Cichlids Tank

[Fury007]

Right,
Just purchased a Texas Cichlid tank (getting it in the next few days) off a friend as he is moving interstate and not able to take the tank with him, what I'm wanting to know is what plants i can put in here to limit the aggression of the Texas towards other fish in the tank (at the moment, got two gourami's that he leaves alone and doesnt bother), the tank has got some drift wood and some rocks already, but I'm moving them to a bigger (wider and longer tank).

and secondly what other fish could i put with him? as my friend had a Yellow Peacock, Red Texas (Breeding Partner) and a Black Flank (from memory, might be wrong with this last one) in with him and they got along fine, as they all had there place in the tank (we went away for the weekend and the person looking after them decided that the fish wanted to drink some bourbon......the only survivor was the blue Texas and Gourami's), I really don't want to have to go with Oscars as while they are beautiful I'm not in the mood (or financial position) to keep having to get bigger tanks to accommodate there growth!!! but should i just replace the ones that had died? and take the risk that they might not survive or will this mix be alright??

MT

Edit: Been doing some reading online and thought the forum (lots of spare time at work) and would a Electric Yellow and Demasoni Cichlid do alright with the Texas along with the Red (proving to be VERY hard to get a replacement one) or should i look at some other types

 

[england]

you best of having south/central american cichlids,,,
1st ow big is this tank were dealing with?
texas cichlids can grow to about 12inches so not far different from oscars, not sure if it will work with gourami

 

[Fury007]

The Tank size is 4ft x 2ft x 2ft high, its around the 450L (120 USg) mark just over.

The Texas thats in there is about 5" long, so would any fish i buy will need to be around the same size so they can defend themselves??

The Gourami's are all ready in the tank with him, and he doesnt take much notice of them, they have there hiding spots and they just stay out of his way, so far it appears to be working

MT

 

[sevorod]

hi there,

i would not consider the yellow labs, as they are african cichlids and require different water chemistry and wont get along too well. also in my opinion new world cichilds are far more interesting than almost any african cichlids

texas cichlids are big and beautiful. they are usually around 10 inches or so, but i have seen males that are about 12in. they are territorial and quite aggressive, so for their tankmates, you should get either a smaller and tough cichlid that can hold themselves against texas, such as convicts or jack dempseys, or a larger and similar tempered cichlids, like midas. provide bogwood and caves. as far as the tank size, a male convict or a jd may be more appropriate for you. but if you are planning to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future, a midas and/or a green terror would be a quite nice display.

as far as plants, texas cichlids are omnivorous fish that will dig up and eat plants. the best plants would probably be java fern, but with texas', i cannot guarantee they will completely leave them alone. java ferns grow on bogwood and rocks, which can look very nice if put together well.