Fun times.. help me pic new cichlids

[nitestocker13]

Convicts/firemouths/green terror??

Ok here is the story. I have a 40 gallon tank thats empty now. I had a catfish (forgot what kind) and a pacu for six years both which died two days ago. I want to put in American cichlids. I tend to like the more aggressive ones that eat feeder fish. What choices do I have? (I believe its a 40 gallon i'll post dimensions later)
Thanks for the Help!!!

 

[nitestocker13]

well I think I narrowed it down to convicts/firemouths/green terrors.... Did I leave out any other possible ones?

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Well first thing i must ask is, how did the other fish die? Old age? Make sure the water is good since those fish died in it before putting more in.

As for stocking...i've noticed firemouths are not really all that agressive. But do put on a show when they fight. Convicts, good choice but if you arn't prepared for spawning...i wouldn't choose them. Green Terrors....good choice, i think 1 pair could fit in your tank.

Are you planning on feeding all live feeders? I would advise against it. Vary the diet and feed flakes too at least. Feeders arn't good every meal...plus a few feeders 2 times a day could lead to bloat easily.

 

[dana307]

Green terrors get large but, as cman said, are aggressive. Firemouths I've housed with mollies and they may nip and dart, but not that aggressive. What about Jack Dempseys? They might be tough enough. Good luck

 

[nitestocker13]

I like the jack dempseys but don't they get too big for a 40 gallon? Anyother options I can go with?

P.S. I would love to get the JD but I don't want to make his life hell

 

[Kyle]

I would go with some African Cichlids.

 

[nitestocker13]

I'm not a big fan of the africans, so its up to only the americans

 

[fishdude07]

uhh...i think you could only have one jack dempsey if thats what you want. you could go with rams, but theyre extremely non-hardy and hard to keep alive if you dont have nearly perfect water conditions. plus they dont get big. what about blue acaras?

 

[nitestocker13]

the acara is a nice fish but it gets to be 8 inches (according to the fish profile on this site) and thats the same size as the terror I believe. Is that too big?

 

[Cichlidian]

Think u can handle a single specimen. JD or a GT.
If u wanna c a typical cichlid agression i'd suggest 2 pairs of convicts with territories on the farthest corners of the tank. They breed readily & u can enjoy a typical cichlid agression as well as parental care.
If u go with JD or GT u can hv 1 or 2 fast movers as target fish like a Silver Dollar & c hw they chase them around.