Oh don't worry I would never put a large aggressive with smaller fish. Discus are out of the question lol because I hear they are very picky about water conditions, and kind of wimpy. Thats what I have heard. I think what I will do is stick to small cichlids such as fire mouths and convicts, just to get use to cichlid behaviour. Then I will move on up to a green terror or other large cichlid once I know what behaviour is ok and what behaviour is problematic. I really hope I get it right the first time, so I will be doing lots of research with the species at my local fish store. How does that sound? P.S. I will not sell fish I have bought unless I made a completely stupid mistake or they have bred, so the fish I get will stick with me their whole lives, and I am not interested in breeding.
New to this-Need help with what species
- Thread starter clintosaur
- Start date
I just realized I am not giving you guys enough info. What I will do is I will go to the fish store and have a look see. I will then look at the small species of cichlid and other similar sized fish to those cichlids. Then tell me which fish can be kept together, and I will tell you which fish I must have. Until then you don't have to post, as it may not be what I want, but go ahead if you want.
Lots of misinformation on this thread. The thing with cichlids is that you can never say what will or won't work 100% of the time--I've seen green terrors that were total wimps and I've seen "peaceful" cichlids that were maniacal killers. It all comes down to individual personality, if there are breeding pairs in the tank, tank size, if fish grew up together, etc. One of the most aggressive fish I own right now are a pair of firemouths, and my pair of big "aggressive" black belts are in with 9 smaller fish and they completely ignore them--the most aggressive fish in that tank by far are actually my cutteri, which are a small convict relative.
You have to decide what your goals are for the tank. Since you like green terrors, why not try for a single pair of them? Buy 6-12 of them small, grow them out together, and let them pair of naturally. Once you have a nice pair, sell of the rest. Or, maybe you could try an all male tank of several species--not having females in the tank usually reduces aggression considerably even with the most aggressive species. Or, you could try a general community as you discussed, but you need to watch out for pairing, possible hybrids (if that bothers you), and decide what you want out of it.
You have to decide what your goals are for the tank. Since you like green terrors, why not try for a single pair of them? Buy 6-12 of them small, grow them out together, and let them pair of naturally. Once you have a nice pair, sell of the rest. Or, maybe you could try an all male tank of several species--not having females in the tank usually reduces aggression considerably even with the most aggressive species. Or, you could try a general community as you discussed, but you need to watch out for pairing, possible hybrids (if that bothers you), and decide what you want out of it.
^^^ best advice......
I have a Firemouth that unfortunately i'm going to have to get rid of because I cant house him in any of my tanks. He's an absolute terror. Torments any fish twice his size or under.
Focus on green terrors and build your tank around that.
I have a Firemouth that unfortunately i'm going to have to get rid of because I cant house him in any of my tanks. He's an absolute terror. Torments any fish twice his size or under.
Focus on green terrors and build your tank around that.
Well, thanks for the advice. I guess I will stick with just a green terror. Man I love those fish 
. Even though I wish I could keep a community, a wet pet is just as good. That is final.
. Even though I wish I could keep a community, a wet pet is just as good. That is final.