New World Cichlid For 240L Tank?

[TheTankMan]

I have a 4ft 240 litre Juwel Rio
 
After extensive research I've decided on getting a couple of Central/South American Cichlids as the centrepiece for the tank 

 
I'd rather have New World Cichlids than African Cichlids as I have heard a countless number of times that New World Cichlids are more personable fish.
 
I want them to grow to around 6-7 inches 

 
At the moments the current candidates are:
 
Firemouth Cichlid 

Blue Acara
 
Salvini Cichlid
 
My question is: what personal experiences have you had with these fish? Are there any other medium sized NW cichlids which you would recommend? Which two fish would you like to see in this tank in the future? 
 
Comments from members with a similar sized tank and medium sized new world cichlids would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks in advance!! 

 

 

 
 

 

[DerpPH]

German Blue Rams, bolivian rams, nannacara sp. apistogramma,

those fish will just be too big for a 4 foot tank. Firemouths need a 2 meter tank all to themselves
 
blue acara do better in 80 gallon tanks.
 
I think the salvini will do better in your tanks  IMO

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Electric yellow cichlids/yellow lab chiclids grow to be around 4 1/2 inches long and the one I had ( ) had such a personaltiy. They are also really good for beginners and your tank is more than big enough.
 
Though my red devil also has a really amazing personality even though red devils are too big for your tank.

 

[DerpPH]

Electric yellow cichlids/yellow lab chiclids grow to be around 4 1/2 inches long and the one I had (

) had such a personaltiy. They are also really good for beginners and your tank is more than big enough.
 
Though my red devil also has a really amazing personality even though red devils are too big for your tank.

 
Yellow labs are Old world(meaning they come from africa)
 
New world cichlids come from the Americas,
 
Its in the title Ellie.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

..... Whoops. Got the two mixed up. lol. Sorry about that.
 
Well, my old world and new world both had alot of personality. I would consider both. But Im not you.
 
Red devils cant fit in your tank, but again, the yellow lab can. And I loved mine.

 

[TheTankMan]

German Blue Rams, bolivian rams, nannacara sp. apistogramma,

those fish will just be too big for a 4 foot tank. Firemouths need a 2 meter tank all to themselves
 
blue acara do better in 80 gallon tanks.
 
I think the salvini will do better in your tanks  IMO

 
So you say that a Salvini will do well in the tank but not a Firemouth?
 
But Salvini's grow slightly larger than firemouths and are much more aggresive, so I don't see why a Firemouth would need so much space...and surely not a 2 metre tank.....
 
Rams are too small for my liking

..... Whoops. Got the two mixed up. lol. Sorry about that.
 
Well, my old world and new world both had alot of personality. I would consider both. But Im not you.
 
Red devils cant fit in your tank, but again, the yellow lab can. And I loved mine.

 
Yellow Labs do seem like interesting fish, but I'm just looking to keep a couple of "showpiece" fish in my tank, at the mo, having one Firemouth and one Salvini cichlid is really appealing to me, with maybe a school of medum sized tetras/barbs and an algae eater
 
Do Yellow labs require special water conditions?

 

[DerpPH]

Well Salvini cichlids for one dont need a big nest.

2 meters is for breeding them if you plan to. But hey thats me. 

If its ok Try to pm Willis about your inquiry.
 
He knows a LOT about cichlids 

IMO

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Yellow labs need a pH from 7.5 to 8.3. If you have low pH you can used crushed coral or lava rocks to make it high. Thats the only thing I know of. And I have to say, the males are beautiful!

 

[Brahmza]

As long as your tank isn't overcrowded with a bunch of other tank mates, I don't see why a pair of Blue Acara wouldn't work. They're generally peaceful, only territorial towards other males and often around breeding times. Just no fish that would fit in their mouth, and some rockwork and such for caves to make them feel at home.

 

[DrRob]

Firemouths are fine in far less than 2 metres. I've bred ellioti, which are closely related in a similarly sized tank. So you'd be fine with firemouths.
 
Salvini can be aggressive so their tank mate choices need to be done carefully, but you may well be fine with one with a firemouth.
 
Blue acaras would be a fine choice.