# Fun cichlids to keep



## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

30cm~30cm~60cm 
15 gallon

I only want one fish for this tank 
things iam looking for are
agression , personality, strange behaviour

Fish i am considering 
convicts 
firemouths 
servrums 
acaras 
rainbow cichlid

what other fish or fish should I choose


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## salukicichlids (Apr 16, 2009)

I think a convict would work out for you. I think severums and blue acaras get a little big for that tank since 8 inches is 20cm.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

Yer I knew I was pushing it with the servrums haha 
what about firemouths I've had a convict before


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

What about a myrnae, or cutteri? FM are too shy...


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

i will look them up


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## livewireumd (Jun 5, 2009)

FMs like to hide. Cons or Cutteri (hard to find in a lfs) will work out good for you. I <3 my cons. My male convict is my little buddy


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## Mr.Red (Sep 23, 2009)

please dont consider servrums unless down the road you will give him/she a bigger home.
i think you should consider a convict. :fish: Hardy fish =D>


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## SiNFuLWaYs (May 18, 2009)

My cons are always to the front for food or attention an my firemouths arent too bad they are used to me since im always around the tank throughout the day plus they arte in the living roo they see continuous contact. but cons more interactive.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

I want a fish that I can teach to jump feed are cons more likely to do this than FMs 
cons are very easy to get at my lfs


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## Morcs (Jun 1, 2009)

Williamleigh said:


> I want a fish that I can teach to jump feed are cons more likely to do this than FMs
> cons are very easy to get at my lfs


Im sure its doable. Plus cons are hardy as. Theyll pretty much live through any husbandry blunder or catastrophe.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

yer I no they are hardy when I was a younger I didn't give my con a water change for about 4 months (I no .how bad is that) haha 
but I would of coarse give him 25% changes weekly as I am used to dokng a lot water changes with my mbuna


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

Cutteri are just as hardy as Convicts. I love Cutteri! They are just like Convicts only way better! Their color, personality, and they are a little more peaceful! Everytime I go to their tanks they flock up to the glass waiting for food and also being curious! They are very friendly! I say Cutteri! :thumb:


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

Any other suggestions for fish
I'm really considering FM 
but I like the way convict try to attack their owner through the glass 
but it sounds like the cutteri greet their owner and that is kinda cooler than attacking


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

I want everyone that veiws this topic to share their opion on what fish to keep in this tank


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## SiNFuLWaYs (May 18, 2009)

My cons dont attack the glass but my midas does and its not a front she BITES!!! an it hurts 

My firemouths aren't too shy but are not as greeting as my cons.

Flowerhorns are very friendly well SOME like the one i have i can cradle his body an pet him. But wayyyyyy tooooo big of a fish for the tank; so out of your list i'd stick with the con.

Plus they get a nice color to them when happy an healthy mine has a red/yellow/blue coloring all over its fins/tail and belly.


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## salukicichlids (Apr 16, 2009)

Hey at least with cons you get a variety of colors...well 3 but you get the idea.


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

I prefer cons to cutteri. Cutteri, especially a lone cutteri wont have much in the way of color in my experience. Cons are more personal in general too. I'm sure there are personable cutteri out there but they are not as out going as cons IME. I have owned many of both since I have had a couple breeding pairs of both and with that you just end up with many of each.

A large male con all by himself in a 15g tank will become a very personable fish, I would guess the cutteri would be more skittish if left alone.

I have totally changed my mind on the Amatitlania "Rio Choluteca" pair I have though. I did not like them at first but now I really enjoy them. They stay smaller then cons but are even feistier in my experience. The female's, if you get a good one, have amazing colors for a few days between spawns and the pair I have fears nothing. At 2in the female latched on to my finger until she was removed from the water and dropped back in. A pair would do great in your 15g IMHO because they max out around 3-4in. tops. Just another option.

I don't think you would be disappointed with a single male con of any color variant or a pair of the Amatitlania "Rio Choluteca".


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Careful teaching your fish to jump to feed. This has been the undoing of many fish especially oscars over the years, it's not uncommon to come home and find them on your floor. I prefer hand feeding in the water. I have only had one con that would NOT do this. I did have one female cutteri that did it too. Also a female salvini which was really neat to see.

Start when they are young and fearless and they will do it forever. TFG posted a pic years ago of a school of con fry eating from his hand, very cool to see. Male cons have the potential to develop a nice little nuchal hump too. Great fish. They can be very much like little oscars.


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## LittleFrog (Jun 28, 2006)

> I have totally changed my mind on the Amatitlania "Rio Choluteca" pair I have though. I did not like them at first but now I really enjoy them. They stay smaller then cons but are even feistier in my experience. The female's, if you get a good one, have amazing colors for a few days between spawns and the pair I have fears nothing. At 2in the female latched on to my finger until she was removed from the water and dropped back in. A pair would do great in your 15g IMHO because they max out around 3-4in. tops. Just another option.


I have a pair as well, and I love mine, but I'm not sure a pair would do well at all in a 15. Mine are in a 40, and I still have to seperate them frequently because the male will beat the tar out of the female everytime he wants to spawn but she isn't ready. With a 15 gallon, there would be absolutely nowhere for the female to hide in that situation.


