# stocking Ideas



## imfbrad (Apr 13, 2009)

I am waiting for my tank to cycle. Its a 55 gallon. I was thinking with going with all males. 1 Jack Dempsey, 1 Firemouth, 1 oscar, 1 green terror, 1 convict, and maybe some silver dollars or some type of schooling fishs. Let me know your opinions. they will be greatly appriciated.


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that is not a reasonable stocking list for a tank that size.

I know the feeling. That tank looks huge. But Oscars might get longer than that tank is wide (front to back) and they create a lot of waste. Some on this forum say you could house an Oscar all by itself in a 55g but most will say you need a larger tank. Note that is for a *lone* Oscar.

I have had a JD, Con, and Firemouth in a 55g and it worked well for me. I have had a GT, a Con and a Firemouth in a 55g but when the GT hit 7-8in. in about a year it would not tolerate any other fish in the tank I moved it to a six foot long 125g and it claimed half of it.

Granted all fish have different personalities. But the Oscar if you go that route will want and need that 55g to itself if not a bigger tank.


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

That's a lot of fish for a 55g. One thing to consider is the adult size of these fish . Oscars can get 16" and tend to average 12", JDs 10"+, GTs 10"+. It may not seem all that much, but it makes for cramped conditions in a 4' long tank. Throw in the other cichlids at 6" each and things can get ugly in there. Unless this is a grow out tank for a (much) larger tank in the near future, I can't see it working for very long. It's a do-able stocking just not for a 55g.


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## imfbrad (Apr 13, 2009)

I am planning to get a bigger aquarium around Christmas. But what would be a good stocking idea for the 55. I definitly want the JD. Thanks


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## knfanning (Mar 5, 2009)

I'm not too experienced with keeping cichlids yet but I would say you could do JD, FM, and convict, or GT and Convict, or single oscar. Silver Dollars might not be the best choice of dithers either as they can get quite big themselves. Giant Danios are good supposedly, as are rummy nose tetras.


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## earth intruder (Oct 14, 2008)

knfanning said:


> I'm not too experienced with keeping cichlids yet but I would say you could do JD, FM, and convict, or GT and Convict, or single oscar. Silver Dollars might not be the best choice of dithers either as they can get quite big themselves. Giant Danios are good supposedly, as are rummy nose tetras.


Really? I would think the rummynose would get eaten.


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

When I had my JD, Con, Firemouth set up i used Blackskirt tetras. I got them when the cichlids were small and never lost one to aggression. 
They are one of my personal favorites for small to medium sized cichlids.

Another option is to get a pair of smaller cichlids and the lone JD you want to go with them, but breeding does bring higher levels of aggression so it is a little more risky but doable IMO.


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## knfanning (Mar 5, 2009)

earth intruder said:


> knfanning said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not too experienced with keeping cichlids yet but I would say you could do JD, FM, and convict, or GT and Convict, or single oscar. Silver Dollars might not be the best choice of dithers either as they can get quite big themselves. Giant Danios are good supposedly, as are rummy nose tetras.
> ...


 Dithers are after all expendable fish. If you add some plant coverage up top and add them while the cichlids are young they may last for a little while anyways. Like I said I'm not too experienced with this all yet. I personally think they are good to have initially because their nose color is a good indication of water quality. You could always just go with tiger barbs though also.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

knfanning said:


> Dithers are after all expendable fish..


Absolutely untrue. Dithers are permanent members of the aquarium, just as cichlids are. Expendable fish are called feeders. They preform differant functions in the aquarium.


