Suggestions for fish with personality

[Cardeater]

Rays and p bass gold fish

I believe those are too big for OPs tank.

If tank size weren't a factor, I'd say clown loaches have a lot of personality and mbu puffer.

Actually that size tank, I think a shoedenti (sic?) Puffer could work but not sure about tank mates.

 

[fishguy1978]

Calvus and frontosas have no personality. If you were to upgrade to a 150g then a pair of Chocolate cichlids (Hypselacara temporalis) would be nice. Raphael cats don’t need substrate but all fish do better with. I would do a shallow sand bed.
If you aren’t able to upgrade then a pair of Rainbow cichlids (Herotilapia multispinosa) would do very well.

 

[Something Fishy Here]

A raphael would be fine with a cave,, but i had one for 6 or 7 years before moving and selling off my tank and stock, and I probably saw him once a month or less. Shy, nocturnal, and just added to my bioload without ever seeing him.

 

[Ponera]

Would advise against keeping pictus cats with bichirs, I had one attempt to eat one once, and the pictus have spines that get caught in the throat, killing both fish.

Every Senegal I've had hasn't exceeded 8 inches. Too small to even kill pictus. I dunno what it is about the ones we get here, but they seem to top at around 7-8 inches. I always get males though, I think the females clock in around 10 inches.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Every Senegal I've had hasn't exceeded 8 inches. Too small to even kill pictus. I dunno what it is about the ones we get here, but they seem to top at around 7-8 inches. I always get males though, I think the females clock in around 10 inches.

You would be surprised what a bichir will try to fit in it's mouth, when this happened my bichir wasn't more than 8", pictus about 4"

 

[Joshuakahan]

Every Senegal I've had hasn't exceeded 8 inches. Too small to even kill pictus. I dunno what it is about the ones we get here, but they seem to top at around 7-8 inches. I always get males though, I think the females clock in around 10 inches.

I had a wild caught Senegal that was about a foot, but you’re not gonna “accidentally “ get a wild caught sen, the price is way more lol

 

[Hybridfish7]

any of the puffers that sit/dig (miurus, dragon, hairy)
any of the convict type things excluding nanolutea, kanna, honduran nigrofasciata, and spilurus (rio bagaces/tempisque/lagarto/piedras/cabuya/lago nicaragua "siquia", sajica, cutteri, septemfasciata, myrnae)
panamius panamensis
female herichthys
hypsophrys nicaraguensis
any of the lepomis sunfish excluding bluegill, pumpkinseeds, and redear though they will not color up without a harem of females
aulonocara or any of the other mid sized haps make surprisingly good wetpets as solo males, and unlike the sunfish, they will color up without conspecifics, as being the only fish in the tank means you are the dominant fish, thus they fully color up and stay that way
female parachromis multifasciatus or freidrichsthalii
any cichlasoma, aequidens, or andinoacara
any rubricatochromis
any trichopodus except pearls
edit: didn't see the existing tankmates

 

[LazyBones]

Angelfish can do fine in a 45 with those species you already have in mind when I am doing the suggestions - a giant plakat would be good too they have attitude and will interact with you. Gouramis too. They do fine as centerpiece fish too in a 45g.

Maybe a small group of keyhole cichlids. They are fun and friendly and not so skittish for me compared to the smaller cichlids like the rams but not sure if you want that coloring a keyhole has.

 

[Ponera]

Maybe a small group of keyhole cichlids.

The ones up here are so weak they barely make it past mating age. Our water is extremely hard, too. I have had keyholes in our water, they wither and die. Same with rams, sadly. Maybe Kribensis in the 45 gallon they are in after we upgrade? I have no idea.

Thanks for all the suggestions btw. We ARE upgrading tank size in the new year, probably around start of march because I am extremely busy coming up into Feb and my girlfriend doesn't do much with the animals, that's all me!

 

[Deadeye]

Kribs are generally also a soft water cichlid - they are pretty hardy and adaptable though.