New 55 Gal for Cichlids

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AliGee

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Oct 9, 2013
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Hello all! There are so many threads like this so I apologize. I am an experienced aquarist, but am completely new to the cichlid world. I bought a 55 gallon and want it to be a show tank. I am having a hard time deciding (and knowing) what fish are fine to mix together. I do know I want a male only tank.

I really love Oscars and Flowehorn but that will have to wait until I have a bigger tank.

I do want a "centerpiece" fish, and I was thinking a severum. What else would go with a severum and would be very colorful?

I also love the giraffe cichlids but I think they need to be in shoals and would need a bigger tank?

I wanted discus, but everywhere talks about how "difficult" they are because of their needy water requirements. What would six discus require ? A sump? Or just a canister filter with frequent cleanings?

Any fun and colorful ideas are welcome. I am willing to spend money on exotics to make it look amazing.



THANK YOU!!!!


❤️ Invertebrates
Electric Blue Crayfish | CPO Crayfish | Shrimp
 
If you want a cichlid that can hang out with other community fish a single severum should be good in a 55.

Severum are usually surprisingly tolerant of other fish and can even be kept with tetras.

A severum, a shoal of colorful tetras and a shoal of Biotodoma cupido would make for a nice tank.

Discus are really not that hard to keep as long as they are not wild caught. What they need is a few things.
- Large frequent water changes
- Tank mates that won't over compete for food and allow them to feed
- An appropriate diet
- Soft/Moderate hardness, Acidic to Neutral water

That being said, I would not keep discus in a 55g aquarium. A full adult discus is the size of a dinner plate.
 
Thanks for the response! What about peacock cichlids with a severum? Would that me too much in a 55?


❤️ Invertebrates
Electric Blue Crayfish | CPO Crayfish | Shrimp
 
I would not combine peacocks and severum. If you want peacocks you could try an all male peacock tank. A 55 is on the small side for this though.

You could also do an mbuna tank if color is your priority.

A South American tank is going to be very different that an Afican Malawian in terms of behavior. The SA fish tend to be a little more relaxed and interactive where the Africans tend to be a lot more active.

This is just personal opinion but I prefer watching the behavior of SA/CA cichlids over the mindless chasing of mbuna. I often refer to mbuna as the "gateway cichlid" :)
 
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