Stocking Help

[Gourami Swami]

ok, so more fish mass=more water changes. What about instead of a community tank, It could be just one or two "feature fish" and then like 1 bottom dweller?

Yeah that could work, could include some other "dither fish" (smaller fish that swim around to help the larger fish feel comfortable) as well. If your water is neutral - to -hard, you could go with a male of an amatitlania species. They are a central American family, they all stay around 6" and under, and I have found that males tend to be extremely aggressive to other cichlids especially when breeding, but not so bad to things like swordtails, mollys, and plecos. Some good species would be A. Sajica, Honduran Red Point, A. cutteri, A. Myrnae

Here is my male P. Panamensis (similar to amatitlania) with community fish in a 45 gallon

 

[Zak03]

Yeah that could work, could include some other "dither fish" (smaller fish that swim around to help the larger fish feel comfortable) as well. If your water is neutral - to -hard, you could go with a male of an amatitlania species. They are a central American family, they all stay around 6" and under, and I have found that males tend to be extremely aggressive to other cichlids especially when breeding, but not so bad to things like swordtails, mollys, and plecos. Some good species would be A. Sajica, Honduran Red Point, A. cutteri, A. Myrnae

Here is my male P. Panamensis (similar to amatitlania) with community fish in a 45 gallon

im definitely liking how the panamensis looks like

 

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

Some angelfish and a pictus catfish would look cool.

 

[Zak03]

Some angelfish and a pictus catfish would look cool.

The picture catfish would outgrow that tank. They’re beautiful, but I read that they need at least 55 gal for one Pictus.

 

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

I've heard a 40 gallon is a minimum. They only get about 5-6 inches and 36 x 18 x 12 should be plenty of space.

 

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

Also the aquarium footprint of a 40 gallon is larger than the footprint of a 55 gallon, so a 40 actually has more swimming space on the bottom (which is what catfish prefer) than the 55.