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## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

You wanted everyone who viewed this topic to put in their opinion so here's mine...

Personally I wouldn't put a firemouth in a tank that small. A single con could work, but have you thought about any of the dwarf cichlids like rams, cuckatoo, etc..? You could keep a pair in that tank - maybe some live plants, even a few dithers. They have interesting behaviors, and can be quite feisty!


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

LittleFrog said:


> > I have totally changed my mind on the Amatitlania "Rio Choluteca" pair I have though. I did not like them at first but now I really enjoy them. They stay smaller then cons but are even feistier in my experience. The female's, if you get a good one, have amazing colors for a few days between spawns and the pair I have fears nothing. At 2in the female latched on to my finger until she was removed from the water and dropped back in. A pair would do great in your 15g IMHO because they max out around 3-4in. tops. Just another option.
> 
> 
> I have a pair as well, and I love mine, but I'm not sure a pair would do well at all in a 15. Mine are in a 40, and I still have to seperate them frequently because the male will beat the tar out of the female everytime he wants to spawn but she isn't ready. With a 15 gallon, there would be absolutely nowhere for the female to hide in that situation.


Totally different experience then mine. Mine have gotten along great in a 29g. In fact they are never far from the bottom of the tank and don't use the top half at all. I have a couple decorations with small caves on each side and a large shell in the middle of the tank and when they need space they hang out on either side of it. Mine have always cared for the young until it was time for another batch and then they ate the older ones so I have not had any experience with the male being ready before the female either. I do have three tiger barbs in there so most of the aggression gets directed their way which might be the big difference.

I had a male and three females at the beginning did you let a pair form naturally or just put a male and female together in a tank? Another example of the verity of personalities with these fish I guess.

I have read about a pair of these being kept in a 10g too but that sounds a way to small to me.


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## LittleFrog (Jun 28, 2006)

I started out with 1 male and 3 females, and the pair formed naturally and get along beautifully most of the time, but they never eat all of the fry from the previous spawn when they spawn again, so the previous fry will eat the new fry. Most of the time it's no big deal, but every now and then the male will really go after the female. I also have dithers/target fish, Swordtails in my case, but the cichlids ignore them completely. I have since rearranged the rocks in the tank so the female has a place to go that the male can't reach, but the first time it happened I was at work and by the time I got home the female was missing an eye! Now that she has shelter, it's much better, but my male is quite the nasty bugger. Beautiful, but nasty.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

thanks I have a hood so jump feeding won't be a problem there is a small feeding flap so that they won't be able to jump out either . 
I think dwarf cichlids in my expierience are to similar to mbuna and kinda skitish
yes I'm looking for a fish like an oscar but small so a convict might be the one but FMs have a more peaceful approach toward their owners like oscars

Wat about rainbow cichlids??? 
What are they like


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

If I went with con 
the pink variety or the common?


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## salukicichlids (Apr 16, 2009)

Depends on your preference. I have both. But my pink one I got smaller and he is fun to watch he is in a 10 gallon to get a little bigger with a lone survivor buenas aires tetra. They are both about an inch but the tetra is a little bigger. He swims right up to say hello. He also chases the tetra around in circles its pretty funny.

Each fish has their own personality. Pick with color you enjoy the most.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

What does IMHO and ime and IMO mean???


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

IMHO: In My Honest Opinon (I think but I might be wrong?)

IME: In My Experience

IMO: In My Opinon


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Pretty much, I always thought IMHO was "In my humble opinion". I try not to give my dishonest opinion.

I use them a lot. They are disclaimers in a sense. It lets people know (unless they don't know what they mean of course :lol: ) that these are my opinions and experiences and that I am not try to say that they are absolutes or the only possible outcomes, saying you know what is going to happen 100% of the time is impossible with fish that have such varied personalities.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

are firemouths really that shy


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

what about rainbows cichlid


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Williamleigh said:


> are firemouths really that shy


Yes, and a lone FM wont have much color either. I have a pair in my tank now but had a third for a while. After I removed the third they are not nearly as colorful as they were before. They really really need a reason to shine, and competition is the best reason. I think you would be disappointment in the long run with a FM. With nothing to flare at you would not see that behavior and you would end up with a rather dull looking fish to boot.


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## LittleFrog (Jun 28, 2006)

> The female's, if you get a good one, have amazing colors for a few days between spawns and the pair I have fears nothing.


Just wanted to say, chrispeyweld, if your female's anything like mine, that'll change as she matures. Mine used to only show amazing color in between spawns, now she shows those colors all the time, even when spawning! Hope that happens with yours as well.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

ok con or a pair of rams it is


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

I hope so LittleFrog, total lack of color is why I got rid of the first paired female. This female has had great color from the begining byut it goes away during breeding.


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## LittleFrog (Jun 28, 2006)

That's how mine was when she was smaller, but lately she's been showing great color all the time. I do still have a couple of females from their first spawn in the tank, don't know if that makes a difference or not.


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

Buy a pink con female they are really cool looking


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

what about rainbows??????


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> what about rainbows??????


