Is a 55 gal tank big enough for these fish?..

[Delow317]

Hey, I was just wondering what everyone thought about this because I keep getting different opinions from aquarium shop owners.

I have a 55 gallon 48' long and 15' wide plexi. I am thinking about keeping a large solitary chiclid in there, but I want them to be comfortable and reach their maximum size. I might also want to include a pleco atleast with him. Will my tank be sufficient for the following fish to lead a full rich life and reach their maximum growth?

1) A Red Devil/Midas
2) Jack Dempsey- I think so right?
3) A Jaguar/Managuense
4) A green Terror
5) Texas Cichlid
6) A single Frontosa- doubt it
7) Oscar- Although I don't think I'll keep one
8) Tilapia Buttocofferi
Or how many full size firemouths can I have living in there happily?

Thanks

[Rex Karr]

[b:067bf11160]Yes-[/b:067bf11160] 1) A Red Devil/Midas
[b:067bf11160]Definantly- [/b:067bf11160] 2) Jack Dempsey- I think so right?
[b:067bf11160]Maybe a female [/b:067bf11160] 3) A Jaguar/Managuense
[b:067bf11160]Yes [/b:067bf11160] 4) A green Terror
[b:067bf11160]Yes [/b:067bf11160] 5) Texas Cichlid
[b:067bf11160]Yes [/b:067bf11160] 6) A single Frontosa- doubt it
[b:067bf11160]Probably not [/b:067bf11160] 7) Oscar- Although I don't think I'll keep one
[b:067bf11160]Yes [/b:067bf11160] Tilapia Buttocofferi
[b:067bf11160]5? [/b:067bf11160] Or how many full size firemouths can I have living in there happily?

[unforgiven118]

I keep a single adult female red devil in a 55 gallon tank. She has an algae eater too.

it seems to be enough, she has enough passtimes and what not, such as; chase the algae eater, kill the algae eater, pile gravel, knock over decorations, and move plants.....it's a vicious cycle, but she stays busy and seemingly happy!

[finz]

[quote:555a0e2486="unforgiven118"]I keep a single adult female red devil in a 55 gallon tank. She has an algae eater too.

it seems to be enough, she has enough passtimes and what not, such as; chase the algae eater, kill the algae eater, pile gravel, knock over decorations, and move plants.....it's a vicious cycle, but she stays busy and seemingly happy![/quote:555a0e2486]

Have you ever given her a ping pong ball? Just curious what she would do with it.

[Rudy]

Get her plastic cat toys. My female midas taunts me with them.

She loves em.

[Delow317]

Lol. Sounds very familiar! Would you say that part of the reason could be because him/her might also be sexually frustrated? :roll: Lmao

Either way I've been hearing from some people that a 55 is not big enough for a foot long RD. But seeing how Rex is the expert on the subject of RD's, I'll beleive him over the old man behind the counter.

Also I was wondering if you guys also included rocks and posible decorations? I guess when whatever I get gets full size I'd probably want to take out everything but the gravel anyway?

Thanks

[Rex Karr]

[quote:bc325971ff="Delow317"]Lol. Sounds very familiar! Would you say that part of the reason could be because him/her might also be sexually frustrated? :roll: Lmao

Either way I've been hearing from some people that a 55 is not big enough for a foot long RD. But seeing how Rex is the expert on the subject of RD's, I'll beleive him over the old man behind the counter.

Also I was wondering if you guys also included rocks and posible decorations? I guess when whatever I get gets full size I'd probably want to take out everything but the gravel anyway?

Thanks[/quote:bc325971ff]

A typical ,48"L x 19"H x 12"W, 55 gallon glass tank is usually not big enough for most bigger cichlids. Mostly because the width prevents the fish from easily turning. But females of large species (Midas, Red Devil, Frontosa) usually do fine in tanks this size.

But you said yours was a 48" long x 15" wide plexi-galss tank. With the extra 3 inches it is a lot easier for the fish to turn and makes it much more comfortable (even if it isn't as high).

