New to forum and tank-mate question...

[BrownH20]

First off, I would like to say hello to everyone here at aquarium advice. I am a relatively new freshwater enthusiast and have many questions.

I will give you a genereal idea of what I have (although it's in my profile) just to help give you an understanding of my situation.

35g Hectagon Tank w/ Second Nature Whisper Filtration System. It's got a MarineLane bubble wand and Whisper Brand heater.

My fish include (all South American Cichlids):
- Black Convict (name: Sirus)
- Jack Dempsey (name: JD [for Jack Daniels])
- Fire-Mouth (name: Manson)

I realize that a 35g tank will not allow full potential growth with these Cichlids. I am getting a 55g soon, which brings me to my actual question.

I have researched online, asked local breeders, asked LFS, about tank-mates for these Cichlids but have gotten mixed reviews and opinions. I only want one of each specie as breeding is not my intent. I have seen Oscars with Convicts. Red Devils with Convicts. Green Terrors with JackDempsey's, etc...

What do you have?
What do you advise?

My father-in-law is an African Brichardi breeder and has helped me so much with most of my questions but like I said, he sticks to African Cichlids which require more harsh water parameters.

I would like 5 Cichlids and 1-2 Plecos. Is this too crowded for a 55g?
If not, when should I introduce the Plecos? Mind you, the 3 Cichlids I have now are babies. All introduced to the tank at the same time and all about 2" in length. Would now be a good time to introduce a Pleco? If so, what size?

Also, there isn't much algae in my tank, I keep it clean. Would wafers be sufficient for a Pleco in an algaeless tank?

Like I said, I have many questions and I look forward to being a part of this community. Please answer away and your advice/opinions will be met with much appreciation and open-mindness.

Thanks in Advance

The Brown Water crew... Rick and Brandi

 

[Esoteric Backbone]

I heard that Cichilids like to make little snacks out of a plecos eyeballs

 

[BrownH20]

I heard that too.. although I have seen Plecos with Cichlids before. Usually the Plecos I see with Cichlids are 5x the size of the Cichlid but I still wonder... I hate putting fish into situations where they risk injury or death so I am trying my hardest to research before I introduce something that could be fatal to itself or my Cichlids.

Thank You for response (it was very quick)

 

[Esoteric Backbone]

Botia Loaches, most Labeo Sharks (including related fish such as the Flying Fox), larger Rainbowfish & Danios, most suckermouth catfish (Plecos) and the larger Tetras (the African Redy-Eye Tetra, Diamond Tetras, Black Tail Tetras, and Congo Tetras. Be aware that some of these have neutral pH requirements but can tolerate higher pHs, like those required by African cichlids. This is something to take into consideration when mixing cichlids with other freshwater fish.

I copied that from another site. The fish they reccomend may not work for your 55g.

 

[HUKIT]

As a breeder of SA/CA with oscars, Festae, Jags, HRPs and Trimacs, I can tell you there is no way out of the you listed would a 55g ever accomdate them through life, especially once they reach maturity, someone will die!

Jack Dempsey's reaching 12" need a 55g alone with no tankmates, green terrors will reach 8"+ and convicts right around 5-6" for males. The problem with those size fish and a small 55g there's not enough real estate fo each fish, you also need at least two breaks in the line of sight to reduce aggression. If you truly want to keep some of the big boys from down south better step up to a minimum of a 125g

Plecs are hit or miss when is comes to cichlids, I've had them for years and boom gone. Just last week my breeding pair of oscars killed a 6" bristlenose during a spawn, I've had that fish for 3 years without incident.

Welcome to AA

 

[BrownH20]

Thank You both for answering. That is one thing I was unsure of was the real estate needed for these guys once maturity is reached (even before that). I didn't realize a JD got 12". I knew the Convict and Fire-Mouth stayed around 5-6".

I am getting the 55g free so I amnot losing out on money. If I were to fork over the money for a 125g+ would that be sufficient for 3+ Cichlids and then some Plecos?

I also heard Danios were good because Cichlids couldn't catch them to eat them and they add a little something to the tank (visually)... is this accurate?

Also, at this point I am unsure of the sexes of my fish. Assuming all three are male, is dominance the aggression factor? What if some or all are female? Would aggression decrease? As of right now my Convict is very territorial of his decoration. As the fire-mouth is of his. The JD just likes the bubbles and is free-spirited (for now)

 

[HUKIT]

Thank You both for answering. That is one thing I was unsure of was the real estate needed for these guys once maturity is reached (even before that). I didn't realize a JD got 12". I knew the Convict and Fire-Mouth stayed around 5-6".

I am getting the 55g free so I amnot losing out on money. If I were to fork over the money for a 125g+ would that be sufficient for 3+ Cichlids and then some Plecos?

I also heard Danios were good because Cichlids couldn't catch them to eat them and they add a little something to the tank (visually)... is this accurate?

Also, at this point I am unsure of the sexes of my fish. Assuming all three are male, is dominance the aggression factor? What if some or all are female? Would aggression decrease? As of right now my Convict is very territorial of his decoration. As the fire-mouth is of his. The JD just likes the bubbles and is free-spirited (for now)

A 125g depending on which cichlids you decide could easily hold 5 fish, a plec and some dithers if needed...dithers are used for shy fish to feel more comfortable as they see other fish swimming or used to draw attention away from squabbling tankmates, you could use giant danios(ugly) or Congo tetras.

Post pics of the fish so I can sell them for you.

A 55g you could keep the FM and the convict or just the JD and a plec.

 

[BrownH20]

Post pics of the fish so I can sell them for you.

Please clarify? Are you referring to if I kept the 55g and got rid of either
A) The JD

or

B) The Convict and FM

 

[jetajockey]

I also heard Danios were good because Cichlids couldn't catch them to eat them and they add a little something to the tank (visually)... is this accurate?

I kept my EBJD in a tank with a large school of danio choprai. He was healing up from having a near death experience after his tankmates decided to grow up and pair off. Needless to say, I found several half eaten and/or tailless danios for the few days I kept him in there.

 

[vitacrux]

Please clarify? Are you referring to if I kept the 55g and got rid of either
A) The JD

or

B) The Convict and FM

I believe he meant he would sex them for you.

 

[HUKIT]

Please clarify? Are you referring to if I kept the 55g and got rid of either
A) The JD

or

B) The Convict and FM

A 55g can hold the convict & firemouth or JD alone. All three fish won't fit.

 

[DreD]

In my opinion I would get rid of JD. Get a 125G
Definitely work on making some territories.
That way you can add other fish.
Also, how dark is the convicts face? I read that the blacker the more dominant, and so far I've found that to be very true.