Please help me find a personable fish that’ll live with ancistrus and plants

[Reubiedoo]

Hi all! I’m new and seeking advice. I’ve been keeping fish a while, but I’m not into aggression so I’ve avoided cichlids until now. My kids have been bugging me for a furry/scaly pet for a while and for various reasons we can’t. I do have a 60”x24”x30” tank I bought second hand in the garage which I can renovate and get them a ‘wet puppy’.

So please can I get some advice on which cichlids are typically the most personable/entertaining/ interactive? I’ll only be keeping one specimen to avoid aggression, but I’m keen to keep an ancistrus or 2 in the tank to help me with maintenance so if anyone has experience keeping anything with ancistri I’d be grateful to hear. Lastly, I’d like something nice to look at if possible, but this secondary to not killing ancistrus, and being fun for the kids.

I’ve looked at all sorts of SA/CA and there are hundreds of beautiful fish but I need something for these criteria. All advice welcome and gratefully appreciated!

 

[FiremouthGem]

could do Firemouths, (about to do the same here in a 75) could get a small group and according to the others, it should work from what I have been told and the research I have done. could also go with angels I think?

 

[Reubiedoo]

Thanks FG! Tbh I’d prefer one specimen on its own to avoid breeding behaviour etc but I did consider firemouths in a group tank with acara and Severum etc. Beautiful fish.

 

[BIG-G]

Electric blue or standard Blue Acara
They don’t get too big around 6 inches or so.
Not to aggressive will not bother plecos .
Do relatively well with plants.
You could keep a small group in that size tank and will spawn easily so that may be something interesting for the kids.

 

[BIG-G]

Scratch keeping pairs then if you don’t want them to spawn.

 

[BIG-G]

This is mine notice the smaller fish in with it.
They usually don’t bother other fish.

 

[Reubiedoo]

Thank you GT! I’m not worried about the breeding as such, just the associated aggression. If acara are more relaxed in this regard I would consider them. I actually looked about a year ago at making a planted cichlids tank with eb acara and the prettier severums as I’d found a few in my research (that’s what the big tank was ostensibly for). The only reason I was focusing on larger cichlids was they are often described as having more personality and I want a real pet factor for the kids. Are acaras personable?

I’ll try to attach pics I found of similar set ups back along.

 

[Nove Sedici]

If the "personable" is the biggest demand: I would say: Oscar! Or possibly a Crassipinnis due to the tank size. With a larger ancistrus (not the really small ones) this should be ok. The plants will be the main problem. My oscars wille leave the big , really strong plants which are placed between rocks so they can't unroot them. But any small plants they will destroy immediately.


My CB Oscar isn't agressive at all. They aren't the most beautifu;l fish in my opinion but i just love their character.

 

[Zanzag]

Most cichlids as a whole are personable. My blue acara male likes to check out anyone that comes near his tank. Like a hey are you gonna feed me checking out, where I've got a firemouth that flares up and occasionally smacks the glass because he hates me. What kind of personable are you aiming for?

 

[Nove Sedici]

Most cichlids as a whole are personable. My blue acara male likes to check out anyone that comes near his tank. Like a hey are you gonna feed me checking out, where I've got a firemouth that flares up and occasionally smacks the glass because he hates me. What kind of personable are you aiming for?

haha, lol! Have the same with a GT. The guy absolutely hates me and tries to attack me everytime i walk by. And even when he sees me sitting on the couch he's sometimes smacking the glass. The little bastard is only 3 inch or so...
I don't think Reubiedoo is looking for this kind of personable as he's not into agression