First Cichlid Tank

[SickLid]

I was wondering what would be the best cichlid for my first time keeping them. I want to put them in a 55 gallon tank. I was thinking of either 2 Green Terrors (male and female) or a Green Terror and a Jack Dempsey. As far as I know both are pretty territorial.

What I would like to have is a tank with 1 or 2 big fish in it (around 10 inches). The more colorful, the better.

M

[vjvl51]

You have picked two aggressive fish. Per Baensch's Aquarium Atlas, one green terror should have a tank 39 inches long. The green terrors "are aggressive and intolerent and should be kept only with tank mates hardy enough to fend for themselves."

A Jack Dempsy should have a tank of 36 inches long. They are "territorial, intolerent and a biter, the fish burrow and eat plants."

Based on this, I would recommend that you only put one fish in your tank. A 55 gallon, even with lots of hiding spots, will not be big enough for two full grown fish of these species. Think of how big a cave you must make for a 8 inch fish? 55 gallons won't give you enough room for more than 1 or 2 and the fish still need room to swim.

Vickie

[DONE45]

What did u put in the 55g after all sicklid.:)

[SickLid]

Oh, this is way in the future- I haven't made a decision yet. But I wanted to get a plan down so I can learn as much as I can before I set the tank up.

I am leaning toward the Green Terror, I would really like to put a female in there, but I don't want to have a hostile situation in the tank. Unfortunately, I don't have any friends that keep fish- so I can't buy a few Green Terrors, let them pair off and then give the others away.

My girlfriend's parents had a nice acryllic 55 gallon tank sitting in there garage when they moved in and they gave it to me. I am going to clean it up and buff out any scratches it might have. I have never really had any fish bigger than 3-4 inches and I thought it would be a nice change to have 1 or 2 big fish in a tank.

With a Green Terror, do you need to have dither fish? Or will they just be eaten?


M

[DONE45]

A pair of Green terrors sounds good for the 55g.Just get a couple as u mention and let them pair off.Then u could trade the rest back and get some store credit.The male GT will grow pretty fast and than his growth slows down,females are slow growers.A GT is a good first cichlid,I have a 8"male GT and he is really owner responsive,really active,and likes to flare at me,begs for food.Awesome fish to own..