Mainly Freshwater, For Now Our 65-gallon tank has a tiger oscar, 2 red oscars, a jewel cichlid, and a large pl*co. The oscars will be thinned out soon, as 1 of them is waiting for his new home to get into shape. These are the first oscars I've owned, so I can't give a great deal of advice on them. Since I did a great deal of research on oscars before purchasing, I had a fair idea of what to expect of them. They eat a great deal. They seem to recognize people who feed them, and rush to the front of the tank to greet those people. They seem to shy away from people they don't recognize. They produce a great deal of (ahem) waste. They tear out plants that don't meet the oscar view of interior decorating. Oddly enough, my generic jungle val has reproduced twice while in with the oscars. I recommend ensuring you have the time, energy and patience to keep up with the required maintenance schedule before buying oscars. If you can keep up with the demands, your efforts will be well rewarded by these fish.
The jewel cichlid is considerably smaller than any of his tankmates. Since he has the typical jewel cichlid temperament, he manages quite well in there. When I first brought him home, he had a female partner and went straight to breeding. Once the eggs hatched, this little devil ate most of the babies and then destroyed his partner. One of his babies is still with us. When the baby reaches an appropriate size, I shall exchange them for future consideration at the local aquarium store. These fish are absolutely gorgeous, and if you are prepared to spend the time required to ensure their health, you will not be disappointed in jewel cichlids.
Pl*cos are fascinating fish, although they are not the clean-up crew that some pet-store staff seem to believe. The guy in my 65-gallon tank is rather enormous, at least 6 inches long, and extremely healthy. He gets special tablets which I drop in after turning out the lights. That way, the oscars can't see the tablets quite as well, and the pl*co, who is a night-feeder, can eat without being disturbed. There is an internet myth that spelling the correct name of these fish will cause them to die. That's why I use the spelling pl*co. I also throw salt over my shoulder, in case you were wondering ....

The 29-gal tank has you-guess-how-many baby guppies, and is set up as a small paludarium. Plenty of rocks, the water level never exceeds 2/3 of the height of the tank, and more plants than the tank should be able to support at full water capacity. The fish are extremely healthy, the plants reproduce so quickly that I am constantly renovating the landscapes of my other tanks, and the snails are joyful. Yes, I have trumpet snails. Lots of em. Some days I get in there and remove as many as I can, by hand. Some days I just let them crawl and spawn and do snail-like things.

The 25-gallon tank has a small pl*co, 6 neon serpae tetras, 2 black angels, 2 clown loaches, 1 female betta, 4 female guppies, and 1 goldfish. Everyone keeps growing. It's amazing. This tank, like the others, has plenty of plants and requires regular maintenance. I wouldn't normally suggest mixing goldfish with tropical fish; goldfish prefer cooler water temperatures than the other fish in this tank. My plans include a separate tank for the goldfish, which means (of course) that I'll need more goldfish to keep him company. This tank is in my living room, across from Harley (our scarlet macaw) and Charley (our African Grey parrot). Harley loves to watch the fish at feeding time. Our cats love to watch the fish any time. (You can read more about our zoo at this page.) The pl*co in the 65-gallon tank was as small as the pl*co in the 25-gallon tank when we got him 2 years ago. Soon he'll need a larger tank. And the angelfish will require a larger tank within a year's time. Not to mention that the female guppies would appreciate a male guppy or two ... or maybe I'll trade them all in and start up a saltwater tank!

Fordetailed cichlid info, try CHOP Cichlid HomePage and for some amazing paludarium info, try this page. Friends who share an interest in homeschooling offer this site and this site for viewing.

If you'd like to contribute favourite sites (maybe your own?), or contribute information to appear on this page, email me. [This URL is http://geocities.datacellar.net/HotSprings/1527/fisha.html]

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