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I was considering setting up a cichlid tank, and I was just wondering what if anything could possibly go with them. I was considering convict cichlids. I would need to shift a few of my tanks around, so...

1. Can a blue gourami go with the cichlids?
2. Bristlenose pleco?
3. Buenos Aires tetra?

Any other good possible tankmates, please let me know. Thanks!

Hello and welcome to FP. I can answer your first 2 Q's. 1: no the Gourami cannot go in there. 2: yes a BN can go in there. Not familiar with the Tetras though but i'm guessin no. Tank size and water perameters(PH,etc.)would help for suggestions.

tankmates will depend on tank size. you tell us the size of the tank they're going in and we'll help you figure out what, if anything, can go with them.

Ok well if the gourami can't go with the cichlids, then the buenos aires won't be either. They're a package deal - no sense in moving one out of the tank but not the other.

Not sure about tank size, I've just been tossing the cichlid idea around. I live in a college apartment, so it can't be anything too monstrous. I was thinking something from a 20 or a 29 gallon. I'm not sure if I have the room or the money to go larger yet (when I graduate and start working in six months, you can bet I'll be getting some big tanks!).

For now, probably just a 20 or 29 gallon, with maybe just one or two cichlids to start (as I said, maybe convicts). The bristlenose would be my only other addition, unless there is another fish that you would recommend to work well in this future tank!

Thanks again for all your help. Make up my mind for me about what I should do! I'm too indecisive!

If you got a 29 you could possibly house 2 Convicts and a BN. I'm not so sure as I dont keep SA/CA's , but I dont believe 2 males would survive and 1 M/1F would prolly breed like crazy. You would have to find a house for offspring. Correct me if I'm wrong ,but I believe Convicts get around 6" or so. Probably could not add any other fish.

keyhole cichlids are cool, don't get as big and aren't as aggressive so they'd leave you with more options for tankmates. blue, gold or bolivian rams are very colorful and don't get big and also could go with a larger range of tankmates.

Awesome. Thanks for all the advice. This brings me to one more question then. You said 2 males convicts was probably a bad idea. I figured as much - they seem pretty aggressive. I know they breed pretty easily, but what exactly do you do when they breed? I mean, when other people breed fish, do they usually keep all the offspring? What else can you do with the babies? Thanks again.

Babies can be traded back in to your lfs when they get large enough to sell. Some people use the small babies as fish food to intice other species of fish to breed. And yes, many do keep them. If the tank was larger, and there was room for other fish in the tank, you can just let them go in the tank, as most of them would get eaten by other fish.

As for some additions for the 29 gal. There are many peaceful, semi-peaceful cichlids you could put in it. Kribs, Apistogrammas, keyholes, some of the smaller Geophagus, peacocks, shellies, and there are many more. If you are still wanting those previous tetras and gourami, they will go well with most shellies, as well as most I have listed, except the peacocks.

HTH....

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There is always a bigger fish...

Great! Thanks a lot for the help. I am seriously considering getting two convicts. They sound like such neat fish, and I would love to see their parental behaviors. Plus, I'd like to start breeding, and now I've got a few options of what to do with the fry. Thanks for the advice there.

The gourami and tetra won't be a problem since I'll be leaving them both in my other tank. I just added two fiddler crabs there and rearranged stuff, and they still seem pretty happy. I'd rather do something entirely new with the cichlid tank.

Those other cichlid ideas you gave me are great. I'm gonna keep all those in mind when I start to get a new tank together.

Thanks again for all the help!