# Most active/personable 5-8" cichlid?



## swifty (Jan 12, 2013)

Looking for a single fish for a future 40b, that will currently be in a 20g long growout. I've narrowed down my options to these:

-lone Red jewel
-Female Salvini
-Female jack dempsey
-male convict
-2 female convicts (the pair would almost act as one I assume)
-blue acara
-rainbow (again, if i can find one)

-open to suggestions?

I already have a 7 month old firemouth with dithers in my 29g and he is as active as can be. I'd like something similar, and these are the ones I've seen come up.

Any previous/current owners of those listed want to share some experiences? I basically am looking for an active fish, that can be active without dithers, and still have decent human interaction.


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## Zombie Cichlid (Jun 26, 2012)

If your are planning on keeping just 1 fish in that 40 gallon tank and you want an interactive fish, i'd go for a Salvini or a Flowerhorn or a Green Terror or even an Hybrid(like the ones i have and are listed in my signature).


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

Zombie Cichlid said:


> If your are planning on keeping just 1 fish in that 40 gallon tank and you want an interactive fish, i'd go for a Salvini or a Flowerhorn or a Green Terror or even an Hybrid(like the ones i have and are listed in my signature).


The green terror and flowerhorn get way too big for 40 breeder. I would say out of all the fish on your list only the female convict pair would be the only things I would keep in a 40 gallon, just because 40 is not enough room/length for swimming for most Central Americans.


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## swifty (Jan 12, 2013)

Really? I was under the impression that the female green terror/jack dempsey normally get 6-8", and are slow growers.

Flowerhorn I know to avoid for sure, since those get much larger.


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## Cichlid209 (Nov 29, 2012)

swifty said:


> Really? I was under the impression that the female green terror/jack dempsey normally get 6-8", and are slow growers.
> 
> Flowerhorn I know to avoid for sure, since those get much larger.


green terrors and jack dempseys are slower growers yes but i would still look for females to get at least 8 inches and a three foot tank doesn't give them that much room to swim at that size . even though its 18 inches wide which is good. a 4 foot tank would be minimum ideal for cichlids like that .


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

I agree stay away from the monster, go for something in between, though don't do a breeding pair of convict, you will have so much fry you wont know what to do with them. How about a discus pair. At first their shy but later on they come up to the glass and you can even feed them with your hand. 

Cichlidman14


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

Cichlidman14 said:


> I agree stay away from the monster, go for something in between, though don't do a breeding pair of convict, you will have so much fry you wont know what to do with them. How about a discus pair. At first their shy but later on they come up to the glass and you can even feed them with your hand.
> 
> Cichlidman14


+1 a Discus pair would be nice, but if your stuck on CA cichlids you could buy 4 to 5 one inchers of whatever is on your list and let them grow out. Just be ready to have someone to take them when they get too big or a bigger tank to move them too


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## rmcder (Jul 9, 2005)

I agree with the convicts (or rainbows). I've had rainbows in the past, and they are VERY active swimmers. Rainbows are also very mellow, so you don't have to worry about putting smaller fish in as dithers or for color.

Salvinis tend to be ambush predators and somewhat shy. Dempsey/GT are personable, but may be a little squeezed in that tank. These last three will also tend to kill/snack on smaller fish in the tank.


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## djoneser (Mar 20, 2008)

EBJD stay small, compared to normal JD's. You have room for 1 maybe, with a BN pleco as a cleaner and some dithers (rainbows or danios)


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