Large non-aggressive "center-piece" Fish

[Isaiah Shipp]

Hello all, so I have a 125 gallon aquarium that I want to fill with all types of fish, BUT I really want a good "Center-piece" fish. A fish that won't hide and that is very interactive but not going to bully everyone!. I already have an Oscar but I'm selling him because he bullies everything. Do you guys have any suggestions? Also, any fish you guys recommend that are schooling, easy to breed, and good looking? Thanks guys!

 

[DMD123]

Standard 18" wide 125? A peaceful giant is the pearsei but not sure I would recommend one in an 18" wide tank. My female is a solid 14" and even in a 24" wide tank has a few turn around issues at times. Males can get even bigger.

This is my pearsei named Porkchop

 

[celebrist]

I plan on adding a chocolate cichlid to my peaceful community tank as a center piece this spring or summer

 

[ehh]

Standard 18" wide 125? A peaceful giant is the pearsei but not sure I would recommend one in an 18" wide tank. My female is a solid 14" and even in a 24" wide tank has a few turn around issues at times. Males can get even bigger.

This is my pearsei named Porkchop

What a beast.

 

[fishnatics]

Geophagus comes to mind

 

[Kittiee Katt]

Geophagus comes to mind

I had a brasiliensis that I grew out from about an inch, and he was so placid.

He shared his tank with a bgk and silver dollars and never hurt anyone. He never bothered the knife and only chased the dollars to show off but never actually hurt them. I even had some black widow tetras in with him temporarily, and he never bothered them even though he could of swallowed them whole.

However, apparently they're not all nice, and can be total jerks, and I've been told this is the more likely scenario - you have been warned!

Here's a pic of Horrace at around four years old (12"ish, he grew another inch or so before we lost him)


If I ever got another one however, personally I couldn't keep it in anything less than 2' wide, but most would disagree so I thought I'd put it out there (plus it gives me a chance to show off my Horrace )

 

[fishfanatic80]

Hello all, so I have a 125 gallon aquarium that I want to fill with all types of fish, BUT I really want a good "Center-piece" fish. A fish that won't hide and that is very interactive but not going to bully everyone!. I already have an Oscar but I'm selling him because he bullies everything. Do you guys have any suggestions? Also, any fish you guys recommend that are schooling, easy to breed, and good looking? Thanks guys!

If this doesn't scream discus i don't know what would fits the criteria in every way including the schooling and peacefulness.

 

[fishfanatic80]

I had a brasiliensis that I grew out from about an inch, and he was so placid.

He shared his tank with a bgk and silver dollars and never hurt anyone. He never bothered the knife and only chased the dollars to show off but never actually hurt them. I even had some black widow tetras in with him temporarily, and he never bothered them even though he could of swallowed them whole.

However, apparently they're not all nice, and can be total jerks, and I've been told this is the more likely scenario - you have been warned!

Here's a pic of Horrace at around four years old (12"ish, he grew another inch or so before we lost him)
View attachment 1219197

If I ever got another one however, personally I couldn't keep it in anything less than 2' wide, but most would disagree so I thought I'd put it out there (plus it gives me a chance to show off my Horrace )

That's quite the specimen you had, what a great looking fish

 

[viejafish]

A male GT can reach 10 inch, not a super large cichlid, but is interactive and peaceful provided you don't offer him a female to pair up to make trouble. For bigger centerpiece, I will try synspillum, a gentle giant but not very interactive due to its timid personality. A large discus will certainly fit the criteria, but discus is a weak fish and won't be healthy in a community tank. Many geophagus will fit the criteria too, but not brasillensis which IME is aggressive towards other cichlids.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

That's quite the specimen you had, what a great looking fish

His personality was just as spectacular as his looks. I miss him

Many geophagus will fit the criteria too, but not brasillensis which IME is aggressive towards other cichlids.

That's what I've been told, they can be major jerks. My man didn't see another cichlid after he left his siblings at the petshop so I have no experience with that. He never had to struggle to rule his tank either, his tank mates weren't ever perceived as threats and never tried to challenge him so he left them be... We all know that isn't going to happen in a tank with other cichlids

I just know that when I grew mine out in a peaceful tank, he was calm and placid towards his tank mates.