CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

I was just wondering what other fun aquatic non cichlid can I add to my tank? I am talking about small crabs? or ay kind of star fishes or eels sommething like that. If you got pictures let me know.

Depends -- What cichlids do you keep? What size tank?

I have a 47 gallon tank. (1) African Violet (2)Electric Labs (1) Blue cichlid that I forgot the name (2) Parrot Cichlids (2) oscars (2) crabs but 1 is well hidden i think unless the other one ate him.

Hmmm. I'm afraid you're more than maxed out on fish for that size tank. By the time all of those grow up you'll need more space if you keep all of those.

dont think it will fly seen too many oscars parrots and african cichllids

o's will eat all
already tried it right now got wifes parrot in one tank rd in one tand an o's in another tank

o's always eat reef cichlids and parrots

i guess am oscar and red devil nerd

my wife got a parrot and she calls me a fishnerd

Hey DanRad, Forgive my newbie questions, although I've been successfull at keeping the 2 labs and african the longest, all the other fishes are pretty much new. When you say I max out my tank, by how many fishes? I did'nt think they would grow to big. From what I have read, the oscars are the only ones would grow larger than the others if I feed then live fish etc. is this not so? should I add another tank? I did'nt understand what nerd fish was saying from what I got, he is saying the oscars will eat the other cihlids?

You have a few issues going in that tank. First, it's a "high" configuration. Cichlids being territorial, "floor space" is more important than absolute gallonage in keeping down aggression. A decent rule of thumb (that I often bend, but not ignore) with cichlids is to have about 5 gallons of water per inch of fish. Those Oscars are going to grow to around a foot each, and by themselves will put a serious strain on water quality in that 47. BTW, live food is fine for treats, but certainly not necessary for them to grow up big and strong. The parrots are usually rather aggressive, and also grow fairly large, though not as big as the Oscars. The crabs are history once the Oscars put on a little size. I think the 47 is fine for your Africans -- you may even be able to add a couple more -- but you need to plan larger quarters for those South Americans. Nice looking, tank, by the way!

Thanks so much for the info. Its not what a newb wants to hear but i think we are all students here waiting to learn new things. Although, I must say that my fishes don't seem to follow what you are saying. they are pretty much everywhere in the aquarium. How long do you think I have until those oscars grow up? My problem is that I live in an Apartment and I can not see myself ( i would like to oneday soon) a 150 gal. tank. Your toughts?

Right now your guys are all pretty young, so territory is not so much of an issue. As they reach sexual maturity that changes. The O's can and often do grow about an inch a month during the first year. When they hit about 7" they tend to go through a "terrible teens" phase where their other tankmates better be able to take care of themselves. 150 is a nice size tank -- the 6-foot length is good, 'cause the O's like to cruise, and you can break it into territories with decorations. You could probably get by with a 4-foot tanka -- a 75 or (better) a 90. Some folks keep 2 O's successfully in a 55, but that's a high-maintenance situation. Believe me, nearly all of us need/want more tank space than we have. I've about hit tank capacity in my apt for the moment, but I'm continuing to plot.

Get rid of the Oscars, and you're probly good.