View Full Version : SA Cichlid community tank...
BlueUltra2
12-08-2002, 4:04 PM
I'm getting ready to buy a 125 gallon tank this week but still undecided on the fish. I don't want breeding pairs and nothing over 6" if possible. How many and what kinds should I get? I thought about convicts, firemouths, blue acara. Will these be alright together and do these fish grow shorter than 6"? What else could I put in with them....remember no pairs. I want the tank to be full if you know what I mean. Thanks!
BlueUltra2
12-08-2002, 5:31 PM
Could I get pairs of each without worrying about them killing each other? Help me please!! I want to have at least one Jurupari in the tank...
latazyo
12-09-2002, 12:16 PM
a tank that huge with plenty of decor, caves, etc will house a large number of the fish you want
if they have their own territory to choose from, they wont' have to fight over it, I think you'll be fine
good choice going with SA's
blee358
12-09-2002, 8:57 PM
i would definitly think that u would be able to put a lot of pairs in a 125g tank especially if they max out at around 6". i would say a pair of firemouths, convicts, rainbows, and salvinis would be ok.
blee358
12-09-2002, 8:59 PM
there are also jewels, carpintes, o the list can just go on. i would limit myself to at max, 4 pairs tho.
Convicts and firemouths are Central American, I'm not sure about the blue acara. If you don't mind mixing CAs and SAs, firemouths and juripari would be fine but you should have more than one juripari they do better in groups. Convicts are too aggressive for juripari.
BlueUltra2
12-10-2002, 8:05 AM
My wife and I decided to get a 75 gallon tank instead due to lack of space in our home. Now what should I do? I looked at the salvinis and really like the look of them. Is there anyway that I could put a firemouth, convict, blue acara, salvini, and a jurupari in that size of tank without having problems? How big do rainbows get and are there different variations of them? Thanks!:D
The more structure the better - more hiding spaces=less stressed fish, less fights.
Salvinis and convicts have a reputation for being "bullies" however without pairing up and breeding there will be less of a chance for that.
Most of the fish you intend to get seem to max out at about 6" or so, IMO 5-8 should be plenty,.
You may want to get a pleco or 2 also as they will go well.
Whatever you do try to get juveniles of all the fish and introduce them all at once as they will be able to establish terratory and there won't be a homefield advantage when you add fish later.
It is easier to combine fish as juveniles rather then fullgrown when they may have developed likes and dislikes and a particular fish may just not be tolerant of others.
Convicts and salvinis are very aggressive, juripari aren't. You are asking for aggression problems with that combination. I suppose your best chance of the juriparis living to adulthood would be to get only one of each so that there is no chance of spawning.
Scooter
12-18-2002, 11:20 PM
Go dwarf. I keep a 75g community tank of dwarf SA cichlids. You can keep several species in that size tank. If you're set on having a community tank and 75 is as large as you can go, the larger cichlids are going to present you with considerably more limitations.
Lynsey
12-18-2002, 11:56 PM
If it were my tank and wanted a community, I would do:
1 Nicaragua cichlid (about 8" in aquarium) - mellow and very nice color
1 Geophagus or Juripari (mellow and lots of personality)
1 Firemouth, or Rainbow cichlid, or blue jack dempsey (they don't get as big as the regular ones, and they are not as aggressive, but they are rather expensive). I think 3-4 cichlids would fit nicely in that tank. I would go with three cichlids, and other non-cichlid tankmates instead of more cichlids. That gives each cichlid more room to set up their territory.
I would also put in a few colorful bottom feeders (I like the albino bristlenose plecos, goldnugget plecos, and other fancy plecos) or a pictus cat (the ones that stay smaller). You could also go with a nice school of colorful dither fish, like congo tetras, or rainbowfish.
I have a 75 gallon too, and I had to make the decision of what to put in it. It is hard because there are so many nice cichlids out there. I realized that my mistake was that I wanted to put like 5-6 cichlids in the tank, and it just doesn't work. It will for a while, but not when they are full grown.
P.S. If you get them as babies, you will have more of a chance that they will get along when they are bigger.