, you can try those as well. Or maybe angelfish.

 

[Leviathan64]

I have a 125 South American species tank. I keep Jurapari, Altifrons, Brasiliensis, Chocolates and a severum. Largest fish now is 7". I have pairs and trios. It is a peaceful tank. When they hit full size I do have other tanks if needed to make room. I would look into a pair of any of these for you 55.

 

[Teakwood]

I have a 125 South American species tank. I keep Jurapari, Altifrons, Brasiliensis, Chocolates and a severum. Largest fish now is 7". I have pairs and trios. It is a peaceful tank. When they hit full size I do have other tanks if needed to make room. I would look into a pair of any of these for you 55.

The Lfs suggested getting 1 m/f pair of dwarf cichlids as 'trophy' fish for.my tank. He said not to get other species of dwarf and just to stick with 1 dwarf pair. Along with whatever community fish I go with.

 

[Leviathan64]

If you find what you like then that is all that matters.

 

[Teakwood]

It's tough making decisions with so many options

 

[Uncle Dirty]

I've got a geo with about 10 various loaches and a large severum and festivum , all are doing fine. The geo is not aggressive at all. In a 55g.....

 

[Teakwood]

I'm considering some blue rams I found at a fish store that are only supposed to get 2 inches long... I think the thing is I'm trying to mix up sizes and variety, it's proving to be a complicated task since I really want to do this right. So far the biggest fish I plan to keep are kuhli loaches which will be 4 inches. I really wanted a couple larger 'pretty' fish which is proving to be tough. Thanks for the comments everyone!

 

[Bubble_B0y]

If you like cory cats, then I recommend Angelfish!

they are the perfect combination.
In a 55 gallon, you can fit 1 breeding pair of angelfish.

Personally, I would go
2 Angelfish (breeding pair)
8 cory cats -- clean up crew.

 

[Teakwood]

If you like cory cats, then I recommend Angelfish!

they are the perfect combination.
In a 55 gallon, you can fit 1 breeding pair of angelfish.

Personally, I would go
2 Angelfish (breeding pair)
8 cory cats -- clean up crew.

Im definitely considering a pair of angels but Im not sure if I want my only big tank to only have the 2 types of fish, any suggestions on what else angels would be okay with?

 

[Bubble_B0y]

Im definitely considering a pair of angels but Im not sure if I want my only big tank to only have the 2 types of fish, any suggestions on what else angels would be okay with?

You can add a small school of 6-8 tetras.
The larger tetras like bleeding heart, or black skirt tetras look great with Angelfish.

Hence, you have a...
top/middle feeder - tetras
Centerpiece - Angelfish
bottom feeder/clean up crew - Corydoras

 

[PetAge_Bill]

Sadly I just lost my geos in the hurricane in NJ. I have a 75 gallon and had them for a long time. I kept them with 2 severum and 6 silver dollars. Id recommend a smaller schooling type for a 55 though....diamond tetras are cool. Don't overstock. For a 55 gal id maybe get 2 geos, 2 severum, and a school of diamonds. That would be a real nice setup. None are aggressive. Id stay away from angels personally. Also Rams I had trouble with.

 

[Teakwood]

Sadly I just lost my geos in the hurricane in NJ. I have a 75 gallon and had them for a long time. I kept them with 2 severum and 6 silver dollars. Id recommend a smaller schooling type for a 55 though....diamond tetras are cool. Don't overstock. For a 55 gal id maybe get 2 geos, 2 severum, and a school of diamonds. That would be a real nice setup. None are aggressive. Id stay away from angels personally. Also Rams I had trouble with.

Thanks. I've now moved to considering discus.. There are a couple people selling geos on my local Craigslist though, the fact that I have gravel makes me question if I should get them though... It's hard wanting to do it 'right' when everyone's right is different. Thanks.