Topic: Ideas for stocking my 40 breeder? One Blue Acara envolved...

[aggriffin3]

I have a 40 breeder, and already have one male 3-3.5" Blue Acara along with a 2.5" Spotted Raphael.
What else can I put in this size tank, so one, they all get along, and two, the bio load is not too much for normal 25% water changes, and an Emperor 400 to keep up with.
I am thinking of a few species:
A single firemouth (Thorichthys meeki), a single female Convict (Amatitlania nigrofasciata), a single or pair of T Bar Cichlids (Archocentrus sajica) or ?

Would I be able to keep one or two of these species in with my BA using water parameters, aggression and size as criteria.

Thanks in advance

Art

[Gerry]

I would rule out a pair. what are the diamentions of this tank?

[Katt]

If it was me I would go with some Silver-Tipped Tetra (Hasemania nana)  Because will add alot of movement to the tank.
And maybe the Firemouth. Would depend on the diamentions of the tank.

[Dale]

Same. I would forget Pairs of anything unless on their own and tank size depending, too much grief.

One of my favourite dithers are Congo Tetra, and would maybe put in the T-bar or firemouth. But again depends on dimensions. 

[aggriffin3]

The dimensions of my standard 40 breeder are: 36x18x16. I wasnt really thinking of a pair of anything, I probably should've left out that last want list comment out. Lets say I did go with the original BA (which is a given), single Firemouth, and congo tetras, which I too like. Would there be no room for a single convict or T Bar? Don't want to overstock, but was hoping for at least 3 cichlids. Also, does it matter if they are  males or females. The BA is a male.

Thanks

Art

[Shadow Bass]

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[OinKY]

What's the water chemistry? What type of decor?
You're looking at CA tankmates for SA inhabitants,so keep that in mind.CA's like a bit of hardness above the SA cichlids,but luckily some are more adaptable than others.
One very adaptable CA is the Rainbow Cichlid and it's maximum size is just below the Blue Acara's.
For a third,I'd choose a Convict-like cichlid (not nigrofasciatus) like Honduran Red point (siquia).

Those 3 sex doesn't matter,so no fertile cross-breeding going to happen,as coloration is good in both sexes.

I'd steer clear of WhiteTips (I have them) as their maximum size isn't going to keep them off Blue Acara menu.Go for something above the 2"/slim profile size like the Congos or possibly Emperor.About any tall profile Tetra should work in the 1.5+" size.

[aggriffin3]

Well, I bought a 4" Firemouth, and put him in with the 3.75" Blue Acara. At first the BA would keep him out of his space, but after about 30 minutes, it was all FM, and I removed him to a different tank before he could do any damage. I will bring him back, as I really don't have a tank to permanently house this terror. Speaking of temporary housing. He is in with my Green Terror, but the GT can't catch him for the time being thank goodness. Just trying to get the FM through the night so I can bring him back.

Art

[aggriffin3]

Well, I added a single Firemouth of the same size to the 40 gallon with the Blue Acara as mentioned above, (but I thought I would add a newer, more detailed post of what I have done), and that didnt work out good. I was surprised the Firemouth was constantly chasing the Blue Acara around, and the Blue Acara did not stand his ground. So I removed the Firemouth, and put him in my only other tank (55 gallon) so my Blue Acara would not be harassed. Yes I put the Firemouth in with a larger female Green Terror. The Green Terror did not do too much, other than every time the Firemouth would come near her driftwood home, she would just chase him away, but not very aggressively. So I am thinking, maybe the Blue Acara would do better with the Green Terror as they are similar and swapped them out so I could keep my all SA tank. It seems to be working better than with the Firemouth, so I will keep a close eye on them and make sure the Green Terror doesnt do any damage. She isnt as fast as the smaller Blue Acara or Firemouth for that matter, so we will wait and see.
If push comes to shove, I will just have to sell the Blue Acara or Firemouth and start over with a plan.
I hope this works, as I would now keep the Firemouth in the 40 breeder, and make it into a CA tank.

Art

P.S. Keeping my fingers crossed with this experiment.

[Gerry]

The FM and Acara should settle down once they sort pecking order as adding cichlids together always tends to have some aggression at first. As long as the Acara wasn't getting to much damage or stressed (hiding in corners ect) I would give it more time to see how it went.

I think the GT is a bigger risk

[aggriffin3]

Funny how things work. When I had the this particular Blue Acara with 5 others, he was the king. You put some whimpy FM in with him, he turns into a scaredy cat. He actually stood up to the larger Green Terror better than this Firemouth. The GT just moved him out of her space, the FM actually likes to move the Blue Acara out of the aquarium, chasing it everytime it sees him. The BA fins got ripped up a little bit, so the FM is out of that tank for the moment. Not sure if he is going to be sold or not.

Art

P.S. In general, is it a bad idea to have a GT and BA share the same tank? Which of the two would be a better option if I had to put one in the GT tank? Its a 55, and all thats in there is a larger Striped Raphael, 3 pictus, and now only  3 Buenos Aires Tetras.

[Gerry]

If it's a true blue acara, then that and the FM are bout the same level aggression wise (of coarse, all cichlids have their own personality so within same species you can get more mild or aggressive fish) A GT is a more aggressive species than both normally. This is the thing with cichlids, no certainties in mix and matching 

[aggriffin3]

I ended up selling both the Blue Acara and Firemouth, and now have a single Sajica in my tank, with 4 more to be picked up on Saturday. So with that said, I am going to put just Sajica's (T Bar Cichlid) in the tank, along with some congo Tetra's and a school of cory's and wait till the Sajica's pair up. Once I get an established pair, I will move the rest out, and look for a pair of  Rainbow Cichlids and add them to the tank?
I did find a proven pair of Keyhole Cichlids, but they might not be a good fit for the Sajica's?

Thanks

Art

[Gerry]

A 40 breeder will not be able to sustain two breeding groups and the rainbow cichlids will likely be the ones to suffer

[aggriffin3]

Thanks for the advice. I will leave it just Sajica's then.

Thanks

Art

P.S. Would the Congo's work out along with Cory's? Or are Cory's not able to hang with Sajica's?
Just wondering, are Sajica's as tough as their cousin the Convict? The one Sajica that I have seems to have an aggession issue with larger fish, and he is just a small juvie with a large attitude.