55gal wet pet

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H

HokieFish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 15, 2011
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Norf Cackalacky
Hello members. I'm glad to get back into the aquarium community. My tank has been down for a little while while i got over losing my breeding pair of JDs. I've had a lot of experience with Oscars, JDs, African's and planted tetra tanks but now that my tank is cycled and ready to have fish again I want to go with a single wet pet.
Right now I've been considering a Green Terror/Gold Saum or a Midas/Red Devil.
I'm looking for a fish with a lot of personality that won't tend to hide. I want something bright and aggressive. Any other fish I should look at, or do you think the options i have listed will be about all the tank will manage? Of the ones listed what do you think will best fit what i'm looking for? Thanks for your help, and sorry for so many questions in my first post.
 
IMO- a 55 is too small to house anything over 8" long-term

EDIT- try some Salvini. Although they can be skittish
 
Most people here are going to tell you that a 55 is too small for any of the species you have listed, for the life of the fish. A GT would work for a long time (well over a year) but eventually you would have to upgrade to a deeper 75 gal tank.

If you're really set on any of these fish, try searching Craig's List for a 75 gal setup...you can probably find one for very cheap in your area, and a Citrinellus/Labiatus would do well in that tank and usually have tons of personality. Great wet pets.
 
gt, red devil, midas all grow too large for a 55. There is recent similar thread on this very topic. scroll down til u find it i believe its "green terror compatibility". My new answeer for wet pet in a 55 will be crenicichla sveni. i just bought one 2 months ago and he is as outgoing and interactive as any ca cichlid ive ever kept. btw welcome to mfk!!!
 
midevils can get over 12" which means that they wouldn't be able to turn around in a when they reach their adult size. They have great personalities and make great wet pets if your willing to upgrade to a 75gal in a year and a half or so.

GT males can get to 12" but I've never seen one this big (I'm sure another member can post a picture of theirs). So a 55 would be pretty much the bare minimum for a single male, but a female would fit more comfortably because they top out at around 8". I have GTs now and love them, but if you want a fish that's as interactive as an oscar, GT's probably aren't what your looking for. they're a little more skittish, (but still are usually pretty confident).

Other cichlids i would recomend for a single wet pets that i would suggest for a 55 are
jack dempsey (but mine have been even more skittish than my GTs)
Amphilophus lyonsi (same genus as midas/red devil, but smaller and less aggressive)
cichlasoma grammodes (i've never kept these but they have an aggressive reputation, a 55 may be a little small, but i'd wait for advice from someone with experience with these)

now if you were willing to upgrade in the future or have more than one big fish (maybe a pair/harem of 6" fish) that would open up your options a lot more...
 
Thanks for the quick input. I guess i'm going to have to keep searching for what I want to do. I had a breeding pair of JD's before and it got to be a pain finding a place to offload the babies after a while, so i figured I'd go with a solo fish this time instead of a pair or harem.
 
+1 on the lyonsi.i think the salvini is a good choice,grow out a group to get a pair,or just M or F whichever you prefer.if you plan on the upgrade as others mentioned,then you can start with RD or a fish that grows to 12 inch size.you could also do a group of cryptos. many choices there
 
A. Lyonsi is looking like the front runner. How readily available are they? I live in a small town in NC and there isn't a large selection of local fish stores.
 
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