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i currently have 1 feeder guppy 4 fancy gupps and 1 rosy barb what kinds of cichlids would be okay to put in there i really like the midas but they are way aggressive. thanx for your help p.s its a 20 gallon that they would be going in and eventuall once the cichlid got big it would be going to a new home or a lfs

It's generally not a good idea to buy fish that you know aren't suited for your tank on the expectation that you'll be returning them. That said, a 20 gal is really too small for Rosey barbs - a school of 6" fish just won't fit, and he shouldn't be kept alone. Without the Rosey, your best bet is something like Bolivian Rams or perhaps a small shelldweller.
Do you know the pH of your water?

-Molly
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If you decide you like the shell dwellers you might want to get rid of the guppies as well, especially if you go with l. ocellatus. I have a pair and they're pretty fiesty. I'm not sure how quick guppies are but once an ocellatus starts darting at them they would have to be quick to escape.

no i dont and all my fish are healthy so im not really concerned . but its not a large rosy barb the one i have is full grown and 2 in long its a long finned rosy barb and as a breeder all of my fish will eventually be finding new homes so getting a cichlid that will work in my tank would be great and actually its not to small for a school of 6 my cuz a vet has nothing but tetras in her 20 gal and way more than 6 and there all fine and its not crowded

If it's only at 2", it's stunted. Rosey barbs hit 6" - keeping it in a tank that won't allow it to reach full size is a death sentence. No, there is certainly not room for a school of them - either they'd be stunted and soon succumb to disease, or they'd have no room to swim. Please return him, he deserves better than stunting, death, and lack of swimming space.

EDIT: No, a 20 isn't too small for a school of six of any fish - that's not what I said. Your vet's tetras probably don't have a max size of 6", but your Rosey barb does. It's too small for a school of 6" fish, not too small for a school of 6 fish.

[span class="edited"][Edited by LittleMousling 2004-08-17 17:52][/span]

-Molly
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ok im sorry i miss understood you they reach 6 inches? i didnt know that becasue in my aquarium book it was alot less than 6 and at the pet store it was like 2-3 inches! Thanx!

Pet store fish are usually juveniles. Consider the 12-inch Arowana in the typical pet store. It will eventually grow to be a four-foot-long jumper that can smash right through a glass window. In general, unless they're selling you adult fish, you're getting the fish at a fraction of its size.