25g stocking question(aggressive?)

[onah]

i think i want to go with something like a cichlid, but i dont know, what eother options do that route do i have, and whats the deal with aggressive fish anyway can i keep more then one in a tank that big? let 'er rip peps!

 

[severum mama]

How long is the tank? If it has the footprint of a 20 long (30 inches), then you may be able to get away with a pair of convicts or firemouths. Keep in mind that convict fry can be hard to unload, due to their very prolific nature. If it has the footprint of a 20 high (24 inches), then you may not. You could keep some African shell dwellers; I've heard that Multies are very interesting to keep, but you would need to make sure to provide the right environment for them with hard, alkaline water and plenty of shells for them.

If you are interested in less aggressive cichlids, you could try a pair of Bolivian rams or blue rams (but not both). They stay small enough so that you could have a small school of tetras for dithers, and some small corys like pygmys or pandas, or some otocinculus for algae control. That would be a cool tank IMO.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I second the shelldweller idea. There are many types that you could have in that size tank (many to choose from ). Check out shelldwellers.com for info on tank setups and different types of shellies. They aren't extremely aggressive, but they are very interesting.

I don't think the tank is big enough for a really aggressive fish. Severum mama gave some good suggestions of less aggressive fish like rams and apistos. You could still have other fish along with them...like a school of tetras.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You need a larger tank for aggressive fish because they tend to dart around the tank. They are more active than say a goldfish. They need the extra space to spread their "wings". I agree with Sev and Kristen on the recommendations.

 

[Mosaic]

You could get a pair of kribs! They're not very aggressive, even when breeding. They have spectacular color too.

I personally loved my shellies when I had them. They're very interesting to watch. On top of that, they're not too hard to breed, and you can actually find people who want the fry.

 

[onah]

....

can i put my beta in there with them? i think its a 25g reg tank, same size as the 20g i have not sure what it is exactly. i am going to do a side by side with my old tank.

 

[severum mama]

I wouldn't add a betta with kribs. The betta would be in trouble if the kribs ever spawned. I'm not sure about the behavior of shellies, but I don't think it would work out anyway because shellies prefer hard, alkaline water, and bettas don't. As far as adding a betta with cons or FMs, that would definitely not work. Either cichlid would be much too aggressive.

 

[onah]

....

what about a crayfish? and what else could i put in with that?

 

[severum mama]

You could keep a crayfish in a species tank. They don't do well with tankmates.

 

[Menagerie]

I agree with severum mama, crayfish are best in their own tanks. Aside from their natural instinct to eat tank mates (even each other), they have different environmental needs than tropical fish.

With kribs, as with any fish, YMMV; some are very docile and some are not.

I can't tell from your post if you want aggressive, or simply fish with different personalities. N brichardi come to mind as great fish with interesting parenting skills. They will defend their spawning area and fry. In a tank that small, cichlids from Lake Tang are better choices than their bigger relatives from Lake Malawi and the New World cichlids. I do love shellies, but they are not always easy to find.

 

[onah]

....

yeh i wanted to go aggressive, but not so sure now, i like something i can see often, as well as something bigger then shellies, i know there are diff species but everything i am looking at has been 2" full grown, i was hoping for something around 3 to 4 atleast(i kinda want to have to buy a bigger tank sometime next year), and i kinda wanted a mid to high fish also, either way i have alot of snails coming in and i have quite a few already, i guess i will just keep doing my research till the tank is cycled.