Advice wanted for Cichlid community tank

[Nick7999]

Hey guys, I have a 55 gallon tank right now empty and will be getting quite a large tank in 6-8 months time 350 to 375 gallon. I want to create a south american cichlid community starting with juveniles in the 55 gallon until i have the bigger tank. I have a few options from my LFS and private ones but the fish I want to try are Green Terror(1), Jag(1), Red Devil (I hear these can be pretty nasty), Jack Dempsy(1), Tiger Oscar(1) all male. My first question is how fast will these type of 5 or 6 fish outgrow my 55 gallon? Any suggestions on another similar cichlids i should try growing up together? Lastly, thanks in advance for the constructive criticism

 

[dan518]

Jags, red devil, Jack dempsy are central American, oscar, green terror are South American. Central American cichlids are normally far too aggressive for South Americans to handle and I wouldn't mix the two,

 

[jonclark96]

Just wait until you get the bigger tank to buy stock.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Even as babies, putting all those fish ina 55 is going to be a bad idea.
I would do some research on all of the fish you listed. Jaguar is probably the most aggressive and largest of those species, but they all can be pretty mean.
In a 300 or 375, those fish together might work, but with cichlids there are no guarantees and you have to be ready to deal with it (separate or divide) if things go awry. If you don't have experience keeping these types of fish yet, I would try keeping a couple of the species for a while before you try mixing them all. Communities with CA/SA cichlids are not easy to pull off successfully.

 

[Backfromthedead]

i would go with one of the species listed and focus on that. if youre trying to do a central american setup start with the jd. the 55 is adequate for a jd or 2 and they are slower growers than most other central americans.

but youre gonna have major compatibility issues with trying to mix any of those fish, especially the jag or red devil and even in a large tank like 350 gallons.

the only tankmates i would recommend for sure is the gt and oscars when you get the larger tank. get the larger tank before though. oscars are among the fastest growing cichlids i know of.

 

[duanes]

Like lions on the savanna, all the fish you have chosen occupy a similar alpha status in their watery habitat, in nature. You have chosen all competitors, so trying to keep them all in the same tank (especially a tank as small as a 55, even temporarily) is like trying to keep lions, tigers, leopards all in the same tiny cage, and expecting thing to be nice.
In nature you might find 1 pride of lions, and millions of wildebeest in a many square mile area.
In nature a pair of Jack Dempseys will guard an area of 250 gallons.
When Jack Dempseys share habitat with other cichlids, they often suffer, even in thousands of gallons of water.
If you are new to cichlids, get 3 or 4 of a single species (maybe either JDs or GT's) and grow them out in the 55, and instead of other competitive cichlids that are almost guaranteed to kill each other, get a shoal of the geographical correct dither fish (the wildebeest equivalents of the fish world). These would be live bearers like mollies for JDs, or tetras for GTs.
Below is a video I took in Mexico where because the JDs share habitat with other cichlids, their population is small, and they are torn up.
027 zps4b102ffd
now a video where JDs are the dominant cichlid, and share habitat with only live bearers and hardly any other cichlids, and their population is larger, and they are healthier. Also note the space available
Eden2

 

[PhishMon84]

Another question is where do ppl find 350-375g tanks?!?

If sourcing a tank that large and expensive ( probably 2500-3500) is a possibility for you why not start with a more reasonable size tank for what you like?

The smaller species you listed may allow you a pair in a 75

For Red Devils and Oscars a 125 would be great

For the jag or your full list of singletons a 180 would be a good start.

All these tanks are widely available and under $1000 typically?

Anyone notice that everyone “is going to upgrade to a 300” that ask a stocking question?

 

[Toiletcar]

Agree w/ everything already said. Get the large tank first. Then stock the tank. Never do it the other way around.

 

[RocketGarStar]

The green terror sounds like a safer choice, and you could probably buy a pair of them(?). Probably make sure that they're both female. They are a bit smaller than your oscar so just get one of them, and I'd go for some cool geos or pikes.