Which Fish To Add First?

"Dave" wrote in message
...
Blue-eye cichlids (Cichlasoma spilurum ) are quite a peaceful fish
Since when ?? ok while not spawning, but once they start they are very
aggressive, and once they start they will breed continually.

and from what I have gathered should be okay with dwarf gouramis and
a
pleco. I've decided against the cories for now because I'm hoping to
evade
a turf war for the bottom of the tank.
Don't go for a plec, it will get too big, as someone else suggested get
an
ancistrus, much better at keeping algae at bay, and a maxed out male
won't
be more than about 5" long. No problems with adding the cories and
ancistrus, cories stick to the bottom, ancistrus will roam everywhere.
Dave
www.baarks.co.uk

Agreed, the corys are not territorial and will just roam around. There
shouldn't be any conflicts at ground level until the cichlids decide to
spawn, and then they will just claim a zone and shoo the corys out. The
C.spilurum look very interesting. The only fish I've had which might be
similar is the Herotilapia multispinosa. The were easy to take care of,
but became a bit too prolific. Your dwarf gouramis might be in trouble
later, but then this is only your first tank? ;~)

NetMax

Not my first tank. I just moved back to Canada so it's my first tank since
I've moved back from Europe. I've never kept cichlids, with the exception
of a pair of rams last year, so I like to ask a lot of questions about them.
Not having first hand experience with other cichlid's aggressive/territorial
behaviour, I was a bit concerned for the cories. Seeing that I'm not
"planning" on breeding the blue-eyes I assume the bottom level of the tank
should be okay. What do you think about having a pair of Ottos (Otocinclus
affinis or Otocinclus paulinus) in this tank instead of the "normal" cories
or in combo with a few cories?

I'll be purchasing another larger tank in the next 2-3 months.
"NetMax" wrote in message
.. .

"Dave" wrote in message
...
Blue-eye cichlids (Cichlasoma spilurum ) are quite a peaceful fish
Since when ?? ok while not spawning, but once they start they are very
aggressive, and once they start they will breed continually.

and from what I have gathered should be okay with dwarf gouramis and
a
pleco. I've decided against the cories for now because I'm hoping to
evade
a turf war for the bottom of the tank.
Don't go for a plec, it will get too big, as someone else suggested get
an
ancistrus, much better at keeping algae at bay, and a maxed out male
won't
be more than about 5" long. No problems with adding the cories and
ancistrus, cories stick to the bottom, ancistrus will roam everywhere.
Dave
www.baarks.co.uk

Agreed, the corys are not territorial and will just roam around. There
shouldn't be any conflicts at ground level until the cichlids decide to
spawn, and then they will just claim a zone and shoo the corys out. The
C.spilurum look very interesting. The only fish I've had which might be
similar is the Herotilapia multispinosa. The were easy to take care of,
but became a bit too prolific. Your dwarf gouramis might be in trouble
later, but then this is only your first tank? ;~)

NetMax

In article ,
"JazzyB!" jazzybjazzy DONTWANTANY @hotmail.com wrote:

Not my first tank. I just moved back to Canada so it's my first tank since
I've moved back from Europe. I've never kept cichlids, with the exception
of a pair of rams last year, so I like to ask a lot of questions about them.
Not having first hand experience with other cichlid's aggressive/territorial
behaviour, I was a bit concerned for the cories. Seeing that I'm not
"planning" on breeding the blue-eyes I assume the bottom level of the tank
should be okay. What do you think about having a pair of Ottos (Otocinclus
affinis or Otocinclus paulinus) in this tank instead of the "normal" cories
or in combo with a few cories?

I like cories and if you have enough space for a smallish school they
will entertain you endlessly by bumbling around the tank. If I had the
space I'd have them too. Ottos are in my experience nowhere near as
active.

Peter

--
Peter Ashby
School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland
To assume that I speak for the University of Dundee is to be deluded.
Reverse the Spam and remove to email me.

"Peter Ashby" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"JazzyB!" jazzybjazzy DONTWANTANY @hotmail.com wrote:

Not my first tank. I just moved back to Canada so it's my first tank
since
I've moved back from Europe. I've never kept cichlids, with the
exception
of a pair of rams last year, so I like to ask a lot of questions
about them.
Not having first hand experience with other cichlid's
aggressive/territorial
behaviour, I was a bit concerned for the cories. Seeing that I'm not
"planning" on breeding the blue-eyes I assume the bottom level of the
tank
should be okay. What do you think about having a pair of Ottos
(Otocinclus
affinis or Otocinclus paulinus) in this tank instead of the "normal"
cories
or in combo with a few cories?

I like cories and if you have enough space for a smallish school they
will entertain you endlessly by bumbling around the tank. If I had the
space I'd have them too. Ottos are in my experience nowhere near as
active.

Peter

To add some comments, the Otos would not IMO be as safe as Corys, with
cichlids in place. Corys are armoured, Otos not. Corys are also more
mobile & active.

Your intentions regarding breeding will have little or no effect on their
behaviour. Either you have a pair or you don't. There are consequences
to both situations ;~)

Behaviourally, Rams are not really representative of the average larger
cichlid. Even Kribs are more typical, often becoming a PITA when
spawning. It's not my intention to discourage you. Ounce per ounce,
cichlids will give you far more entertainment value than any other
tropical fish, but this type of 'entertainment' will usually involve
you, and the 'community' will be somewhat dynamic as the cichlids mature.

NetMax