Help New Cichlid Owner

[AcsFoolMike]

Firemouths as well

 

[smitty03281964]

Whatever you add it has to be on a short term basis. If you want something long term and are not going to buy another tank. Then don'y do anything and enjoy what you have.

 

[Aquamojo]

no more. a 55 is maxed with what you have already. maybe a pleco or pictus catfish, but thats iffy with 3 fish that max out at 10+ inches.



Terrible advice. Youre telling him to add 2 or 3 more big fish?

He has a 55 gallon tank, which isnt big enough for a single managuense AT ALL...and he already has 3 fish that have the potential to max out at 10+ inches, so adding a GT or texas wont work.

X's 2

...and Rocio octofasciata...the Jack Dempsey are Central...not South American cichlids.

 

[irishfan]

glad people w good advice stepped in after number 2 had his awesome idea..best thing to do..go bigggerr

 

[janson1919@yahoo.com]

Either way you would have to upgrade if your gonna add fish......i started all of mine in a 55 and they were in there for a long time (at a small size) so if other people wanna say its not gonna work that is not true..

 

[Aquanero]

Definitely. I keep it very clean. Gar is going into a pond in a month when I get home from school.

A lot of negative people out there tonight...

It's not that people are being negative it's just after seeing the same type of thing over and over you feel like your beating your head against the wall. Then people say either it's ok or make rediculious suggestions.

Like the others have said 2 JDs and a Gar are pushing the limit of a 55. The JDs will realisticly get to 8 -10" depending on how well thet are cared for, water quality, diet ect. The Gar eventually will not be able to turn around in a tank 12" wide. That's the situation your up against.

The mistake many new hobbiest make are to buy small 2" fish that look lost in a big 55 gallon tank. The fish then start to grow and grow and grow and befor they realize it the big 55 isn't so big anymore. I think 55s are great sized tanks and very versital if used correctly. They make great planted tanks or displays for smaller fish up to 6"+/- groups of tetras, Rams GBR or Bolivian, Apistos, Mbuna, smaller Acaras, there are more options then I could write here, but are unfortunatly on the bottom of the size scale when it comes to the larger more aggro cichlids commonly seen on here. My advice would be not to add anything for the time being and think over the options you might decide to go in aother direction. Just continue to reasearch before buying anything.

 

[Gruff Master]

Either way you would have to upgrade if your gonna add fish......i started all of mine in a 55 and they were in there for a long time (at a small size) so if other people wanna say its not gonna work that is not true..

It's true that it will not work to add several large cichlids to a 55 if the OP doesn't intend on upgrading in the future. I think that's the general point that most people are trying to make, not trying to be mean or anything like that.