Need Some Help Picking A "centerpiece" Fish

[Katty]

I'd be very thankful if someone could help me find and narrow down a nice fish to go in my 20 gallon tall tank. I have green neon tetras and albino corydoras in the tank but need something as a "centerpiece". I foolishly tried a blue ram in there, which did great for a month until he faded away and died. I'm still attracted to the aspect of a dwarf cichlid but I think I should go with a fish that's not so sensitive and with a better track record this time. I'd like a fish that is fine either alone or in pairs or even trios, just not an explicitly shoaling fish. A bonus would be if it fit the South American region theme but I'm not going to be that picky.

The pH is about 7.4 and the tank is moderately planted (there is a pic of it in my profile if you are curious).

I've been looking at apisto and krib profiles but I'm not too sure if I can handle them after the results of my ram endeavor. If anyone has any first hand experience with them and if you'd think I could try them I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[jacko32]

have a look at the laetacara dorsigera and curviceps there all stunning or the apistogramma genus most common and easy to get are cockatoo or agassizi but all apisto's are stunning in my opinion

 

[Katty]

I love the two laetacaras you posted, they aren't as vibrant as apistos but I like the stumpy "cute" look they have. Do the laetacara dorsigera and curviceps do better as single fish or in pairs?

 

[jacko32]

I love the two laetacaras you posted, they aren't as vibrant as apistos but I like the stumpy "cute" look they have. Do the laetacara dorsigera and curviceps do better as single fish or in pairs?

they are fine on there own or in a pair
the apistos need to be kept either as a single male or in a hareem 1 male to 2 or more females

 

[Gvilleguy]

If you like the South American Ram type - check out Bolivian Rams. They are supposed to be much more hardy than German Blues. The Bolivians get to be 3-4", I think. I just ordered some for my tank (as a centerpiece) to go with my Neon Tetras and Danios.

 

[PaBucsFan]

I have Koi Swordtails as my centerpiece. I don't think anything beats the sharp contrast of their bright orange and white bodies! Definitely an attention getter.

 

[shroob]

If you like the 'squat' look, perhaps consider the keyhole cichlid, Cleithracara maronii.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Not Southa American but for that size tank a dwarf gourami is a possibility, fantastic colours. They will normally look a bit drab in the LFS but will brighten up nicely if you provide a good environment

http/www.nbrooksdesign.co.uk/Aqua%20Life%20web%20site/images/dwarf_gourami.jpg

 

[Carlovel1]

Kribs are great, well worth getting!
Or if you want to stick with SA theme, you could look into Rainbow Cichlids

 

[scotty]

how about putting a bit of bogwood in,would maybe lower your ph a bit,to make it ideal for apistos

 

[Katty]

I'm not too wild about the koi swordtails or the dwarf gouramis. I'll still keep gouramis as a last resort if I cannot find or have any luck with anything else. I know I can find dwarf gouramis and bolivian rams very easy locally though.

So far my favorites are the laetacara dorsigera and curviceps, then the rainbow and the keyhole cichlids. But a big problem might be finding them in my area. I wandered into the lfs the other day and couldn't find any of the first two, even after asking. I'll still have to see about the other two cichlids and at different stores though. They had tons of bolivian rams though.

Are kribs and/or apistos very aggressive? Or any of the other suggestions for that matter. I don't want my corydoras eaten... I've been "googling" all of these fish but you guys might instantly see some red flags that I don't.

 

[Carlovel1]

Kribs and Apisto arent aggressive in the bullying sense, more like territorial. Whenever my Cories approach my Krib's Crib, the pair peck them away, nothing more.

 

[Nonserviamgr]

How about an angelfish? If not two gouramis could be great.. One male and one female, one gold and one blue

 

[Katty]

Don't angelfish eat neon tetras?

 

[Gvilleguy]

Don't angelfish eat neon tetras?

Yes.