New center piece fish?

[Bubbles0oO]

Hi guys! Lately i have been a little bored with all the small fish ( mollies platies and swordtails) in my 55g .

I have been interested in chichlids and rams, but want to know if they would work. Here is my stocking

1 medium angelfish
6 mollys ( 2 2inch fry)
4 platys
1 swordtail
4 guppy fry ( medium sized )
And 3 corycats

( all fry can be moved though)

So I'm looking for something that gets Slightly larger than 3-4 inches . And something that will get along with everything . As soon as i et a pair of angels i will be moving the other two ( that didn't pair up) into this tank as well

( also have several swords and too much water wisteria)

 

[guppytank29]

imo i would make you angelfish your center piece and get some more smaller fish like a school of tetras or something of the like. the angel is going to get 6" full grown not including fins. from what i hear chichlids like to be in a tank by them selves ( there are some exceptions) but i would be careful and as far as gbr i dont know much about them so i can not say.

 

[emerald76]

imo i would make you angelfish your center piece and get some more smaller fish like a school of tetras or something of the like. the angel is going to get 6" full grown not including fins. from what i hear chichlids like to be in a tank by them selves ( there are some exceptions) but i would be careful and as far as gbr i dont know much about them so i can not say.

Not all cichlids
Mist o he dwarf cichlids if not all can be in a community

 

[Bubbles0oO]

Well the angel is old , like 5 years old . I guess i could have him as my center piece, but im really looking for something new.

 

[Scott F]

So I'm looking for something that gets Slightly larger than 3-4 inches . And something that will get along with everything .

A pleco !! Some will only get to about 6" max.

 

[Bubbles0oO]

Hmm, i only have had luck with common plecos and those suckers get huge! What kind of plecos only stay at 6inches? Dont some plecos attack fish's slime coat?

 

[Tetra1990]

Add to your cory school. Look into bolivian rams for a centerpeice fish. They will go well with other fish.

 

[Bubbles0oO]

I was planing on adding to my corys school today actually! Lol i will be getting a few more because they have been mysteriously dying From being beat up ( usually happens when i put an algae wafer in, my fish dont like it when the corys try to get some) and would bolivian rams work? They are pretty

 

[jetajockey]

Paradisefish make nice centerpiece fish. If you end up with 3 angelfish in this tank then there is a decent chance that there will be a pair eventually, even if there wasn't one beforehand. So that's something else to keep in mind.

 

[Bubbles0oO]

True, ill get a list of the fish i like the look of and do some research on them. For now im going to the store!!!!

 

[Bubbles0oO]

Well heres a list of the ones that caught my eye

Convict chichlids ( like the personality)
Bolivian rams ( sooo cuteeee)
German rams ( nice color)
And golden rams ( interesting )

I also bought some swordtails so now i have 3 females and a male

( and i picked up some rock, any idea how to clean off lichen? Or can i just put it in and it will die?)

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[Bubbles0oO]

Does anybody know how to make water acidic for the rams? The water we get out of our faucets is no where near what the rams need. This really bummed me out , but i was hoping it has a simple answer.

 

[Maxkolbe]

You can put peat moss in your filter.

 

[Bubbles0oO]

Where can i buy it? And about how much do i put into the filter ( its a 60g filter on a 55g tank) and wont it make the water tea colored?

 

[Maxkolbe]

I don't actuLly know, I have the same problem as you with hard, alkaline water and this is the solution I got. However I still haven't got around to buying any. I was told you could buy it in a garden store, just be sure it is organic with no added fertilizers.

 

[Freakgecko91]

I have bolivian rams and my pH is 8.4, stability is WAY more important than the actual pH, unless you're breeding certain fish, like my dicrossus maculatus, that paired but won't spawn due to high pH. In any case, my fish are thriving, i actually gave up trying to lower it lol everyone told me to not worry about it. As for the cichlids you mentioned, I'd stay away from German Blue/Gold Rams (M. ramirezii) due to being highly sensitive to water conditions from poor breeding. Convicts will most likely bully your other fish and are wicked mean when spawning. I love my bolivians, great personalities! Also look into laetecara curviceps and cleithocara maronii (keyhole cichlids). I highly reccomend the latter for your situation as they are said to be the most peaceful cichlid. They dont have amazing colors, but are beautiful in the're own right!

 

[Bubbles0oO]

So, it dosent matter what ph it is, just if its stable? Sounds a little iffy, but ill look into the keyhole chichlids, how many could i get ( minimum and maximum)

 

[Freakgecko91]

I thought the same thing at first, but once you start thinking about it, it actually makes sense. Most fish these days are captive bred, they have been adapted to live in water not like there natural habitat. I was freaking over my pH until I was told by numorous members that stability trumps the actually level itself. Bolivians are a very common cichlid these days, so they are much more adapted to live at various PHs.

As for the keyholes, I'd say you could easily do 2-3 pairs a they are even said to be fairly gentle even when spawning! They, like Bolivians, are notoriously hard to sex, so with either one, if you truly want pairs, it's easier to buy 6-8, let them mature and pair, and sell or trade any of the odd men (or women) out

 

[Bubbles0oO]

Would the 2-3 pairs work in with what i have in the tank now? ( first post) and would i have to acclamate the bolivians a special way( drip or just the float and cup) . The people at the LFS say they get there rams pre sexed, but some of the females looked male to me. Anyway, this wont be happening for awhile i need to earn some money to buy them with, but for now all they need is a cave right? I have tons of plants that are there to stay, would they tear them up?

 

[Tetra1990]

They shouldn't tear up your plants. Just acclimate them the same way like any other fish. As far as caves go, I cant see how having them in your tank will hurt.