Want to try cichlids

[ImACoolguy]

I've heard a lot about cichlids and their personalities(and aggression). Because of my tap water I'm leaning more towards South American (my pH is around 7.0) I have a 75 gallon tank. It had fish in it but that's a long story and another thread. Anyway, it is in the cycling process(fish less) so I have a few weeks to decide on what I want in the tank. I have tetras, barbs, a loach, a shark, in other tanks but I wanted to try cichlids as something different.

For my tank size, what are some good South American Cichlids I can try that obviously don't get HUGE (even though I really want to try an Oscar one day).


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[ImACoolguy]

This is just some creating thinking of the options I have. I'm not going to come home tomorrow with a bag full of cichlids


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[ywagner]

Is personally do Geos and severum for a tank that size it can easily be done


Sent from my fish tank

 

[Rivers2k]

75 if fine for a single oscar. Regardless tank size be prepared to do plenty of water changes with an Oscar.

I second Severum they are great fish. I love mine. You specified South American but are you interested in Central as well? Also your PH doesn't matter so much as long as you aren't going wild caught. 7.0 is fine for most fish you are going to get at your LFS.

If you are interested in CA you could do a group Thoricthys. Thoricthys meeki (firemouth) are one of my favorites. But there are other types like passionis, ellliot that are nice also.

You could do a group of Honduran Red Points (my personal favorite) they are like convicts but not a s nasty and better color.

A group of rainbow cichlids will do nicely. They have nice colors that change with mood and are passive enough that they don't tear each other apart. you will need a few to get the nice yellows or they will remain brown most of the time.

Jack Dempseys are a favorite of allot of people but they can be shy so make use of dither fish.

If you want something on the meaner side Salvini have nice colors but they can be real jerks many people can share stories of them killing fish twice there size.

If you are looking for a wet pet
Midas Cichlids and Texas Cichlids are great also.

BTW you can do fish in cycle with any of these fish.

 

[TheresaM]

These 2 were raised together in a 75g, became great friends, and were very interactive with people. The sev was the size of a quarter when purchased, the oscar not much larger. By the time we moved they were each 10-11" long. Two of my favorite fish, miss them a lot

 

[HUKIT]

These 2 were raised together in a 75g, became great friends, and were very interactive with people. The sev was the size of a quarter when purchased, the oscar not much larger. By the time we moved they were each 10-11" long. Two of my favorite fish, miss them a lot

Just a FYI your ocellatus was suffering from Head And Lateral Line Erosion, you can clearly see the damage on the left side. I understand you know longer have them but that's a condition caused by poor water conditions( i.e high nitrates).

 

[ImACoolguy]

Okay let me specify a little bit. I have some live plants in the tank and a Finnex Planted + 48 inch light. It's very bright. Thanks for the suggestions I just might do the Oscar because I've always loved watching them but never had a tank big enough


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[ImACoolguy]

It's all still just an idea. What do you guys think about a green terror and a jack Dempsey?


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[Iamtechno13]

+1 with Geophagus. They are probably some of the most entertaining South American fish there are. Very active fish and great to watch. Ive seen Oscars and Jack Dempseys and such and in my opinion they are kinda dull compared to Geo's not to mention everybody has them. I don't like to have fish that everybody else has but thats just me. Nothing wrong with those fish just not the fish I'd choose. I personally love Apistogramma but they are on the smaller side and most people don't really like using up all the space for such small fish.

 

[Rivers2k]

JD are very nice looking but too skittish IMO. Dithers will bring them out more.

Green Terrors take a long time 2+ years to turn into the big beautiful specimens you see online. They are little terrors as the name suggest. If you can find a nice looking one then they are some of the most beautiful fish.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Thanks for the input guys

I think I'm going to reshape this for an Oscar because I think I've fallen in love. I'll put the driftwood in another tank. How does an Oscar do with live plants? PS remember this tank is still cycling that's why it's so cloudy.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[TheresaM]

They really are awesome!

With my 2 big guys I had gravel, driftwood, and planted anacharis. I kept the plants mainly in the corners because the fish would uproot them while swimming simply because of their size!

 

[ImACoolguy]

They really are awesome!



With my 2 big guys I had gravel, driftwood, and planted anacharis. I kept the plants mainly in the corners because the fish would uproot them while swimming simply because of their size!

That's awesome I've heard they really have a personality. Check my other thread I just posted for more specifics.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[ImACoolguy]

Okay so my pH isn't that high but I am thinking about smaller Africans.

The reason for this is because I have a feeling my mother will not be happy about me changing 60-70 gallons of water a week for an Oscar.

I love the Oscar and would love to have one but that is a ton of water to change for just one tank a week. We use city water and she said she would make me pay the water bill haha.

So my pH is around 6.8-7.2 from the tap. I've heard most aquarium fish will adapt as long as the pH is stable. If this is true I would like to look at smaller Africans rather than one big Oscar.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[Iamtechno13]

just out of curiousity, why in a 75 gallon tank would you change 60-70 gallons a week? that seems insane for even the most gentle fish you'd be change 20 gallons every other day or changing 90% of the water once a week? either way it seems a little excessive or maybe I'm wrong

 

[Rivers2k]

Why are you looking at Africans now? Plenty of SA and CA that do well in 75's much more enjoyable IMO

 

[mikem691]

just out of curiousity, why in a 75 gallon tank would you change 60-70 gallons a week? that seems insane for even the most gentle fish you'd be change 20 gallons every other day or changing 90% of the water once a week? either way it seems a little excessive or maybe I'm wrong

You need to keep nitrates below 20 and feed well or they are prone to HLLE.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mattyfelts]

just out of curiousity, why in a 75 gallon tank would you change 60-70 gallons a week? that seems insane for even the most gentle fish you'd be change 20 gallons every other day or changing 90% of the water once a week? either way it seems a little excessive or maybe I'm wrong

... 20 gallons every few days or 90% a week would be the same as changing 60-70 gallons a week...

 

[ImACoolguy]

Why are you looking at Africans now? Plenty of SA and CA that do well in 75's much more enjoyable IMO

Because of the large amount of water changes, and most of my peers didn't seem to agree with a species tank in their living room :/ so I figured a bunch of smaller Africans would satisfy while also still in the cichlid field. Not many SA are offered in my area without ordering them.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[ImACoolguy]

I'll consider the Oscar again if I get a big 100+ gallon tank in the future and can have a pair. Till then I think I'll stick to smaller cichlids.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish