Stocking question for 55 gal Cichlid tank

[Fishyfanatic]

Currently we have a 55 gal freshwater tank that consists entirely of cichlids (see below) with the exception of a pleco and two spiny eels. We would like to add some other fish into our tank to school. I have tried many websites to check on the compatibility of cichlid's with other fish and have found that they are not compatible with anything BUT cichlid's. Is there anything that can be added to this tank that would school?

I know that our two ice blue's are becoming more and more agressive. They are not nipping at any of the other cichlid's, only the eels. We are thinking of taking the ice blue's back to the lfs and trading them in for something different because of their agressivness. None of the other fish nip at each other or are territorial. Our poor little eels were just starting to venture out of the sand and greenery into open waters but then the ice blue's bombard them and send them back into the sand. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[poppab02]

There are no schooling fish that are suitable for a 55 g cichlid tank. Any schooling fish you try to put in that tank is going to eventually end up as lunch. Also, just a quick thought here on your tank, the cichlid combination you have isn't really the greatest. Taking the Ice Blue back will help with the short run aggression problem but remember that once you take out the dominant fish somebody will step up and take it's place. The spiny eels probably aren't going to make it if you leave them in the cichlid tank. Watch those Auratus, they are definitely one of the most aggressive cichlids out there.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I didn't think there would be any schooling fish that we could put into the tank. I was crossing my fingers hoping that someone knew of a fish that I hadn't heard of that is compatible with Cichlids.

Regarding our cichlid combination, I had read online that the Auratus could be pretty agressive so we bought him as a small juvenile hoping that since he would be the smallest in the tank and the last addition that he wouldn't be as agressive. He hasn't been picking on anyone yet. *crossing my fingers for the future*. If anything, right now he's about as shy as the eels. I was looking at some pictures last night of possible replacements for the electric blue's and I saw another fish that looks just like the fish we have named as an Auratus. I'm wondering if the lfs had him mislabeled. When we got him he was in a tank with the combination of fish we have right now. It didn't have all of the fish that we have now in it but it had the ice blues, the electric blues, the yellow lab, and a juveline parrot.

And, I made a mistake in my original post. It is the two electric blue's that are being agressive, not the ice blue. I get the two names mixed up sometimes. Thanks for the response.