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Hi Everyone. I currently have an Oscar living with a Green Terror and a Jack Dempsey in a 120 gallon tank. All of them are about medium sized and they get along just fine. I also have three catfish in the tank. (Pictus, Raphael and Synodontis) I was just wondering if I would be able to get another american cichlid that would go well with these fish. If so, what kinds would be good?

Hmm, this one could prove tricky.

120 gallons sounds like a lot of space. But you already have three big Cichlids in there. A fourth might upset the balance and trigger a spate of warfare unless the introduction is handled with considerable care.

First of all, a rearrangement of the furnishings will be needed to remove established territories, so that all the fishes are starting from scratch. Putting a fourth Cichlid in with three established ones and leaving the furnishings untouched is likely to court disaster, as the new fish tries to carve itself a niche in there. Remember, the Middle East has been in a state of turmoil for 50 years over who occupies what bit of land, and you can expect strongly territorial Cichlids to replicate that kind of strife (minus the weapons of course!) if you don't plan the new introduction with a LOT of care.

Second, when the furnishings are rearranged, you would be best adopting the strategy of arranging the rocks, bogwood etc., so that 'lines of sight' are broken up. If the Cichlids have some personal space, and are not continually glowering at each other, this should help keep the peace also.

Third, pick your species carefully. The three you have in there are fairly hardcore bruisers, so I wouldn't put a Firemouth or other smaller, less aggressive fish in there.

One smaller but very feisty fish you could have would be a Salvini - those things can look after themselves very well indeed, and are noted for being little berserkers when breeding. They also have the advantage (from your standpoint) of being very colourful. Otherwise, you would probably be looking at something like a Festae, or possibly a Black Belt. If you run with something like these two, then be warned in advance that you will be performing a VERY delicate balancing act, and that the scope for internecine warfare breaking out is considerable.

If you think the risk is worth it, introduce a fourth Cichlid, but ONLY after taking note of the above measures to try and reduce the scope for fighting breaking out. Better still, I'd leave well alone until you can move the fishes to an even bigger tank, in which case they'll all have space to occupy without sizing each other up for the kill. Remember, that with just four Cichlids in there, teh three established ones might decide to gang up on the newcomer even IF you take the precautionary measures I've outlined, and so this is very much a risky operation. You have fishes that are VERY strongly territorial, that for the moment are living in some kind of harmony, but that harmony could be very easily disturbed. If you decide to take the risk, watch your fishes like a hawk, and be prepared to intervene FAST if the aquarium turns into a battleground!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002