Well, discus are still in the picture for the 55 but we also have other thoughts. My husband really likes the ghost knifefish....how big of a tank do they need and what tankmates can they have?? Also, anything special we should know about them?

We also like cichlids, particularly parrot cichlids. what other tankmates can they have? we like the convicts too...could these two be together in this size tank?

also, if anyone else has any suggestions, we'd like to hear them.

i heard that ghost knifefish are very very aggressive. you should research more on them, and compatibilities. best of luck!

ghost knives arent aggressive as such, but very preatory and they get very large, far too big for a 55g, parrots and cons would work though

a ghost knife can get up to and over 2 feet in length, and need plenty of room. At least 120 gallons to itself. They do get agressive if stressed, and they do emit electricity, so i think it would be safe to say anything in the tank with a stressed knife wouldnt be a very happy camper.

Also parrots can get big as well, but it takes a while, so you should be fine with a very small number of parrotts and cons int a 55. But remember cons breed like rats and youll have alot very quickly, as well breeding/brooding cichlids are not very peaceful fish. And that would be an understatement. good luck with your fishes! - Meg

Any thoughts on the frontosa cichlid?

would a single con, a single parrot, and frontosa do OK (or other cichlids)? If we go with cichlids, we'd probably rather get a single one of each kind....to prevent a lot of breeding.

As far as knifes go...since the ghosts get too big...what about africans. I saw where they only get to be about 8 inches, but don't know much about them.

thanks.

african whats ?

frontosa should be kept in colonys, so thats a no no, you wont have a problem with aprrots breeding, they cant.... and as for your cons, you could have just females

sorry about that...african knifefish. so would parrots and cons get along ok together? or best with their own kind?

what other cichlids or other fish would do well with these guys?

Personally, i wouldnt put an african knife in less then 75 gallons. But i spose you could do one in a 55, however I'd recommend a Moustail or Thomometer(sp?) Knife, they max out at 6 inches, and would be alot better suited. However I've heard African Kinves do fairly well in a cichlid community.

As for cichlids, parrots and cons are a go. Most cichlids of equal size will get along, just make sure you have at least 2-3 females for every male, preferably more. As well have a few of the same species. And cichlids like to hide in caves, however with a mix, you need at least 2 caves per cichlid, as territorial disputes will arise. You can also keep the tank free of hidey holes, and use lots of plants as cover. That way not territories can be established.

If you put a knife in that tank, only put a few small ( around 6 inch max size) cichlids with it, just to let it have some room. And knives need a place to hide, a peice of pvc pipe make a quick and easy 'cave'. The specail made knife tubes are frankly a waste of money, as thats all they are Good Luck.

Wow, thanks so much for all the info. I know I must be getting annoying but my husband and I have been researching what kinds of fish are out there and keep coming up with different interesting fish. We have taken fancy to the rope fish, and would like to know more about them as well. It seems when we do research online we get conflicting results so we'd like to ask about them.

Also, Silver Dollars. Hubby has always really liked them and if possible, could we get a little info on them...special care? how many together? appropriate tankmates?

I know we've also mentioned cons and parrots, but firemouths are also coming into our liking. So , any info on them as well would be appriciated. We've got other tanks, an oranda tank, snail tank, betta tanks, and a tropical tank (dojo, twig cat, and angel fish) but we want to put as much thought into choosing fish for this tank as possible, especially since we have a good deal of time before we are ready to stock it.

If anyone happens to have their own suggestions for what they would stock this 55 with, I'd be glad to hear them.

There's 8 million things you could put in there! Oh my!

But since you seem interested in Predators, go to [url]no site names allowed[/url] and post, in the General Aquarium Discussion, what can i put in a 55g and whut kinds of fish your interested in. Basically whut your doing here. Im a mod over there, they will give you more information then you would ever want. On exactly whut you can put into a 55 with whut, how many, and care. Id ask that you put it in general aquatium discussion, instead of different ones, as your looking for a host of different species. - Meg