what should i do???

[Jkoziatek]

hey, i'm kinda new to the whole cichlid thing... any one got any tips on what to do
right now i got:
30 gal tank
penguin 150 filter
air pump
heater

first things first i was wondering what fish to get. i was looking at jack dempseys, convicts, blue rams, and i'm open to other suggestions... i originally wanted a jack tankk but i dont kno what to do so i'm asking you...

anything i buy i wanna get small first... so if i were to buy any fish, it'd only be like at most 2 inches


right now my tank is running with some little goldfish in it... so the levels should be pretty good... but i need plants ( i been lookin at live plants)

any one got any tips on what plants to use, from what i understand they should be pretty hardy b.c. the jacks can be destructive.

and how many jacks can i put in, i'm looking at lil guys right now ( maybe 1 to 2" in length)

also i heard a catfish for the bottom helps cause they pick up the scraps... what kinda cat would be be good in a 30 gal

for shelter... i have a clay pot cut in half and a slate so there is two caves...

and just because i was thinking about having more then just jacks, are there any good tankmates for jacks?


i kno i have a lot of questions... i did my research toa degree just certain thigns people werent really clear about and its always good to learn a thing or two

 

[Fish on Fire]

If you want a jd, you will eventually have to upgrade to at least a 55 gallon set up. As far as tank mates go, it varies from fish to fish. You can try gt's, fire mouths, salvinis, cons, anything long those lines. Something that doesn't get too big or aggressive to be able to kill the jd, and also something that can fight back when it has to. It's not recommended to have tank mates in a 30 gallon though. XP

 

[magnus titus]

i would only get a pair of JD's but it could cause major problems later. mine hates anything else, he ate all his tank mates,even ones bigger & meaner than him so he lives by himself. when or if they decide to spawn, expect the female to be bullied.i dont have any live plants, not even in my goldfish tank, everyone is just so destructive. my JD likes to move stuff around.... his heater,filter,stones,wood....he gets very annoyed when i move things back! but it gives him something to do. kribensis are fun if you go for something else, small but quite entertaining and you could have 2 pair. they go with just about anything except larger cichlids and are quite feisty and fun to watch when they have babies.if you do decide to get a JD have fun (they are a brilliant fish) but they can be very nasty....but beautiful.

 

[Jkoziatek]

would rams be a better decision... i kno they get only about 3 inches... ( if so how many u think i could fit in my tank)