Ok, Inspire Me Please !

[hamfist]

Just looking for a few ideas for my 500 litre (130 gallon) tank.

It's mostly working very well. What I have in there is ....

1 x 8" male midas cichlid
1 x 7" male GT
1 x Bristlenose
1 x 3.5" male flowerhorn

THe Midas and GT and BN get on really well. The Midas is boss, but he and the GT have a good understanding and get on pretty famously really. The GT knows who is boss, and the Midas cuts him a lot of slack in return. The BN just does his own thing. The rest of them ignore him.
It's the little flowerhorn who is really the problem. He is only a little fella but is already seriously challenging the Midas for leadership of the tank (well in his mind he is !). He is just full of hormones. I can't see him working out in the tank for much longer. Just too aggressive, too territorial and too confident. He is a lovely little chap, and just so tame, but will have to go at some point. I really like the Midas and GT, and will not sacrifice them to be able to keep the FH.

So I'm lookig for ideas of what to replace the FH with. I am pretty confident that the other guys will accept anything small, as I had a small Vieja regani juvenile in there last week, and they were all just fine with him (apart, of course, from the little FH, who went nuts !).
I don't want to put anything that will grow big in there. I think two big, territorial cichlids in the tank is enough. I don't like overstocking either.

Was thinking maybe of some dither-type fish. Rainbows ? Giant Danios ? But silver Dollars will get bigger than I want.
Another option is to get one or two of a smaller species of cichlid, something like Rainbow or Sajica cichlids. These are not big enough to threaten the Midas' leadership. And he seems really cool with anything significantly smaller than himself (even the lunatic FH I have in there at the moment).
Also thought of a nicaraguan maybe ?

So any suggestions are welcome, even weird ones. Anything considered !

 

[stephen.h89]

what about convicts, i can sort u out as many as u need...lol

 

[star4]

Personally I think it will be a case of try something and see, no guarantees other fish will get on. I must admit a jag would probably go nice???, shame Carp was a poorly texas. I had 4 male convicts in with my texas, but now regret selling them, they were a great aggression diffuser, touble is everyone started to grow so I had no choice but the re-home the cons, a fully grown convict is a really nice fish. Have you thought about a jack dempsey?

 

[Verminator89]

I second the Jack Dempseys. Lesley has seen my pair first hand and can vouch at their beauty, and i think i've got her more than little hooked haha.

 

[hamfist]

I second the Jack Dempseys. Lesley has seen my pair first hand and can vouch at their beauty, and i think i've got her more than little hooked haha.

Your JD's certainly are a great advert for the species. I think getting a small male JD to grow up with the tank is another potentially good option for me.

Adding a convict is another potential idea. Although, my experience of cons is that they are very, very aggressive and territorial, even though not that big. That's what I'm trying to get away from by getting rid of the FH.

I've not owned a JD before, but my impression is that they are considerably more mellow than convicts - please correct me if I'm wrong.

Oh another point for any potential additions is that they must like hard, very alkaline water.

 

[kizno1]

I would go for a Jag there one of the nicest looking cichlids IMO but JDs do look amazing aswell.

 

[hamfist]

I would go for a Jag there one of the nicest looking cichlids IMO but JDs do look amazing aswell.

I suspect that a Jag and a Midas in a 500 litre is probably asking for trouble in the long run. Both are potentially big, big aggressive brutes.

Don't know if I'm being stupid even considering a JD.

 

[kizno1]

I think a JD would be just as aggressive though wouldnt it?

 

[Verminator89]

My experience is that the JD's aggression has grossly been mis-labelled. I've never had any issues with JD's aggression. Yes they will keep smaller fish in check, and they do have the odd nip at my angels but never anything other than a nip and thats only during breeding. I kept my electric blue male with japonica shrimp with no issues at all untill i introduced a normal female jd and then she taught him to see them as food.

Jack Dempseys IMHO are tentative, shy and dosile cichlids. I honestly believe you have more chance of a JD being bullied into a corner more than you do of it being a dominant fish in your tank.

Your by no means mad for concidering a dempsey. I know you stated you never liked them, i can't for the life of me think why lol, but they are fantastic.

 

[shroob]

Agree that a jag and RD (and green terror) may be asking for trouble, though I wouldn't rule it out. If I'm right 500 litres is a tank around 6' x 18" x 24"? Which could house a jag, RD and GT though it would be very dependend on the indiviudal fish. Much more of a chance of it working with a female jag, however if you are removing the flowerhorn due to aggression, you may not want the aggro this combination might bring.

JD's (named after the legendary boxer), got their reputation and common name when there was less choice available. As such for its day it was considered aggressive, now that more species, with more of an attitude, are available they aren't considered as pugnacious.

If it was my tank I would go with smaller cichlids, I think a salvini would be able to hold its own in that tank, they may be timid at first but they definitely have an attitude. Perhaps a smaller member of the Parachromis genus could work (friedrichsthalii, motaguensis or loisellei).

 

[hamfist]

My experience is that the JD's aggression has grossly been mis-labelled. I've never had any issues with JD's aggression. Yes they will keep smaller fish in check, and they do have the odd nip at my angels but never anything other than a nip and thats only during breeding. I kept my electric blue male with japonica shrimp with no issues at all untill i introduced a normal female jd and then she taught him to see them as food.

Jack Dempseys IMHO are tentative, shy and dosile cichlids. I honestly believe you have more chance of a JD being bullied into a corner more than you do of it being a dominant fish in your tank.

Your by no means mad for concidering a dempsey. I know you stated you never liked them, i can't for the life of me think why lol, but they are fantastic.

I have certainly read other's opinions about JD's that say the same.

And BTW, they are definately growing on me !

 

[Verminator89]

Do it! Do it! Do it!

 

[hamfist]

If it was my tank I would go with smaller cichlids, I think a salvini would be able to hold its own in that tank, they may be timid at first but they definitely have an attitude. Perhaps a smaller member of the Parachromis genus could work (friedrichsthalii, motaguensis or loisellei).

Yes, a salvini. Another good suggestion. One of my local MA's has a reasonable selection of those I think (certainly used to a few weeks ago).

My tank is 5'x2'x2' BTW.

 

[Flagtail]

I think you can try a Jaguar cichlid, or some firemouths.

 

[shroob]

Now knowing the dimensions of the tank, 5ft might be a bit cramped for a RD, GT and a Jag. Bearing in mind jaguars do reach 15" in aquariums with larger specimins not that rare.

Now knowing the dimensions of the tank, 5ft might be a bit cramped for a RD, GT and a Jag. Bearing in mind jaguars do reach 15" in aquariums with larger specimins not that rare.