tankmates for blue acaras

elementkid65

elementkid65

gill-less
Jul 3, 2007
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where ever i am
what other cichlids can i put with blue acaras in a 40 gallon tank that wont bully them or get bullied.???

jack dempseys???
firemouths???
salvivnis???
convicts???
and the numbers???
 
it means no 1 has replied so im puttin back on top of thread list

so do u have any input on tanksmates????
 
Blue acaras arent all that mean (usually) and a male can get close to 8".
I would say no dempsey- a male can get around 10" and they can be more aggressive than the acara
Salvinis are just a mean fish, they get about the same size as the acara but would most likely beat on it.
Firemouths or any Thorichthys sp may be your best bet. Im not saying they would live in harmony but its possible.
A male convict might be trouble but a female may work.
Do you have a 40BRD or a 40L?
The tank would be fully stocked with 2 of the mentioned cichlids.
You seem to like blue acaras, why not breed them?
 
Get 5-6 juvi and let them grow and a pair should form. Give them some caves or flower pots and see what happens.
Maybe someone who has breed them can give you some better tips.
 
I agree with the Thorichthys sp. or firemouths. Spilurum might be nice as well.

As with most CA/SA cichlids, give them a variety of foods, lots of smooth stones to spawn on, and some rockwork and driftwood as cover. Starting off with six and growing them up is good, but in a 40g I'd recommend you just buy a pair of each type you're going to put in the tank.
 
If you want to breed them id get a larger tank so you can get a bunch to let them pair up. But for tankmates for two in a 40 gallon id say some Giant Danios or something, no other big fish.
 
We used to keep acaras & FM in a 55, a pair of each. It worked ok when they were young but when the acaras started spawning every 30 days the tank was too small. The female kept everyone else in a 1 ft section after the male helped with brood care for a week or 2. More visual barriers might help.

Also, have a plan for all the babies. Even if only 12 or so survive without separating them, fish stores can't sell them often enough to take all every month or so & will want them bigger than you may have room to grow out. We couldn't give them away after a while.

We had giant danios with them too for a bit but they were suicidal jumpers & a few died when mama acara got tough. We'd thought they were too fast, hah!

Beautiful fish though, we miss them & the firemouths too.
 
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