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## mncherie1 (Mar 27, 2009)

I set up my 1st 55 gal based on color!!! Yikes  
I HAD a red devil, green terror (2 babies), a firemouth, red jewel and an oscar. 1 yr later I had Oscar left, he was quite beaten up by the firemouth, before he ate him. Eventually the poor thing developed hole in the head, because I only cleaned the water every 7-10 days. 
He was miserable!!! I treated him with meds, did daily water changes for almost a month and luckily my LFS took him back and sold him to a guy with a 250gal. I really miss him, he was great and if you add the price of the fish he ate, he was quite valuable. :fish: 
IMO, you should go with the firemouths, they are beautiful and do not get as big as the others. Did you look at blood red jewels? An incredible little wet pet. I also have some blue acaras, they are not as colorful when they are little, but soooo much fun to watch. 
Good luck!!!


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

dwarfpike said:


> knfanning said:
> 
> 
> > Dithers are after all expendable fish..
> ...


Not absolutely. We add dithers to draw out reclusive cichlids and so forth with the intent that they become permanent residents . Ultimately however they are indeed expendable. Whether by design or circumstance , we cannot always prevent their loss and to not expect a few to disappear is to not understand the nature of our choice of pet. Even the most mild mannered cichlid will strike a target of opportunity should it percieve that to be the case. Not expecting to have losses, means not having dithers. We take great steps to minimize this but in the end there are always losses and better a two dollar tetra than a prized cichlid. We simply dont have that kind of control if we choose to keep dithers.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Yes, you may lose one or two, but that doesn't make them expendable. You pick dithers that will work with the cichlids you are keeping. You may underestimate the size of a cichlid's mouth once in a while, but if you are adding dithers then you are making a conscious choice to add permanent members to your aquarium. Dithers are not throw away fish, those are feeders.

Adding fish for aggression are called target fish, which tetras don't do a good job of anyway. Target fish and dithers are not really interchangable. If you mean a target fish, or feeders, then use those terms.

Most larger cichlids don't require dithers anyway, as they tend to be more outgoing. Adding a school of fish to a jag tank where the jag isn't hiding is not adding dither fish.


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

I agree with you on 99% of what your saying. My point is simple , our fish don't care that the school of black skirts we added are dithers , targets , or feeders. They see them how they see them. We assume a certain risk in adding them , therefore we must accept a level of expendability is involved in that action. As I mentioned before, we do what we can to prevent predation . The only part we control is their presence the rest is up to the cichlid as to whether or not his tankmates are dinner or dither. And yes, I know the difference between dither , target , and feeder but we and our fish don't always see eye to eye on the matter.


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## LJ (Sep 12, 2007)

Joels fish said:


> My point is simple , our fish don't care that the school of black skirts we added are dithers , targets , or feeders. They see them how they see them. We assume a certain risk in adding them , therefore we must accept a level of expendability is involved in that action. As I mentioned before, we do what we can to prevent predation .


Agree.


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## knfanning (Mar 5, 2009)

Joels fish said:


> I agree with you on 99% of what your saying. My point is simple , our fish don't care that the school of black skirts we added are dithers , targets , or feeders. They see them how they see them. We assume a certain risk in adding them , therefore we must accept a level of expendability is involved in that action. As I mentioned before, we do what we can to prevent predation . The only part we control is their presence the rest is up to the cichlid as to whether or not his tankmates are dinner or dither. And yes, I know the difference between dither , target , and feeder but we and our fish don't always see eye to eye on the matter.


/Agree


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

Anyways guys lets get back on track and help Brad :wink: .

So how big a tank are you planning on getting? Personally I'd go with something in the 6' range since you seem to like some of the larger cichlids. Also what type of filtration are you going to be using for you tank?


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## imfbrad (Apr 13, 2009)

i was thinking about a 75 to 125 range. But right now I have a 55 what would be a good stocking idea for the 55?


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

Well that kinda depends on just what you want. JDs and GT's grow slow so if that's what you want then they'll work in the 55g untill you get the bigger tank. Firemouths and Convicts can live long term / forever in a 55g . Oscars grow like weeds on miracle grow (1" a month on average) so wouldn't be the best choice in a 55g comunity , not to mention that they are pretty messy/ produce a lot of waste .

