Cichlid questions please....

[CptCrusty1]

So I bought a new 60g and made it clear I was going to set it up for Oscars (just 3). I've heard that oscars will be limited by tank size, and I've heard the opposite; however, this is why I stuck with 3.

1 week after getting the tanks set up and 3 happy little oscars running around (1.5inches each) my other half informed that she was disappointed that there will be only 3 fish in the tank... never mind that they'll be bigger...

(sigh)....


I want cichlids.. I want cichlids that are aggressive and eat other fish out of spite and do it frequently... my wife wants them to be small enough to have several with lots of colors...

Any suggestions?

Crusty.

[myjohnson]

Get more oscars?

They will eat each other down to one.

Profit????

[CptCrusty1]

Seriously folks. I know I can mix various different African cichlids that have lots of colors, etc. I have to consider male/female ratio, more than one species, etc. I just want a good mix of 5-10 African Cichlids that I can feed minnows and ghost shrimp to my hearts content.....

[ScorpiosWife]

Crusty, just a word of advice. Oscars need about 55g each & will reach about a foot long in a year. I realize that's not the case now, but sooner than later it will be. If you want 3 Oscars & different kinds of fish, you're going to have to get something that an Oscar can't fit in it's full grown mouth & a bigger tank. They will attempt to eat anything they can fit in their mouth. Bloodbath it will be, so don't spend a lot on colorful pretty fish for the wife. Even a 2 inch Oscar can take down a feeder goldfish. Their jaws are hinged, hence the ability to eat pretty large stuff!

[peter]

get a few red jewels,yellow labs,peacos they came in diferents colos they get beautiful wen biger trust me,clow loaches, hope this help you.

[CptCrusty1]

Crusty, just a word of advice. Oscars need about 55g each & will reach about a foot long in a year. I realize that's not the case now, but sooner than later it will be. If you want 3 Oscars & different kinds of fish, you're going to have to get something that an Oscar can't fit in it's full grown mouth & a bigger tank. They will attempt to eat anything they can fit in their mouth. Bloodbath it will be, so don't spend a lot on colorful pretty fish for the wife. Even a 2 inch Oscar can take down a feeder goldfish. Their jaws are hinged, hence the ability to eat pretty large stuff!

The oscars were supposed to be a temporary deal until I could get the materials together for a small SW tank. I never intended on keeping those monsters in that close of confinement... unless I wanted to get rid of the dog....

Next post says Red Jewels, Yellow Labs.....

[CptCrusty1]

get a few red jewels,yellow labs,peacos they came in diferents colos they get beautiful wen biger trust me,clow loaches, hope this help you.

Do you mean Red Jewels, Yellow Labs, Placos??, and Clown Loaches??

[CptCrusty1]

I can do the red Jewels and Yellow Labs... how about something blue in color? any other suggestions?

[mistahoo]

Demasoni? Electric Blues? Just go to the assorted african tanks that are in almost every store and pick out from there. Unless this isn't going where I thought it was?

[troy tucker]

IMO...You should take the oscar back to the LFS. trade them for some instore cred. Then let her pick the fish she likes...

[CptCrusty1]

IMO...You should take the oscar back to the LFS. trade them for some instore cred. Then let her pick the fish she likes...

Um.... No. NO... Not no but Heck no... I made it clear that if I'm going to go through all the trouble of buying, building, cleaning, etc... I get 1st choice in fish... not to say I can't compromise... So cichlids that love minnows for lunch as often as I can do it... that's the compromise... LOL...

Seems like a plan is coming together though.....

[allysangels]

so, what happens to the oscars?

[CptCrusty1]

They're just babies right now.. can't even vote... .... I'll take some time to figure out the logistics of the new setup, then either go for some store credit, for find an HFB person to take them. If that doesn't work... I'm thinking butter and garlic with some clams and angel hair pasta....

[mistahoo]

Why go through the trouble of catching minnows and then feeding them? If you're looking for piscavores, there's tons of SA/CA fish, but most of them get pretty big. You're gonna either have to get 1-2 (depending on the fish) or get a bigger tank. I'm not even sure why Africans are being mentioned. This should go under the African section.

[allysangels]

if you're stuck on cichlids, why not go with apistos or rams.. all the personality and color but would fit in your tank. unfortunatley if you want to see them eat each other, you need a bigger tank.