What fish for an 18 gal. high?

[tropfish]

I have just established a 55 gal. community tank and a 29 gal. Dempsey tank.  I just got a 18 gal high from a friend for free .  I want to get someting in between a peaceful community tank and an aggressive Dempsey tank.  I wanted some of your guys opinions on some good fish that fit that description.  Keep in mind I don't want the fish to be really aggressive or really nice but in between.  Also they have to live in the 18 gal high.  It's 20" by 10" by 19". Thanks!

 

[Cillana]

How about a barb tank?

 

[tropfish]

I personally have found barbs to be very nippy.  I always ended up selling them because they were ripping the fins off each other and making the whole tank stressed.  That was only the tiger barbs though .  Is there some kind of trick to make them not so nippy?  I have tryed them several different times and always got the same results.  I don't know maybe I just have bad luck .  Tell me what you think about this.  Thanks!

 

[dattack]

Maybe use it as a breeding tank or a quarantine tank.  
Or maybe get a couple of brackish fish like mono sebae, archers, or skats.  They are quite active and hardy also

 

[Cillana]

Tiger barbs are just evil little guys. I have cherry barbs and they are not nippy at all. Some cherry barbs and checker barbs would look nice in there. They only get 2 inches long. You could add some bottom feeders too.

 

[tropfish]

The only barbs I like are tiger and green tiger barbs.  What type of breeding tank would be good for the 18 then?  Thanks!

 

[JWright]

An Angel tank might be nice. You could easily fit a pair in an 18H.

Josh

 

[tropfish]

Could I have anything else instead of angels?  I am not to intrested in angels quite yet.  Any other ideas?

 

[catfish]

How about a breeding tank for kribensis, they are dwarf cichlids but not as aggressive as dempseys.  I had a pair for awhile, they are very easy to breed.  Usually a water change or slight rise in temp will start them breeding.  You might be able to get away with 2 pair if you have plenty of hiding places for them to lay eggs and hide. Both pairs may not mate up, the female has to accept the male to mate with her.

 

[fishboy]

A couple dwarf or Powder Blue gouramis would look extremely nice in that tank you could have about 4 pairs of them 8)

 

[tropfish]

Are gouramis easy to breed?  I have never owned them before.  What are there personalitys like?  Four pairs sounds like a lot!  Thanks!

 

[tropfish]

Oh sorry Catfish I didn't see your post.  I have thought about kribensis before.  Sounds like a fun fish!  Do they get aggressive when they mate?  Are they about as easy as convicts to mate?  I had convicts and the mated about twice a month.  Any more info would be great.  Thanks!

 

[Cillana]

A pair of rams would be great. They like to lay their eggs on a flat surface. Then they guard their fry in a nest that is a hole in the gravel that the parents dig.

 

[tropfish]

Rams sound like lots of fun.  I like them because their color and small size.  I don't know why I didn't think of them before!  They don't eat their fry right?  Can you give me some more info. on them.  I don't know too much about them.  Thanks!

 

[Cillana]

Here are a couple sites with info on rams:

http://www.angelfire.com/tx/CichlidPimp/
http://www.notcatfish.com/ffotm/1999_08.htm

 

[fishboy]

[quote author=tropfish link=board=freshwatergeneral&num=996462121&start=0#10 date=07/30/01 at 19:46:49]
Are gouramis easy to breed?  I have never owned them before.  What are there personalitys like?  Four pairs sounds like a lot!  Thanks!
[/quote]

Gouramis really aren't that hard to breed as many people say but, if you want more info you can E-mail me A fishboy_63@hotmail.com  8) The temperments are sometimes peaceful depending on sex of the fish. Like the males if kept with males will be aggressive against the males 8)

             HTH
           Daniel

 

[fishboy]

[quote author=Cillana link=board=freshwatergeneral&num=996462121&start=0#14 date=07/31/01 at 20:14:33]
Here are a couple sites with info on rams:

http://www.angelfire.com/tx/CichlidPimp/
http://www.notcatfish.com/ffotm/1999_08.htm
[/quote]

Cool sites Cillana 8) ;D

 

[catfish]

Kribesis are easy to breed like convicts, but not nearly as aggressive.  I've seen the female convict kill the male after a few times breeding.  The krib parents won't eat the young, unless they have started another batch and are protecting the new ones.  In a tank that small I wouldn't put much else, if anything, in with them though.

 

[tropfish]

Sounds like the kribensis are much more hardy than the rams!  I think I will try the kribensis because I don't want to have a fish that will die that easy yet.  Do kribs need a ph of 6.5 to breed?  My ph is 7.4 and I have kept african cichlids, SA cichlids, and community fish all sucessfully.  I read that the fry should stay with the parents as long as possible.  Does anyone know why?  Thanks!