Recommendations for tank mates needed...

[yamafazer]

hi

i have recently upgraded to a larger short tem tank (although still small by most standards) 24"x 12" x 15" think it must be around 67ltrs?

At the moment i only have a pair of Cacatuoides which is a lovely fish and my first Cichlid, and i was wondering what the recommended tank mates are? I thought that this tank may be able to house 6 fish without being overstocked?

i do quite like the rams of various kinds and was wondering if they can coexist with cacatuoides in this size of tank if i was to add a lot of plants and form some extra caves at both ends of the tank?

 

[slimbolen99]

Welcome to the forum!

I wouldn't recommend any other bottom dwelling fish (especially cichlids). Maybe some pencilfish or small tetras would go well, but expect them to pick off fry if you get any (pencilfish not so much, but the tetras will). I truly believe you need AT LEAST 48" x 12" tank to house anymore than two pairs of any cichlid species, especially apistos.

Good luck!

 

[yamafazer]

Thank you for the reply. I will keep to just the one pair until I have permission to upgrade tank size lol.

Is there any other target fish I could use as pencil fish and tetras really don't do it for me. I was thinking maybe 4barbs as I quite like the snakeskin barb. But to honest I would rather have 3 or 4 very interesting fish than 2 and a load of dither fish that I don't really like.

I have always wanted to own a puffer fish as my farther had a spiked puffer in Marine reef tank when I was a kid. Would it be possible to house a single figure of eight puffer or a dwarf puffer with the pair of cacatouides?