New to fish got a couple questions

[Loupis]

so I have a 55gal tank and i plan on putting a JD and a jaguar cichlid in it and hopefully a pleco. i bought some java moss for the tank because i read it was a easy to maintain plant long as you cut and manage it. Is a pleco the best choice to throw in there with them to eat alge and help with tank cleaning? My filter is a Cascaed 300 and i also added a ten of twelve inch air stone to help serculate water. I guess im just looking for some feed back on the third fish to help clean the tank. Any and all advice would be much appreciated thanks - Corey


Here just a couple pics of my tank

 

[k0y0te]

the jd should be fine. i have read that jags need a lot of room, a minimum of 55 gallons for a single fish, though ideally 125 gallons for one and 180 gallons or more with tank mates. but im not to sure. as for plecos for a 55 gallon, small ones like the bristle nose should be ok. I am not sure though if you can stock these fish togeather in the same tank of that size. Im sure an mfk'r will chime in soon and can tell better then what i have.

 

[Loupis]

well right now the tank is empty im waiting to put both in at the same time and maybe a cleaner fish too. that way one does not call the tank and clean its turf i know the JD can be very territorial from what i have seen and read. the 55gal will only be for like 6months max until i upgrade to a bigger tank. I plan on getting another typ of plant to provide more cover.

 

[Freezekougra]

welcome to MFK

jags will grow too large for the 55

if you're talking about a common pleco, the pleco will grow too large too. plecos are poop machines and once they get bigger they do a bad job of cleaning algae.

Fact: When fish eat, the food comes out as POOP that dirties your tank. I don't see the logic in cleaning your tank by adding more fish...weekly water changes are much better.

Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle? http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

 

[Loupis]

ok so i guess i don't need a pleco. both the fish i have are only two inches so not monsters. and i have no idea about the nitrogen cycle more reading to do i have.

 

[Loupis]

random question but when i put them both in the tank together should i put a divider in or just watch the closely for awhile?

 

[Natalie]

The Jaguar will grow way too big for that tank and is much more aggressive in nature than the Jack Dempsey. He will probably end up killing your Dempsey. I suggest trading in the Jaguar for another species such as Convict or Firemouth (both of these don't get as big and would be a better alternative for a 55 gallon tank).

The others are right, plecos are counterintuitive because, while they clean algae, they produce a ton of waste and end of making your tank dirtier.

The nitrogen cycle is crucial to your fishes' health. If you want to cycle a tank before putting your cichlids into it, it can take a few months. The easiest and quickest way to cycle a tank is to get filter media (sponges, ceramic media, etc.) from someone else's tank and put it into your own filter. Then add your fish within 24 hours. The filter media will provide the bacteria necessary for cycling.

Your filter might not be strong enough for a 55 gallon tank, especially considering that cichlids and plecos both are poop machines. You might want to look into something like a Marineland Penguin or Emperor (the largest size available, which is 350 I believe). Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have tons of questions.

 

[Sarah88]

yeah i would try and get a bigger tank, and if you really want a pleco, stay away from commons they get WAY to big for a 55g and are not very efficient algae eaters once larger anyways, you can get a couple bristlenose plecos and they should be fine but i would put them in first, main thing to keep away algae though is just keeping the water clean, if your water is clean and has no extra nutrients for the algae to use then it wont grow in the first place. also Jag will grow WAY to big for that tank, especially if its a male, if its a female you might be able to get away with having both of them in a 75g tank but 55g is still way to small. also you would need to upgrade sooner than 6mnths, within 6mnths your JD will be about 6in and your jag will be about 8in and if it doesnt feel it has enough room will have no trouble making more room by killing of the JD.

as for a divider, i wouldnt bother with it if your putting them in at the same time, just keep a close eye out for trouble and be ready to divide if need be, but for that tank you would be much better off with a single JD and some dithers or a single GT or something along those lines

WELCOME TO MFK, you definitely came to the right place to get help, seems like you have a good interest in these awesome cichlids and that you actually care about keeping them correctly, so just keep reading and asking on here and you should know all you need to know soon enough GOOD LUCK

 

[HrHagel]

aside from the fact that Jaguars grow WAY too large, and are WAY too aggressive to have tankmates in such a small space, the amount of sheer waste these huge fish will produce will force you to do waterchanges every 4-5days just to keep up with the nitrates they produce.

Like others have suggested, i also suggest keeping just the JD, and 1 or 2 bristlenose pleco's and if you insist on keeping another cichlid in there (which i fully understand) a good alternative to a jaguar is either a firemouth (thorichthys meeki) or the convict, or something similar in size (6")

However i suggest you stick to just the JD, and get yourself some nice and colorful dithers, such as large tetra species or the likes, which will add a lot of life and movement to your tank, and also help your JD become more confident and an overall nicer fish to observe

Welcome to MFK, and good luck with your future fishkeeping experience, which will most likely turn into an obsession soon enough, like it has for so many of us

 

[Loupis]

Thanks For all the help and answering my questions everyone. i Guess ill be shopping for a 125gal tank or around that size soon. the fish have been in the tank together for almost and hour now and its easy to see that my JD is queen of the tank. She is about an inch bigger then him no biting yet but she does not mind chasing him all over till she gets distracted by the air stone lol. So i also bought a java fern today think that will be ok in the tank? and anyone have a suggestion on another plant to add a little extra?