Predatory Fish for a Smaller Tank

[SerenityNow]

It was really mean toward a fish that was expensive so I put it in time out in the 29g. That tank at the time had a little convict int it named Spaz. He did not like her and even though she was twice his size he killed her in a day and a half of sharing the tank.

This is why cichlids make me nervous.

 

[DMD123]

Cichlids are actually pretty predictable. The best thing to do is start your tank off with all the other fish first. Then when your schooling fish, cats, etc. are established then add your cichlids. Also very good idea to get your cichlids young and grow them out together. This helps them settle their differences quickly and they tend to get along better when older.

In my case I had put the pike in an established fishes territory who had never been accustomed to having tankmates. Also it was only a 29g, which the convict ruled the entire water space. It was a situation I should have foreseen but I just needed to put the fish somewhere while the 210g settled down.

 

[Gizmo]

I had a scarlet badis in my ten gallon for awhile. They were considered dwarf cichlids at one point and are classified as micro predators, so you could easily have five or six males and a harem of females in a larger tank. Very pretty and very fun to watch, IMO.

 

[DMD123]

Here is a site entirely dedicated to dwarf cichlids: http://dwarf-cichlids.aquarium-and-fish-care.com/qa-best-tankmates-for-pike-cichlid/

This might give you some ideas.... or add to the confusion.

 

[SerenityNow]

@DMD123, I'll definitely be getting everything else first and then adding the cichlids last. If I wanted to try breeding c. compressiceps, I'm guessing they'd need a lot more space to themselves. Has anyone here tried this in a community setup?

@Gizmo, the scarlet badis are cute little things. A bit smaller than what I'm looking for though.

 

[Madness]

My dwarf green Pike is a compressicep type also, and it only reaches 3-4". Thats so small you wouldnt even notice them in there. My Green Pike shares a tank with my smaller grow outs.

 

[SerenityNow]

My dwarf green Pike is a compressicep type also, and it only reaches 3-4". Thats so small you wouldnt even notice them in there. My Green Pike shares a tank with my smaller grow outs.

At least it won't be bigger than anything else I'm planning on getting. I'm hoping to get the tank finished by February, so I'll post pics when it's done!

 

[Anonymous]

I picked up 2 Regani species from A Place for Pets. they had Green pikes and they were amazing. I went with the Regani because they were larger at 4 inches. Needless to say 1 that I thought maybe a female I now think isn't. It dont matter no how my lobster got a hold of it and had a $15 dinner The green pikes I think we're catching ich. I pointed them out to the clerk and he's all like "you dont want one of those"! lol. The greens were $30 a piece!! Doh

http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=127

Good looking fish though the Regani. The male I have left was dominate so its stripes disappeared, the body almost a snow white and the fins a transparent red color. I'll try to post a picture of him once he comes out of hiding.