compatible tankmates

[jaykay]

hi, i have been a fish keeper for around 17 year now and have kept alot of different fish mainly malawis and now i have varios south american cichlids angels,festivum,severum,geophagus ect but for a while now i have been realy fancying keeping central americans i have a 6x2x2 150 uk gal could you advise me on some species that would mix ok in a tank this size there is a guy in uk who deals with jeff rapps so there is a good choice available any help is gratefully recieved.

[Pam Chin]

Hi Jaykay,

Dang this is a really tough question! There are just so many choices and too many options! And fishkeeping is really a personal thing. What a nice size tank to work with though, you are really in the drivers seat! Review your options and make a list of 3 - 5 Central American cichlids that you are intrigued with. Once I know what you are looking at it will be easier to help you build your tank around your favorites. I think that is the best way to go. I think you should start with juveniles, these fish will need to grow up together, this makes for much more peaceful tanks. It is really hard to get a bunch of adults throw them in a big tank and expect them to get along.

So pick your target fish first, then you add fish that they are most compatible with. Sometimes you can do a river location and do several species that are found together naturally, these makes nice tanks too.

Cichlid Power!
Pam