American Cichlid compatability

My mother's roommate recently moved out,and she mentioned after spending time at my house how much she missed having a cichlid tank.
She's actually the person responsible for getting me in the hobby. So it's been awhile since I rehomed all my americans,and I'm a little rusty when it comes to who goes well with who .Right now I'm just looking for what might work in a 55 gal.
I know she likes Jack Dempseys, So I was thinking an all male american tank. In the past we kept a couple setups,with her main one being a tank housing,a JD,convict,Texas cichlid and large pleco,but I think the tank was a 125,maybe bigger. I would like to surprise her with a 55,and some fish,and I was thinking of my last trip to aquarium paradise,they had a nice looking "green terror"The one I know as a false green terror,Aequidens Rivulatus, that I know she would love. Are they compatible with JD's? Could I go with a setup like this

1 JD male
1 Rivulatus male
1 Convict Male
and some sort of dither.

What's a good dither for American cihlids anyways? Silver dollars? some sort of loach? rainbow shark maybe?

Any suggestions would be helpful,I'm a ways away from actually pulling this off,I'm shooting for late november,which is when her birthday is.So I got time to really plan this out.

You have to remember, JD reach 10-12", GT reach 10-12". A 55 is questionable. Not to mention, adding 2 juvenile/adult fish in the same tank that have never been together, especially one so small, your just asking for issues. If it were me, (and JD and GT) are on your list, get them small (2-3") let them grow up together. A Convict is OK, as for dithers, the tank wouldnt be large enough for them.

Yeah that green terror was/is amazing.  I think they could work for a year, but the jd and green terror together will most likey outgrow a 55.  You could substitute a salvini for one .... But they tend to be nasty.  Good luck with your decision.  And if I had to choose, I'd go green terror over jd.   But I really think your mom might like a festae... They are absolutely beautiful and also slow growing so a female could work in there for a while....madness may even have some for sale.

^^^^^ sorry for the redundant post. I was writing it on my phone and didn't see that madness had already responded.....

Make sure mom really misses having a tank before gifting one to her. I have friends who have had fish in the past and they always comment on how they miss it but 'dont miss the work'.

In a standard 55g you have a lot of possibilities but just not able to keep a lot of fish that get big. I could see a single Electric Blue Jack or a single Green Terror with maybe a school of rainbows, or giant danios and some small type of catfish or bristle nose pleco.

i highly reccomend a bleekeri (single fish w/ dithers) way back when i only had a 55 i inherited a buddys prized fish. long story short he quickly became one of my favorites of all time. a slow growth rate paired with a wonderful personality meant everyone who came over to look at the tanks would always love watching him. (i also trained him to eat out of your hand, which is a great prank to play on people because that sucker had some teeth and would always bite the hand that feeds). anyways GL to ya but if a single wet pet doesnt float your boat take a look at some of the more oddball type cichlids. tangs, african riverine cichlids, some smaller ca/sa could also work out well. just dont be afraid to think outside the box here as theres TONS of options for a 55 if your willing to do a little legwork.

I had a Bleekeri for a little bit. Mean as can be and fought with the other cichlids all the time. But they are beautiful fish and I hear they have a very Oscar-like (personality) when grown.

yea Madness is right .Get em small and no females

DMD123 wrote:Make sure mom really misses having a tank before gifting one to her. I have friends who have had fish in the past and they always comment on how they miss it but 'dont miss the work'.

In a standard 55g you have a lot of possibilities but just not able to keep a lot of fish that get big. I could see a single Electric Blue Jack or a single Green Terror with maybe a school of rainbows, or giant danios and some small type of catfish or bristle nose pleco.

Not only does she miss them, but she has said she wants another tank. She just wasn't going to have one with her roommate there,because the roommate had a small child,and my mom was worried the kid might cause some issue,maybe throwing stuff in the tank or at it.

Now that the roommate has moved out,I know she will love to have one. I am now thinking that a single "goldsaum" is the way to go. If a 55 is not big enough,Maybe a 75 gallon tank would be better suited,at 18''deep that should provide the space needed for a 12'' fish. Of course using the 1$ per gallon sale would no longer be an option if I go that route.

I'm not sure she would like the Bleekeri,she has said before,she thought they looked "EVIL" LOL. She really goes for the ones who have green coloration,which is why I think she would love a GT,and I know she loves Jack Dempseys,but she has kept those for years in the past,and something a little different would definitely be cool.

How do I get her to go to aquarium Paradise with me without triggering an alarm? Maybe then I can get an idea what better piques her interest. As long as she doesn't tell me she would really love the Wolf cichlid, they have that couple in the store,and the male always acts like he wants to eat me.Now that's Evil.

DMD,when you say rainbows,you mean rainbow fish,not sharks right? Danios are kinda cool,I will check those out for dithers too..

Not to dog on AP, cause I think Dom is awesome, but he doesn't have a very good cichlid selection. Maybe just get on line yourself, and start looking at some pictures and just ask her opinion. Or if you want, you can visit my place. LOL I have around 40 different species.

Yep I meant the schooling type rainbow fish. They can get expensive but the coloring can be pretty outrageous on them. Giant Danios are cheap, very active and not a huge bio-load. A lot will depend on the cichlid of choice as to how they will take to the smaller sized dithers.

madness wrote:Not to dog on AP, cause I think Dom is awesome, but he doesn't have a very good cichlid selection.  Maybe just get on line yourself, and start looking at some pictures and just ask her opinion.  Or if you want, you can visit my place. LOL  I have around 40 different species.  

     


I would go with a 75+ if at all possible , because you know as I do 1 is never enough & if y'all like growing those fish out to full size the fish would totally appreciate it  

Get a handle on EBJD this would give mom that old JD love with a gorgeous twist , & 3-6 jurupari in a 100 gallon tank. That would be awesome and I think mom would love it

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(I wish my mom had aquariums!!!)