Blue Acara hiding. Need help plz.

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Cweikel

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Feb 24, 2020
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Lorton Virginia
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Carrie
I have a 60 gallon tank with a 70 gallon pump and 30 gallon pump. Air bubbler wall . I have 5 giant danios, 3 large Molly's, 2 rainbow fish, 1 gold severum, 2 blue Acara and 1 fontosa. All the fish are juvenile. Under 3-4 inches. Both my Acara hide most of the time more so the bigger Acara...until I am feeding them. All the fish stay low middle to bottom of the tank. Which I am not sure why when I have middle to top swimmers. Test strips shows everything is good. Temperature is at 77 degrees. I have had the Acara for 3 months now, added the Gold severum and 2 rainbow fish yesterday in hopes of encouraging them to come out more and possibly stir up the Danios too, but it didn't help (The Molly's are only temporary residents... they are moving to my sons new 10 gallon tank in a few days after it has fully cycled.) I feed them pellets, flakes, Blood worms and brine shrimp. My tank looks empty with all these fish...lol. Any suggestions to help my Acara feel safe. Here's a picture of the tank and one where the one Acara hides20200613_222055.jpg. I don't mind changing how the tank is set up if needed. Its a work in progress and want more plants vrs decor. I planned on changing it up tomorrow with water change and adding more sand and a few more small live plants. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 20200613_215044.jpg
 

fishorama

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I think some taller décor might help. Java ferns & anubias are attached to wood, rocks etc. Is that a java fern on the left wood? You might try moving some décor around instead of lining it up down the middle. Some fish are reluctant to swim in a bubble wall, I'm not a fan. I do like that you have 2 filters!

Each cichlid would like its own territory. Are the acaras M & F? If you can't tell try for a couple clear pics of their dorsal & anal fins & we can help, at 3 or 4 inches it should be pretty easy. If they are a pair they may cause trouble for your other fish when they breed, they're almost big enough to think about it. If the larger acara is male it may not be as ready as the smaller if female. Girls, like people, mature earlier & may be aggressive to the male until he figures out what to do. If 2 males, 1 will usually have to hide; 2 females, maybe not.

I've never kept frontosa. They are African & I think usually kept in colonies. Mixing American & African cichlids almost never ever works out & fronts get very large!! Africans usually have a completely different body language than CAs & that leads to trouble even without the size differences. Africans, in general, are much more aggressive. I strongly suggest you rehome it while it's still small.

Oh, & mollies get pretty much too big for a 10g at 3 inches...plus any fry...but that's a different subject.
 
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Cweikel

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Thank you for your feedback?. I did change my decorations around and removed a few adding driftwood branches we had treated . That was a adventure of its own. Also added more sand. Definitely more activity than before. Lucky for me Fontosa grow slow. I'm getting a 150 gallon in the next 3-4 months. The ? plants are in the works there are 6 moss balls 2 Lilly, and 1 Java fern so far. Also, the 10 gallon and Molly's were a gift to my son...I agree that it is a bit small. I bought a extra 5 gallon filter ( to accommodate it being overstocked) and until we are able to upgrade to a 20 gallon. New picsof the tank and my Acara ? I would love to know if male or female to have it properly stocked. 20200616_113444.jpg20200616_113211.jpg
 

fishorama

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Well, despite of my brag, I'm going to have to guess, lol. I think the small 1 is a female, the big is male. I'm also judging by head shape & not just fins. But her color is very nice! He seems more than an inch bigger.

How does the smaller act toward to big 1? & the frontosa to all the other cichlids? The severum looks unhappy in your pic but that could just be that moment in time. Until you can move the front I would suggest adding some more rocks/big wood for caves. Some of your "hiding places" are too open for secure cichlid territories. It doesn't have to be "tank pretty" at this point it's just temporary until you get a big frontosa tank.

I like the wood! & it seems the danios do too. I hope you have a tighter fitting cover, they can jump! I didn't realize how well until we moved 1 time & found some dried out 1s behind the tank, oops.

The java fern really needs to be attached to wood or rocks. Or at least with it's "rhizome" (the sideways stem that leaves & roots grow from) a little above the substrate, just pull it a up a tiny bit. & since I belong to a plant club, lol, I have to suggest you gradually get rid of the plastic plants. Anubias of many types would be easy & help with the territory thing & there are several shapes of java ferns too. Both are very easy, & to me anyway, pretty. Check them out.
 
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Cweikel

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Feb 24, 2020
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Lorton Virginia
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Carrie
Well, despite of my brag, I'm going to have to guess, lol. I think the small 1 is a female, the big is male. I'm also judging by head shape & not just fins. But her color is very nice! He seems more than an inch bigger.

How does the smaller act toward to big 1? & the frontosa to all the other cichlids? The severum looks unhappy in your pic but that could just be that moment in time. Until you can move the front I would suggest adding some more rocks/big wood for caves. Some of your "hiding places" are too open for secure cichlid territories. It doesn't have to be "tank pretty" at this point it's just temporary until you get a big frontosa tank.

I like the wood! & it seems the danios do too. I hope you have a tighter fitting cover, they can jump! I didn't realize how well until we moved 1 time & found some dried out 1s behind the tank, oops.

The java fern really needs to be attached to wood or rocks. Or at least with it's "rhizome" (the sideways stem that leaves & roots grow from) a little above the substrate, just pull it a up a tiny bit. & since I belong to a plant club, lol, I have to suggest you gradually get rid of the plastic plants. Anubias of many types would be easy & help with the territory thing & there are several shapes of java ferns too. Both are very easy, & to me anyway, pretty. Check them out.
Thank you ? This is my first big tank. I had a 30 gallon with African cichlids and realized that they are really fun but complicated at the same time. So I switched to more peaceful fish and a bigger tank. I am learning as I go. So I appreciate the help...especially with plants. My 30 gallon had lots of plants but they died quickly due to improper placement and lighting. I plan on treating more driftwood branches once I find the right ones and I do have a fake rock cave type decoration that I can figure out a placement for. ?
As far as the Acaras they occasionally swim together but most of the time they keep to opposite sides of the tank. Neither are aggressive to the other. I'm guessing as far as the severum I need a few tall live plants to make a happier environment similar to discus?
I want to also use plant glue and glue anubias to parts of the driftwood. I have a long way to go to have a healthy and proper setup going. Work in progress ?
 

fishorama

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It'll be almost impossible to keep plants in the substrate, most CA cichlids dig. You can try putting smallish rocks around the plant bases. Also be careful that any big rocks can't tip over when the fish dig. You probably already know that from your African tank. Severums are more like the acaras than like discus (they are a whole "nother fish with special needs).

Use super glue gel to attach anubias & java ferns or sewing thread.
 
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Lalo J.

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Just this morning I read about the electric blue acara, my LFS has 1 "specs and I thought about adding one to my tank but because of the size I decided not to. Anyway, I think they would definitely like a more natural tank with natural plants, you can get some plants added to the roots and make the fish feel more comfortable.
 
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