Help with choosing a centerpeice

[bubble bobble]

I am starting to slowly stock my tank, right now I have 2 cory cats eating up all the diatom gunk that built up during the cycle. The tank is a 40 gal tall. I would really like to keep some GBR's, Cockatoo cichlids, or Kribensis. I would like to have one or two bigger fish to make a centerpeice for the tank. As it is going to be a community tank, I guess most med/large cichlids are out. are there any that grow to be 6-7" in length that dont get wildly aggressive? The tank will also be fairly heavily planted, so there will be lots of hiding places for smaller fish, but at the same time, I dont want something that will completely destroy my plants.

anyone got some ideas for me to look into?

Thanks

[shayfish]

a 7" fish in a 40 gal seems a little on the big side to me...

[bubble bobble]

Originally Posted by shayfish

a 7" fish in a 40 gal seems a little on the big side to me...

that is the biggest I would consider. any constructive advice???

[shayfish]

Well, I don't know a thing about cichlids, but maybe a couple of larger gouramis might make a nice centrepiece. I am kind of going through the same dilemma right now though!

[justrelax]

How about a couple angels? They are very pretty, VERY personable, do well in planted tanks and they get to be a decent size. You could still do the gbr's or cockatoo's and have room for a school of tetras too.

[afilter]

It has been a while since I have done a FW setup, but I was always found of angels or the green sevurm.

I use to keep both with blue rams in a planted tank.

[Zagz]

I was going to suggest a couple of angelfish. They are gorgeous IMO as centerpiece fish.

[gheitman]

I agree with the other recommendations for angelfish. A 40 gallon tall tank would be perfect for a pair along with some rams, apistos and a few of the larger tetras (angels eat neons for breakfast, lunch and dinner).

[ksfishguy]

A friend of mine tried cribs in a similar tank, they tore his other fish to pieces. They would ram other fish in the side and practically break them in half. GBR's a great but small. I have a dwarf gourami and they look great. There are many different types of gouramis that would do great in your type of tank. Here's what I have:

1 Dwarf Gourami
8 Rasboras
2 swordtails (1 male)
1 rainbow shark
1 GBR (very cool))
1 bristlenose pleco
2 south america bumblebee cats
1 african dwarf frog
2 neon tetras 9(tried a couple of times to get a school, always lose them excect for these two guys)

My rainbow shark is somewhat the center piece, he goes everywhere and is incredibly active. My GBR is unbelievable, I can't believe how cool and colorful they are. I am waiting for my LFS to get a some in so I can get a pair.

Good luck. Depending on the color of your substrate and other fish, gold or blue gouramis look great. Also, I pair of pink kisssers would be fun to watch.

One final thought on the kribs, they are awesome fish, but they can do some serious damage. I am looking and a separate tank for some cichlids as well.

[afilter]

Am I correct in assuming GBR = German Blue Ram?

If so I concur with above as they are probably my favorite dwarf cichlid.

Suggested list:

2-3 Angels
2-4 Rams (pair ideally)
Apistos ?
cory cats
6-10 cardinal tetras (angels will not eat like neons)

HTH,