Green Terror in 55-Gallon

[FINWIN]

If you want a personable small cichlid, you need to raise it the same way we do big cichlids. All by itself in a sufficient sized tank for it's final size. You will have to spend time with it several times a day to build the bond. Any tankmates will distract from the bond your building.

Get preferably a male Convict type or Acara depending on if you have hard or softer water. Give it some water surface coverage, some hides to get out of view. Soon enough you will have that wet puppy fish we all love.

Again the big part of this is you spending time with it. It won't get attached to you if you never spend the time. Put his tank right next to the couch you sit on all night streaming shows.

Put in the effort and little fry
View attachment 1527477
With time and care turn into
View attachment 1527478

That draw blood when you do tank maintenance and have to net train him just to clean...View attachment 1527479View attachment 1527480

I never get tired of that last pic...Casper looks depressed

 

[FINWIN]

That's the issue, which goes beyond fish size vs. tank size and needs to account for temperament and behavior. The smaller the tank the less tolerant something like a GT tends to be toward tankmates, especially other cichlids and especially after it gets some size to it and once it hits sexual maturity. Due largely to front to back dimensions, that threshold can be a good bit less for a 55 than a 75-- after you've had some bigger tanks your perspective will change, a 55 will seem small, like it does to most people here, and you'll be more conscious of its limitations. A couple of catfish could work, though that may depend on the particular GT, or you could temporarily house a small GT with a few other fish, but how rewarding will it be to ultimately either need to rehome your GT or the other fish?

Only if the background sticks outside the tank, unless you were keeping small fish I wouldn't further narrow the dimensions of a 55 by inserting a 3D background.

I learned the hard way Oscars don't like feeling crowded. When it happens bad stuff happens.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

I agree that a big male convict is the best wet pet for that size tank. You could definitely do multiple fish with it, but as mentioned it becomes less of a wet pet that way. It will still be interactive even with other fish though, just not as much.
There are definitely bichirs for that size tank, you’d just be losing out on activity with them (not a worry if you aren’t looking for an active fish). I’m in no way a bichir expert so I can’t comment on number. All I can say is that if it were me, I wouldn’t max out on bichirs but instead do one senegal along with other tankmates.
Red wolf is still a great option, but it will not work out with many tankmates long term.
I know you don’t like small schooling fish, but most setups are incomplete without them, with the exception of fish that will eat them. Speaking from experience, a tank of just aggressive glassbangers is one of the most boring and stressful displays you can come up with (they are usually not active fish, and when they are it’s to fight each other).

Yeah I think I'm going to ditch the singular pet and go with more schooling fish/oddballs

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

Ok, what unusual schooling fish are there? Like tetras, barbs, etc.

I'm not interested in Exodons as I want to have other fish in the tank, and I'm not going to put them at risk with little piranhas, but I'm now open shop for other types of tetras.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

Hey y'all! Here are some of the stocking ideas I've been thinking of:


Setup 1:

6 Clown Loaches (I heard they grow very slowly, so I think I can keep a small school for a few years), 10 Tiger barbs, and 2 Striped Raphaels (this might be overstocked...)

Setup 2:

1 Dojo Loach (Or smaller eel like a Peacock eel), 5 Pearl Gouramis, 6 or 8 Diamond Tetras (maybe), and 1 Striped Raphael Catfish.

Setup 3:

A mixed species Rainbow fish setup, 6-8 Corys (Emeralds or another smaller species), 1 Striped Raph.

Setup 4:

6-8 Congo Tetras, 1 Ropefish, 1 Striped Raphael Catfish, 1 Four-eyed Anableps (maybe, if I can find one in-person), 1 Pictus Catfish.

Setup 5:

3-6 Silver Dollars, 6-8 Corys, 1 Striped Raphael

Here is my personal ranking of these setups:

1. Setup 1 and Setup 2 are tied
2. Setup 4
3. Setup 3
4. Setup 5

What do y'all think? Changes? More Setup ideas? I was also thinking about combining Setups 1 and 2 together.

 

[duanes]

What are your tap water parameters?
Hardness, pH, conductivity, etc.
These parameters will help you decide what tetras (or any other fish) are best suited for the water you have.
Many Amazonian tetras do best in low pH, soft water. Cardinals are an example of those.
Tetras hailing from Central America are just the opposite, evolved to live in high pH hard water.

Genus Roeboides above topping out at about 4"
Brycon below getting a bot larger

Astyanax below topping out around 5"

All the above caught in rivers with a pH at or above 8.


video of their natural habitat below
Rio Utive Underwater 2 FA838C92 CE34 44CE BE1A 4722A962C5E2 medium

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

What are your tap water parameters?
Hardness, pH, conductivity, etc.
These parameters will help you decide what tetras (or any other fish) are best suited for the water you have.
Many Amazonian tetras do best in low pH, soft water. Cardinals are an example of those.
Tetras hailing from Central America are just the opposite, evolved to live in high pH hard water.
View attachment 1527500View attachment 1527501
Genus Roeboides above topping out at about 4"
Brycon below getting a bot larger
View attachment 1527502View attachment 1527503
Astyanax below topping out around 5"
View attachment 1527505View attachment 1527506
All the above caught in rivers with a pH at or above 8.
View attachment 1527507
View attachment 1527508
video of their natural habitat below
Rio Utive Underwater 2 FA838C92 CE34 44CE BE1A 4722A962C5E2 medium

I don't know the exact parameters, but I know my water is very hard and higher PH. I'll try to get some more definite numbers.

 

[duanes]

I don't know the exact parameters, but I know my water is very hard and higher PH. I'll try to get some more definite numbers.

If its very hard with a high pH, it will be important to choose the fish you keep carefully.
Some soft water water fish are very susceptible to diseases like HITH in hard water.
Some of those include (not that you will now keep them,) oscars, severums, some Geophagines, larger growing Amazonian tetras etc etc.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

Okay, I have a few more stocking ideas and also some decor setup ideas:

Decor Ideas:

For Asian + SA themes: Plants with Dragon Stone

For pure SA themes: Plants (depending on fish) and driftwood

For Australian + SA themes: Plants, Driftwood, and smooth cobbles (rocks).

For mixed themes: Plants, Driftwood, Rocks etc.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stocking Ideas (continued from the original list):

Setup 6:

5-6 Platinum parrots (or convict parrots), 2 Striped Raphael Catfish, maybe some livebearers?

Setup 7:

4-5 Dantum or Altum Angelfish, 1 Striped Raphael Catfish, 6-8 Cory Catfish.

Setup 8 (combo of setups 1 and 2):

7-9 Tiger Barbs (or switch Tiger barbs out for 2-5 Pearl Gouramis), 4-5 Clown Loaches, 1 Dojo Loach, 1 Striped Raph catfish

Setup 9:

2 Ornamental Goldfish (Ranchus, Ryukins, maybe Lionheads), 1 Dojo Loach, 1 Striped Raphael Catfish

Setup 10 (Pure catfish setup):

2-3 Upside Down cats, 5-6 Glass cats, 3-4 Striped Raph cats, maybe 1 other Syno species.

Once again, here are my personal rankings:

1. Setup 8
2. Setup 10
3. Setup 9
4. Setup 7
5. Setup 6

Thoughts? More ideas?

 

[duanes]

I will only comment on set up #7
Wild type angels like Altums, come from very "soft" acidic water conditions, pH range very limited, from 4.8 too 6.2.
If that's not your water type, I'd consider #7 a no go on water parameters alone.