Rainbow cichlid? If so then yes a pair of Rainbows would be perfect! Anything other then Cons............... :roll: . Seriously Convicts are always suggested too people that ask what too keep on here and there are a lot of cichlids out there other then Cons that are better and worth keeping then Convicts! I have kept and spawned Convicts a hundred times and I have to say they are not my all time favorite.


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Yet you have had them a and spawned them a hundred times. And knowing you they were probably the greatest fish in the world in your opinion when you had them. You have always been a very enthusiastic owner of your fish, I am not knocking that at all.

I think a lot of people recommend Cons because they like them. I personally love their coloration, they are cool looking fish, male or female. I went through a con hating phase, I though they were bland and "too common". I like many people on here have been through some serious fish snob phases, it had to be an F1 of something I had to order from an importer that no one else had or I wasn't happy. Yet I always come back to having cons in one of my tanks, and they always end up being some of the most interesting to watch if not my favorites.

They are a VERY common fish that is true, but they are common for a reason, they are GREAT. Personable, outgoing, always doing something. The OP wanted one fish for a small wet pet and I think cons would be perfect for that. If he is looking into pairs now there are definitely many other options.

I personally would go with a shell dwellers tank for a tank that size.


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## Williamleigh (Aug 20, 2009)

yer a mini wet pet

i think a single con or rainbow pair or some rams


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> If so then yes a pair of Rainbows would be perfect


Sorry I don't know what I was thinking.............. :roll: Forgive me..........  It's a 15 gal right? I thought you had a 30 gal for some reason! :-? A single Rainbow would be perfect in there but not a pair. Even though they are mild and passive it's just not big enough for a pair. A 20 gal long could keep a pair longterm IMO.



> Yet you have had them a and spawned them a hundred times. And knowing you they were probably the greatest fish in the world in your opinion when you had them. You have always been a very enthusiastic owner of your fish, I am not knocking that at all.


Very true! My favorite fish that I have kept are Salvini and Cutteri. Texas's and Sajica are right behind them.



> I think a lot of people recommend Cons because they like them. I personally love their coloration, they are cool looking fish, male or female. I went through a con hating phase, I though they were bland and "too common". I like many people on here have been through some serious fish snob phases, it had to be an F1 of something I had to order from an importer that no one else had or I wasn't happy. Yet I always come back to having cons in one of my tanks, and they always end up being some of the most interesting to watch if not my favorites.


Oh yeah I know that's why they recommned Cons. My first cichlid I have ever kept was Convicts. I spawned Convicts for a science fair. They are very neat and I too have always found myself wanting a pair of them after a while but then I would get rid of the pair because I would get bored with them because I wanted to keep other cichlids and they just get old. They are very interesting to watch and definitely a fish to have at least once. When I had my Sajica, Texas, and Salvini pairs and now currently my Cutteri they have knocked Convicts down A LOT!! All 4 of them are excellent parents, the colors are better, the personality is better, and so on. They were all very interesting to watch and I found myself not wanting Convicts. I do not hate Convicts.



> They are a VERY common fish that is true, but they are common for a reason, they are GREAT. Personable, outgoing, always doing something. The OP wanted one fish for a small wet pet and I think cons would be perfect for that. If he is looking into pairs now there are definitely many other options.
> 
> I personally would go with a shell dwellers tank for a tank that size.


Well yes a Convict would make a good wet pet but so would other fish such as Rainbows. If you ask around a majority of your answers will be that Their first cichlid was Convicts. And if you ask why they choose Convicts a lot of their answers will be because someone suggested them. And so they go with them and then they spawn and spawn and well...........spawn. That is the main reason why they are so common but what I am saying is why not suggest other mid-sized cichlids to keep. There are other great fish out there! All of my favorite cichlids Salvini, Cutteri, Texas, and Sajica all spawn like rabbits and show the interesting care and are always active just like Convicts. With a lot of people all they know is what is in the LFS and not what is outside of the LFS and petstores. I have noticed that when I bring in fry to my LFS they will take the fry and they are familiar with them and excitied to have them in stock but then they sit in the store for a while because not a lot of people are familiar with them and only the real aquarium and cichlid lovers know what they are. I have noticed that with Petsmart as well. My petsmart got in Nics and they only lasted in the store for sale for about a month or so and no one wanted to buy them. If we start to suggest other cichlids maybe they will be just as popular as Convicts and also more kept.


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that most cichlids are really boring looking until the put on some size. And a lot of fish keepers go with the instant gratification of a fish that look good to start with. 
Also anyone who doesn't keep fish but gets a part time job in a fish store knows that that cichlids have the "aggressive" tag over their tank like Oscars which most people have heard are vicious killers of other fish and fingers, so they warn people about how they will kill every thing they put in the tank with them. We all know that this is false info but I can't tell you how many times I have heard it in my LFS.

Cons and Oscar's are gateway cichlids in regards to the SA/CA options. They have a reputation as a tough fish or as good breeders that attracts a certain kind of person and when they get them they start to learn about the world of cichlids. Then they get turned on to some of the other options available to them.

Regardless, for a 15g if you want a fish that will act like a wet pet a Con is probably your best bet.


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