what new fish should i get?????

[bluefire]

im genning a 55gal fish tank for christmas. i wa thinking of getting mbunas for it but i think that they will be too hard for me especially because of thier high pH seeing my ph is only 7. is there any other big fish that i could get for a 55gal (except american cichlids)? i really want something that is colourfull, something that would make a real feature of the room. dous anyone have any suggestions

 

[rvm]

Why not american cichlids? A lot of them fit the description you gave perfectyl. Large, colourful, full of character!!!

 

[bluefire]

yeah but ive looked at all the ones that i can get and they have pretty dull colous

 

[rvm]

are you sure? Rainbow cichlids. Blue Acaras, Firemouths Green terrors, are all colourful fish, and would all work in a 55g (the green terror would probably have to be on his own though!!) some can be quite aggressive, but it depends on what you keep with them.
It's your call, but I'm just saying that they are not all dull coloured.

 

[bluefire]

yeah well ive looked at pics of all those fish and imo they are dull, because i want something really colourful, sort of like an mbuna.
but maybe i just saw pics of unhealthy fish?

 

[Bryan]

Discus

are just what you need

 

[sylvia]

Gouramies!!! Male dwarf gouramies are very colorful fish though not large and three-spot gouramies also come in a wide range of colors though not as bright. Adult pearl gouramies are stunning if in good condition and the males in particular have beautiful contrasting markings. Thick-lipped or banded gouramies are also very colorful. There are other beautiful gouramies as well but not as brightly colored as those mentioned. The other great thing about them is that they all have an interesting, attractive body shape and long, trailing ventral 'feelers' that make them even more wonderful to look at and most are peaceful enough to be kept in a community with some shoaling or bottom dwelling fish to fill up the lower water layers as they preffer the top and middle. The larger gouramies are the most impressive and all would do well in a pH of 7. My personal favourites are the pearls and three-spot gouramies and both can easily be bred, especialy the seccond, and could be combined well with a pleco or some cories and maybe a school of tetras or danios. On the other hand, a large group of female bettas, though not large, could make a beautiful display on their own. They are just as colorful as the males and swim at all levels. I know they aren't big but they are deffinately bright and colorful.
Otherwise I would suggest sticking to some kind of cichlid or try killies or rainbowfish

 

[bluefire]

I like your suggestions brian and sylvia, but where i live discus cost $50 for the brown ones and $70 for the colourful ones. and I already have 2 gouramis and all the other fish you mentioned and i want something different, thanks for the suggestions anyway

 

[Bryan]

damn, back in the early 80's when I owned a pet store, I was buying little discus, about 1", for about $1 each. I'd raise them to about 4" then sel them for $20.
Times have changed, I'll bet I can't afford them now, I'm sure they'd be more than that here in Hawaii.

 

[bluefire]

yeah it's got to be almost the only bad thing about living in oz, everything is either expensive or unavailable(well at least in the fish hobby)

 

[loafybones]

Mbunas are really attractive and you won't find any prettier unless you go for marine. Why not try to get the water right before adding fish (do a fishless cycle) and see how you go?

I thought that they would be difficult to keep because of my water PH being about 7 but when I asked at my LFS, they said that if you get limestone rocks it will buf up the PH and general hardness.

I tried it and it worked and was not difficult at all. my fish seem to be doing fine, though they have only been in a couple of weeks but my water chemistry is ok and I haven't even had to do anything. The fella at my lfs is something of an expert so I trust him (he was the first person in britain to breed mbunas apparently) if you have a good source of advice like me then you'll do fine.