Topic: Need help fast!!!!

[paulie]

Going to my lfs in a little bit to get some fish for my 55 gallon. Im thinking of a (all babys) convict , jack dempsey and a firemouth. Do you think they will outgrow the tank fast or will it take a while. I know they are not the biggest cichlids around.

[Dan]

The JD will get big, but you should be ok having it with a con and firemouth. Is your tankwell planted or have some caves?

[paulie]

i have a good size flower pot , i have a few plastic plants and some rocks and driftwood. im just concerned about the size. iwill all three of them be ok in a 55 gallon when they grow?

[wacked]

well lets c 1st the tank wont be big enough 4 all three the con is pretty mild tempered when alone (single) the FM is more bark then bite and the jd will grow bigger than both the FM and the con and it will most probly dominat by far.

[paulie]

Well wacked , can you please go further , please give me an idea with a tank setup? everyone tells me it wont work , but noone  can give me an idea of what combo of fish to put in my 55. i appreciate it. 

[syphon]

actually if it is well filtered that setup should work fine, the JD will be the fastest growing but I have had that combo before and there wasn't much fighting.  It sounds like they have places to hide so you will be OK, plus if they do fight you can always take them back...Brian

[wacked]

hmm wat syphon said is right but i always end up with a jd that is mean and they live together 4 sumtime then they end up fighting. it can work if u give each of them like a cave or a place 2 hide if things get badbut when they small theyll live together pretty well

[JC]

Should be ok if your cons are all the same gender too. It's actually a pretty good combination as long as you have enough hiding spaces that each of them can call their "own". Now if you turned out to have some cons that pair up and mate, you have a higher chance of running into major aggression.
I've seen 3 inch convicts turn around and take on 10 inch oscars, as well as take over half of a 130 gallon tank. It's a punch packed little fish

[paulie]

There would only be one convict one jd and one firemouth. so i know there wouldnt be breeding problems. i have 2 aqua clear 300's for filtration , and they produce a nice water current also. as long as im not cramming them in a 55 gallon , im going with 1 convict , 1 firemouth , and 1 jack.

[domica23]

As long as they have hiding places, you should be able to manage it.  It will all depend on the personality of the individual fish but in theory there is enough space for them to coexist.  I would allow the fm to be larger than the other two when introduced. 

[paulie]

ok , thanks for the info. Please explain why i can fit three of these fish , and before i could only have my one red devil in my 55 gallon? Is it because i these fish are generally smaller?

[Cichlid1]

It is because your Red Devil would kill  its tankmates.

[domica23]

As cichlid1 said, all of those fish are generally a lot less aggressive than a red devil and claim smaller territories. 

[paulie]

well , i know i want the convict and the firemouth. I would really like the 3rd fish , but i know the jack gets a little bigger. any other suggestions for a 3rd fish that has pretty color and enough aggressiveness to mix with a con and a firemouth. Also , do cons and firemouths make a mess of my tank like my devil did? After 3 days of a water change , my tank  was a mess , i dont really want that anymore. I dont mind a little , But , not a lot of redecorating. Thanks for all your info.

[fnesr]

they wont bulldoze your tank or produce as much waste (per fish) as a devil. not really sure on what you should put in there with them. perhaps a texas or something like that mabee?