Best Options For A 55usg

[dcarmor927]

what fish would be best in a 55 gallon tank, one being a center piece fish...I really like oscars, but i know they cant do a 55 permanently...also would discus be an option? the tank is 48"x13"x20"H...Thanks for any replies!

 

[Truck]

discus are feasible, but if you miss a water change, prepare for the worst. they are VERY delicate fish, not for beginners, they need Decent filtration. and a well maintained mature tank

 

[dcarmor927]

I'd like to think i could handle the discus, but I dont want to be overly confident... any other options? everything i was looking at gets pretty large...angels and rams were the only thing i saw that stays under 6 inches...

 

[Truck]

firemouths, festivums, convicts. theirs loads, have a look in the species index, on new worlds.

or you could go lake malawi

 

[shroob]

Jack dempseys? Salvini's?

If you want a single fish maybe a female parachromis motaguensis / loisellei / friedrichsthalii may work as a single occupant.

 

[dcarmor927]

Jack dempseys? Salvini's?

If you want a single fish maybe a female parachromis motaguensis / loisellei / friedrichsthalii may work as a single occupant.

I love the Friedrichsthalii...
What if i went with one of those with 2 fire mouths and 2 black convitcs? would i be able to get anything else? also i dont want to have to upgrade...i was going to originally, but financially it doesnt make sense for me, so i want these fish to be able to live their whole lives in this tank...

Thanks for the help so far guys!!

 

[shroob]

I'd just stick to the one fish if you chose a female parachromis, they have attitude and a set of jaws to back it up. Yellow jackets (friedrichsthalii) are often misidentified as other parachromis so becareful what you are buying. Its also important to get a female, as males could get too big for a 55 gallon (some females might also, but they tend to be smaller).

 

[dcarmor927]

oh balls...i would like more than one fish in the tank...i guess ill have to go a different route...thanks for the replies

 

[foley69]

a 55gal is shouting one thing JACK DEMPSEY they dont tend to grow as big as males and are not as aggressive on their own and can be kept with other cichlids such as what i have in my tank thew perfect tank mate for one i would say is a convict or a salvini something that can hold its own but if you buy all of them from being juvi's then you MAY never have aggression problems my tank is quite peaceful with a little chase everynow and then but thats when the salvini goes into the JD's territory

 

[dcarmor927]

a 55gal is shouting one thing JACK DEMPSEY they dont tend to grow as big as males and are not as aggressive on their own and can be kept with other cichlids such as what i have in my tank thew perfect tank mate for one i would say is a convict or a salvini something that can hold its own but if you buy all of them from being juvi's then you MAY never have aggression problems my tank is quite peaceful with a little chase everynow and then but thats when the salvini goes into the JD's territory

i like your 55 gal stock...idk like to be able to keep more fish tho...what if i got one jack dempsey with a few convicts and a pleco? i do like the convicts and i think it could be fun to try and breed them...

what about this:
2x convicts M&F
1x jack dempsey
1x blue acara
1x pleco

or could i add more fish?

 

[joshrm115]

Discus would be cool but they are REALLY pricey I would say 20$ minimum. fire mouths are ok priced and cool looking look at my sig that is a adult size male.

 

[Jim Curtis]

Discus are more like $40-$150 depending on variety. But you could do 5 or 6 in a 55 gallon.

 

[dcarmor927]

Discus are more like $40-$150 depending on variety. But you could do 5 or 6 in a 55 gallon.

I really do like discus, but i've only been keeping fish since october...so i only really have 2 months experience, granted i have learned a ton from this site (many bored days just surfing lol)...money isn't really an issue, but how hard are they to care for? i have heard its pretty difficult...

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Carl the Crimson Wonder]

If I were doing a community I would put in an angle, If it was aggresive I would get a Firemouth. That's just me

 

[dcarmor927]

ugh i feel so indecisive lol...im looking at discus and i think i want to try them...but i dont want to eff up and have wasted all the money...would i be able to buy just a pair of discus and breed them to save money lol? this is really optimistic of me...also are they really as hard to maintain as i've heard?