And as far as decorations for an adult big cichlid, your free to decorate how you please. But I would recommend the tank be mostly bare, aside from a small pile of drift wood or some other structure that will provide the fish with a little Home to protect and retreat to.

Rex

[unforgiven118]

I'll try giving her some toys, and a boyfriend (not really)

My 55 is only 48" by 12"
but the fish is only about 10 inches long(3 years old or so), so she has enough room to turn.
I keep almost nothing in the tank with mine now... just her cave, an extra rock for the algae eater to hide under and some gravel... putting plants back got to be annoying. My beautifully decorated tank was destroyed by that little home wrecker enough times, so I just undecorated it!

[Delow317]

I just measured my tank again and it's 48' length x18' depth x 15' wide. I doubled checked it. Actually when I first bought my 55/60 gallon I brought it home and there was so much space left on my stand withwise, that I brought it back and asked them if they had a wider one. I think he told me that was a 55 "show" tank or a 55 "tall" tank. Either way I returned it for what I have now which is a 48x18x15 width tank. And although I didn't measure the first one I bought I would assume that it was this standard 48x19x12 tank i keep hearing about. Btw, I'm not really sure if what I have is a 55 or a 60 gallon tank. Is there a difference?

I also was reading undertaker's topic "A tank for my Red Devil" in "American Tank" boards. And you said it would be fine for his 3 year old, 10 1/2 inch Rd to stay in his 48x19x 12with tank. Since mine is slightly bigger withwise, would it be ok If i aim for male Midas or Managuense? Or would that be pressing my luck? Also Rex, you said that a frontosa would be fine in my tank right? How bout a male? I heard the average for a frontosa male was between 14 to 16'? Or did I hear wrong?

Thanks.

[Rex Karr]

[quote:4ee16f685a="Delow317"]I just measured my tank again and it's 48' length x18' depth x 15' wide. I doubled checked it. Actually when I first bought my 55/60 gallon I brought it home and there was so much space left on my stand withwise, that I brought it back and asked them if they had a wider one. I think he told me that was a 55 "show" tank or a 55 "tall" tank. Either way I returned it for what I have now which is a 48x18x15 width tank. And although I didn't measure the first one I bought I would assume that it was this standard 48x19x12 tank i keep hearing about. Btw, I'm not really sure if what I have is a 55 or a 60 gallon tank. Is there a difference?[/quote:4ee16f685a]

Ok, that explains it. I'm sure there is a difference between a 55g and a 60g, I just don't know what it is. The obvious answer is "Duh, 5 gallons!" :), but tanks usually aren't what they're supposed to be anyways. So a 60g could possibly contain less water than some 55g's. Anyway, your tank size sounds fine for most bigger fish.

[quote:4ee16f685a]I also was reading undertaker's topic "A tank for my Red Devil" in "American Tank" boards. And you said it would be fine for his 3 year old, 10 1/2 inch Rd to stay in his 48x19x 12with tank. Since mine is slightly bigger withwise, would it be ok If i aim for male Midas or Managuense? Or would that be pressing my luck? Also Rex, you said that a frontosa would be fine in my tank right? How bout a male? I heard the average for a frontosa male was between 14 to 16'? Or did I hear wrong?

Thanks.[/quote:4ee16f685a]

A male Midas should be fine. Most stay around 10" SL (without tail), but some can reach 12" SL. Either way, I'd say it should be alright, especially if you decorate lightly. A male Managuanse can reach 18" though (although 14" is probably more common), so I would avoid a male of this species for now. I've never kept Frontosa, but I believe 14-16" is probably a total legnth for an extra large male. I think 12" SL would be a really big male in most cases. And I believe they grow real slow to. So it may take 4 years or more to reach this size. You may want to ask somebody in the African forum to make sure, because as I said, I've never kept any Fronts.


Good Luck

[mdemers883]

What is a nice looking decoration for cichlid tanks and provides a cave is clay flowerpots, they give the tank a very nice look. If I remember the link right you will see that this man has some very beautiful fish and you can also see how flowerpots look in a tank
www.aquamojo.com


Mark