Cool fish for new 55 gallon tank?

[Daven]

Hey guys! I recently picked up a 55 gallon tank to hopefully raise and breed Saulosi mbuna in it. But i figured id see what other fish are out there for this tank size just incase something peaks my interest. I have a 75 gallon mbuna tank already and theyre great, but i havent tried anything other than that and the peaceful community fish. What are your favorites for colour and personality?

 

[LayzorBeams]

If you're talking Africans then i don't know much... But here are some options in terms of Central and South Americans.

Smaller fish: Acaras, Firemouths, Convicts, Salvini, and Rainbows

Larger (usually wet pets): Texas esp Carpintis, Jack Dempsey, and Blood Parrot

There are more of course, but those are the more commonly available.




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[Daven]

I was hoping for some options other than the mbuna I've owned just to see if there was something new I wanted to try. Thanks I'll look into those! I never knew which ones stayed smaller or not. Are wet pets really worth keeping one fish? I always thought it was odd to keep a fish in a tank they hard have front the back swimming space in


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[Tpalmer]

There are other Africans such as the peacocks and haps in Malawi or the Shellie's from the T lake. I don't know much about Victorian fish.


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[LayzorBeams]

I was hoping for some options other than the mbuna I've owned just to see if there was something new I wanted to try. Thanks I'll look into those! I never knew which ones stayed smaller or not. Are wet pets really worth keeping one fish? I always thought it was odd to keep a fish in a tank they hard have front the back swimming space in


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Wet pets are fine if you learn to enjoy them.

For example, i have a 7 inch Carpintis (Green Texas) and he is a decent wet pet. He isn't anymore, but was for a while. The reason i like wet pets is that they are unique. He isn't afraid to charge up to the class and try to bite me, or ram into my hand when I'm cleaning the tank. A sizable fish is always cool. They are really smart, CA Cichlids are some of the smartest. Some people teach them to ring bells for treats. Oscars are smart too, but the 12" width of a 55 is a bit tight.

Did you know Muskies and Northern Pike (North American gamefish) have similar levels of intelligence to dogs? Just and interesting fact...

You can get the aggressive attitude and interactiveness from other smaller Cichlids too. My breeding pair of Cons absolutely tries to devour my hands, even though they are 1" and 4" long. So you could get a breeding pair of Cons and maybe pair them with something like a JD or Blood Parrot. That would be fully stocked. Or maybe have 4-5 smaller fish.

Yeah. Wet pets are usually better for tanks that are calmer overall (no chasing or fighting) but more interactive. "Community" tanks are more active and sometimes more colorful, but arent as owner responsive, except to food, of course.


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[Frontosa Lover]

Behavior: Hemihalpochromis Multicolor. Sorry, I don't know the common name (thanks Dr Ulrich Beasnch). African
Color: Peacock.
Behavior, size and odd looks: African blockhead cichlids.