Personally for something like a 55g I'd go with some of the smaller to medium sized CA cichlids like Cryptoheros species and such. gives you a little more flexiblity since many of those are relatively low on the aggression meter. Also the South American dwarfs and dwarf acaras are well suited to that size tank. They for the most part wont get over 6" in length and gives you a lot of stocking options. Some of the smaller growing Aequidens species (full sized acaras) would do well in there too. And we cant forget about Dwarf pikes . You've got a bit of time while that 55 is cycling , so check out the profiles section ( there's a button for it under the add banner at the top of the page) and start looking . There are many species that can work well for you just do a little more snooping and you'll find more options than you think you have. And you can check out the cookie cutter setups in the library section too. Some of those are pretty good though I find they require a little tweaking on the stock . :thumb:


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## imfbrad (Apr 13, 2009)

What would go with green terrors. How about a stocking idea with them.


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## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

GT's grow pretty slowly, but ultimately a 55G really isn't a suitable to tank for an adult male. A female would probably be ok, but you wouldn't be able to sex them at smaller sizes. For this sized tank, I'd consider a salvini, firemouth, convict, and a bunch of dithers...just my two cents


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

imusuallyuseless said:


> GT's grow pretty slowly, but ultimately a 55G really isn't a suitable to tank for an adult male. A female would probably be ok, but you wouldn't be able to sex them at smaller sizes. For this sized tank, I'd consider a salvini, firemouth, convict, and a bunch of dithers...just my two cents


I second that, it would be a great looking tank.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

chrispyweld said:


> imusuallyuseless said:
> 
> 
> > GT's grow pretty slowly, but ultimately a 55G really isn't a suitable to tank for an adult male. A female would probably be ok, but you wouldn't be able to sex them at smaller sizes. For this sized tank, I'd consider a salvini, firemouth, convict, and a bunch of dithers...just my two cents
> ...


As for dithers I have had pretty good success with Ameca Splendens with my Nics... Granted I've only had the tank up and running a couple of weeks, but in that time I have only lost 1 Ameca and I can't pin the death on my Nics as she wasn't marked up... I kept various tetras & barbs with convicts & JD's in the past and I used to lose at least 1 a day on average - except Rosey Barbs, they lasted longer then Tigers or Serpae Tetras.

On the flip side it could be the fact that I have Nics instead of Cons & JD's this time around!

Anyhow my vote is for a livebearer of some sort for dithers - if you're going with CA cichlids the livebearers are also from that region...


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## imfbrad (Apr 13, 2009)

what are Nics?


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## MonteSS (Dec 8, 2008)

Hypsophorys nicaraguense. Fish in my avatar.

....Bill


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

imfbrad said:


> what are Nics?


A very cool CA cichlid I am finding out... I've had a male & female for about 2 weeks now and I am thrilled with them... They are exhibiting the courtship behaviour that makes Convicts so fascinating but with a fraction of the aggression (although I should wait until they have free swimming fry before I get too high & mighty about that).

Just one look at Bills avatar tells you how pretty they can be!


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## HiImSean (Apr 5, 2007)

with a 55g, you're going to be limited to one or two cichlids. if you get them small they will be about 7-8" by christmas time. most the fish you want get about 10"+ and can be aggressive.

A JD or GT would make a good wetpet in the tank. salvinis are aggressive and a pair would do great in the tank. pikes are also very interesting. i got a sveni pike for my 125g and he quickly became one of my favorite fish. always active and up in the front of the tank when i come by.

as for dithers i used giant danios in my 55g. they did great but my datnoid killed all 5 of them  im thinking of getting a school again for my 125g


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

growing out the fish you've mentioned in the 55 will work (minus the oscar). I'd highly suggest getting a 125g for their more permanent home. The 6' length will give more space (most tanks you'll find under 125g are all 4') and allow for more territory plus the extra swimming space gives room for someone to get away if they get chased. The more room each has the less the chance for conflict between them. Plus growing them out together as juvies will help reduce aggression as well.


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