tonyjuliano Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 If you're looking for "peaceful", nothing much beats a tank full of dwarf gouramis (females), paired with a healthy school of white cloud mountain minnows. These are both "cold water tolerant" too, so you don't need a heater in most cases. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted June 27, 2021 Author Share Posted June 27, 2021 Here I am bringing this back up. So I like Pearl Gouramis because they seem like a 'safe,' peaceful bet, but my husband is really pulling for Opaline (or another variation of the three-spot) or Moonlight Gouramis. I know that Three-Spot Gourami variations can be hit or miss in terms of temperament. Does anyone have strong arguments for or against these beautiful fish? Strategies for mitigating aggression? I also have to say I am considering trying out a mild-mannered cichlid for the bottom (electric blue acara, rainbow cichlids, keyhole cichlids, apistogrammas, or rams). I'm coming around to coping with semi-aggressive breeding behaviors, and I've noticed that my Diamond Tetras have chilled out a little bit with their bigger school and with the thicklipped/honey gouramis in the tank with them. I'm finally at a place where I'm pretty happy with how my 29 gallon is going! But now I'm focusing on Fish With Personality and Interactivity for my 55. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 @Fish Folk and @Brandy have some of those fish, I think. Not sure if they have any of them together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 @laritheloud — you’ll enjoy just about any of these suggestions, I am really confident. You can do goldfish and a pair of bristlenose Plecos in a 55 gal. It’s possible to do a planted tank too if you let a tough, fast growing plant take off first and buy your goldfish very young. But if you really want a tank you’ll be amazed by every day, I recommend discus. Here is a 1-min video from yesterday of my 55 gal. discus tank during a water change. It’s overstocked (yes, this will break the internet) but they’re very happy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 Rams are small and manageable, but I have found they really really need extra heat. I keep mine at 82-83. That is too warm for some fish, and might affect your choice, also they are less interactive with humans, but very interactive with each other. Electric Blue Acaras don't require the high heat but they get bigger and therefore limit the minimum size of fish you can keep with them. They are very interactive with you, the human, much like angel fish. There are many many other small to mid sized cichlids between there, apistos, or maybe even kribensis? In my experience though, the really small cichlids pay less attention to people, and the bigger ones become more human-interactive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted June 28, 2021 Author Share Posted June 28, 2021 On 6/28/2021 at 9:10 AM, Brandy said: Rams are small and manageable, but I have found they really really need extra heat. I keep mine at 82-83. That is too warm for some fish, and might affect your choice, also they are less interactive with humans, but very interactive with each other. Electric Blue Acaras don't require the high heat but they get bigger and therefore limit the minimum size of fish you can keep with them. They are very interactive with you, the human, much like angel fish. There are many many other small to mid sized cichlids between there, apistos, or maybe even kribensis? In my experience though, the really small cichlids pay less attention to people, and the bigger ones become more human-interactive. If I were to go with rams, I'd choose Bolivian and not German Blue. German rams are gorgeous but I know they are fragile and like it extremely warm. I was looking at Kribensis and I love their color and behavior, but if I get a pair (which I'd love), I did hear it's luck of the draw whether they would aggress against the entire tank or not. Basically I have to assess how much risk I'm willing to take on. I think I'm leaning most towards Acaras, Rainbow Cichlids, or Keyholes at this time, but I know I'm also going to waffle and change my mind a lot between now and actually purchasing my fish! On 6/28/2021 at 8:57 AM, Fish Folk said: @laritheloud — you’ll enjoy just about any of these suggestions, I am really confident. You can do goldfish and a pair of bristlenose Plecos in a 55 gal. It’s possible to do a planted tank too if you let a tough, fast growing plant take off first and buy your goldfish very young. But if you really want a tank you’ll be amazed by every day, I recommend discus. Here is a 1-min video from yesterday of my 55 gal. discus tank during a water change. It’s overstocked (yes, this will break the internet) but they’re very happy... Discus are SO stunning, and I love to watch them at my LFS. I know they are sensitive, though, and I have harder water. I'm not sure I can provide them a good environment if their preference is softer water! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 On 6/28/2021 at 10:15 AM, laritheloud said: If I were to go with rams, I'd choose Bolivian and not German Blue. German rams are gorgeous but I know they are fragile and like it extremely warm. I was looking at Kribensis and I love their color and behavior, but if I get a pair (which I'd love), I did hear it's luck of the draw whether they would aggress against the entire tank or not. Basically I have to assess how much risk I'm willing to take on. I think I'm leaning most towards Acaras, Rainbow Cichlids, or Keyholes at this time, but I know I'm also going to waffle and change my mind a lot between now and actually purchasing my fish! Discus are SO stunning, and I love to watch them at my LFS. I know they are sensitive, though, and I have harder water. I'm not sure I can provide them a good environment if their preference is softer water! What we did was first buy a couple young ones for our 29 gal. Our objective was to treat them just like Rams and see how they did. They always take a few days to look Ok and eat. But we’ve only lost one or two out of more than a dozen. I honestly only pay about $25 per fish (partly because my LFS owner wants to get people out where we live interested in Discus, and sells me them virtually wholesale). But you can find fish club breeders who will do similar deals — just saw a club member who breeds selling 10x young discus for $100 ($10 / each). I’d suggest trying some out in your water. You might be pleasantly surprised! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted June 29, 2021 Author Share Posted June 29, 2021 All right, I have a tentative plan: 4 x Pearl Gouramis (OR 2 x Moonlight Gouramis) 1 school of medium schooling fish (Blackline Rasboras x 10 or 15? Harlequin Rasboras? Celebes Rainbowfish? Furcata Rainbowfish?) OR Some Platies/Swordtails 4 Keyhole Cichlids (OR 2 Electric Blue Acaras) 1 or 2 Small Plecos (the size of a bristlenose, checking out L092 or similar) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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