55 Gallon South American Cichlid Tank Help?

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E

Ewmf

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 13, 2011
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Hey, I recently got my hands on a 55 gallon aquarium. I was originally looking into something like an Oscar or Flower horn but have decided smaller fish would be better. I like aggressive fish so I was drawn to cichlids. I am just wondering a community or species only stocking of some of the larger cichlids. Like Green Terrors, Fire mouth, Convict, Servum, Jack Dempsey, or maybe even an Oscar if possible. :D I'm 14 and this is my first tank, larger than 10 gallons. So any help we be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Eric.
 
I had a breeding pair of Jack Dempseys in a 55 and they were really fun. Had lots of spawns. Try to stick with the smaller guys though. My big male of that pair was really too big for the tank and would bang the glass all the time. Cons, firemouths, blue acara, maybe a bunch of tiger barbs, or a pair of something like a JD or GT. 55 would make a great angel, ram, tetra tank.
 
Eric,

First off, I think you made a good choice in both going with cichilds and in turning to a forum like this for help for you first tank.

I am glad to hear that you are not really thinking of oscars or a FH now as a 55 would not really work for such a large fish. A 55 would work well for either a small community of smaller cichlids or it can work for a pair of some of your medium sized cichlids. So I would really decide what you want to do with the tank in that regards.

The cichlids I would research for a 55 beginner are:

Convicts
Firemouth
Salvini
Sajica
Servums
Angels
and Geos

If you are looking for something with a little more activity and somewhat aggressive you could get a lot of enjoyment out of a pair of convicts. They are great beginner cichlids and easy to find. The only problem is that they breed like crazy and sometimes it is hard to find places for the fry. Also even though this seems like a large tank it wouldn't be able to keep much else in there with a breeding pair of cons or really any of the other choices if you did go with a pair. If you decide to do a pair of cichlids the best way to get a good pair bond is to get 5-6 of them and wait for them to pair off and then return the rest.

A community idea that could work is a convict, firemouth, and maybe a JD. That would be a little crowded but could work depending on the individual fish. You will find that what works for some doesn't work for others because a lot depends on the individual cichlids aggression and personality.

Keep the questions coming and let us know what else you need help with.

-Cage
 
Convicts are a great start for anyone who wants to learn about breeding cichlids. I think that would be the way to go to get started then i think your best bet would be to move IMO one of the nicest colored fish out there(The Salvini). A very underrated fish with tons of personality and can hold its own against a good % of fish out there. Convicts will be very inexpensive to start with and salvinis wont break the bank either. I would suggest an online order from a vendor close to you if you decide on the salvini. Rapps from tangledupincichlids.com has awesome salvinis both male and female. Right now you can get 4-5 inch male and females for $25 each or you can get a lil smaller for $15 each. There are plenty of vendors just fine one closest to you... Good luck
 
I agree with the convict, firemouth and possibly the dempsey. I have one of each in a 75 with a red jewell and everyone seems to get along fine
 
Jewels make pretty nice in a 55g. Nice color, aggressive at breeding time, that or Cons...keep it simple and cheap until you think you know what you are doing...
 
A couple female Convicts and a couple Firemouths would be great in there! I have the exact same setup in a 50g at my house currently.
 
I'm impressed that you are smart enough at 14 to realize that a 55 is too small for the larger cichlids. A bunch of people on the internet recommend a 55 for the larger american cichlids (AKA- oscar, flowerhorn, red devil, midas, etc.)

If you just want the tanks main focus to be on one "wet pet" then i think that a medium-large american cichlid is the best choice!
You could get singles of Green terrors, jack dempseys, acaras, lyonsi, severum,

Or if you wanted to try group/breeding you could try convicts, firemouths, salvini, rainbow, jewel(african riverine), keyhole, anglefish, discus, rams, dwarf(apistograma)

I've also heard of eartheaters/geophagus doing well in a 55gal, but have never tried it myself
 
Eric, nice job doing your homework and asking for advice before stocking your tank :clap that shows a lot of maturity on your part. I agree with most everything cage623 recommended minus the geos, there are not many species that will thrive in a 55 gallon. It's refreshing to see some maturity in our younger members, good luck and congrats on the larger tank!
 
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