# Looking for Center Piece Fish



## TomCool (Sep 9, 2005)

I really would like to add a "center piece fish", like something that will catch eyes, any suggestions?


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

a type of gourami maybe(no true giants though)


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2005)

a blue dwarf gourami would be nice.


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## TomCool (Sep 9, 2005)

I'm not really a fan of gouramis


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

1 angel, only one or a pair though, no more.


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## TomCool (Sep 9, 2005)

Thanks for the idea, I'll look at some angels, I hope I can find a very colorful one or one with some nice plain colors.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

the angels will eat your neons


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

isnt a 20 gallon to small for an angel anyways?


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## AshleytheGreat (Jul 24, 2005)

Thats what I thought, cause I would have had one by now.


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## sonofbreeder (Jul 17, 2005)

no a 20 gallon isn't to small for a angel, you can have a breeding pair of angels in a 20 high but you wouldn't want anything else in there with them my dad just got a breeding pair and their in a 20 high and doing great but a angel would eat a tetra real quick


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## TomCool (Sep 9, 2005)

Alright well scratch that I guess although I do like angels, any other suggestions? What about 2 blue rams?


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I think blue rams would be fine. They can be sensitive to water conditions, just make sure you don't have a really high pH and they'll be alright.


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## TomCool (Sep 9, 2005)

Alright thanks


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

if you're really interested in blue rams, there are a few other dwarf cichlids, like the krib for one.

heres a link for others


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

As already said, rams are sensitive. As long as you keep your water at pH 5-6, and be sure that the nitrates don't build up, then they will thrive.


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## Chazwick (Aug 24, 2005)

A Betta? lol


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, very funny. :roll:


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Kribs and rams are both really neat. You should probably also get 2-3 more corys because they should be in schools. You probably already know that but I just want to make sure


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

A female krib or a pair of bolivian rams (_Microgeophagus altispinosa_ ) would be my choice.

http://www.thekrib.com/Apisto/P-pulcher.html









http://www.thekrib.com/Apisto/P-altispinosa.html


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Hmmm....Is it ok to keep just one krib? I'm not doubting you, redpaulhus, I'm just curious because I would like to keep just one! I don't want to have to deal with agression between 2, or the possibility they would breed and then be agressive to my other fish.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

im pretty sure that you can keep just one lydia


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Oh yeah, go 'head.


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

I've never had any problems keeping just one. 
Whenever mine breed, I often end up with a juvenile in my desktop tank at work for a few months  then eventually bring him/her home to go in one of my community tanks. Usually I've auctioned off all of the other kriblets by then, so I don't pair them up (plus I usually don't line-breed my kribbies with relatives, I usually try to get unrelated mates for them).

I like the females for 20g communities because they are a little smaller than the males and also more colorful 

I used to keep a breeding pair in my 29g tank with a breeding pair of pearl gourami, and they never bothered the gourami (well, except for the little kriblets going up and eating the gourami fry, but that's another story). Ditto the breeding pairs of _p pulcher_ or _p taeniatus_ (basically a slightly different colored "krib") I've kept in my 55g tanks - they always got along fine with danios, tetras, cories and ancistris (in fact the danios kept breeding in there with them).

I just made sure the kribs had a coconut cave or two to hide in, and there were some plants to break up the sight-lines.


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## hogan7 (Sep 21, 2005)

i wouldnt get an angel fish anymore not for another few years, there is a horrible disease sweeping through asia killing most all and really hurting the angels in the aquariums, and wild. The only non damaged type is altiums and they would get a little to big for a 20. What are you looking for in this center piece fish? colors, sizes, aggression.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

I wouldn't recommend buying a fish for it's aggression, you won't be able to keep it with delicate tetras and alike.
Also, where did you hear about this angel disease Hogan? Most angels are tank raised, so chances of them being infected are unlikely.


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## hogan7 (Sep 21, 2005)

The info was given to my by the owner of a great LFS in chicago, he loves angels so when i went there for the first time in a year over the summer and all he had where two altums i asked him what was going on, and thats what he said. Plus most LFS everywhere dont buy from tank raised US fish, they buy them in huge bulks from overseas. 
Also pickin a fish because of aggression is very important, if you want a very aggressive fish and he has those neons in there then hes going to have to redo the tank a bit. Plus most center peice fish are the most expensive thing in the tank, and look the best so people shape entire tanks around them.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Cichlid Man: I think what he means is picking a fish for it's aggression, or lack thereof. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is what it sounded like to me 


Oh and I think I will get just one krib. They are so pretty! Females are prettier than males? Also how do you sex them?


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Well adult males should have a more pointed caudral fin (tail), and should have more pronounced black spots on the tail. Females should have a plumber and more reddened belly.


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## TomCool (Sep 9, 2005)

thanks for all the help guys, my internets been out for the whole weekend so I could not respond. My LFS has a few blue rams but I'm still trying to decide.


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