Tank Mate Ideas-Central American

[flyhawk]

I have a 55 gallon with driftwood(lots) and some plants-i would like to do firemouths and some other fish that looks likes or is a jack demsey( acara, green terror)

 

[flyhawk]

fire mouths/ jewel cichlids?

 

[star4]

I wouldnt mix firemouths with jewels. Jewel are african and can be quite nasty. There are other Thorichthys (same family as the firemouth) Ellioti, Heller and (one begining with a but cant remember how to spell it! aurus?), acara there are lots of different sorts of acara blue, green, port.

 

[meguro]

i would seek further advice but perhaps u would be able to do 1 jd and 1 firemouth and then add no further cichlids

though in ur post u say firemouths plural. how many did u want to keep?

 

[flyhawk]

i woulds like a pair or maybe more
how about blue acaras? i like them

 

[flyhawk]

i am a little worried about acaras, though, because i heard the need good water quality
i could do i water change per month
i have an eheim classic and 2 powerheads
my current cardinal tetras(getting rid of!!!!) are doing very good as are my rainbows/gourami/bleeding hearts.
would the rinbows be good with an acara/firemouths?
it is a 55 gallon.

 

[meguro]

water changes should be done at a frequency of at least once a week. 25% minimum and more depending on species kept and/or how ur water stats are affected week to week. rainbows and medium sized cichlids are usually ok together. acaras and firemouths are also usually ok together. blue acaras are fairly easy to keep but this doesnt mean u should lessen ur tank maintenance.

i think a temperature of around ~24.5C would be good. rainbowfish benefit from 50% water change per week and a high plant matter diet. both of these will help them display more colour. cichlids are messy fish and a slip up in tank maintenance can make things turn bad quite quickly

i havent kept any thorichthys species but if it were my own tank i would opt for something along the lines of
1 blue acara
2 firemouths (1m/1f or 2f)
shoaling fish

 

[flyhawk]

ok i decided after some thinking that i want a species tank of firemouths
i wiil not slack on my water quality, but the firemouths seem pretty hardy

how many should i get? 6?

 

[flyhawk]

it will be moderately planted with 1 VERY large piece of driftwood, and another smaller piece

 

[reignofcheese]

A 55 gallon in the end will only fit two pairs, possibly even only one.

But experience will let you know how to handle that part. Starting off with 6 juveniles is a good way to do it so you can ensure you do get a pair or two out of them. Their behaviour with each other and aggression toward each other will let you know when its time to do some removing of fihs.

Cichlids are territorial and I think you made the right choice going with a species tank - mixing single cichlids is popular, but it does nothing to bring out the best of the fish and creates a higher risk environment.

If you were not interested in actually breeding them, and went with just one pair, then you can actually add peaceful-but-tough non-cichlids with them. The trick is to have nocturnal bottom dwellers which will eat their eggs so there will never be breeding aggression. I kept a pair of Nicaraguensis like this for many years in a 75 gallon with a huge school of serpae tetras and 4 synodontis multis

cheers

 

[holidayinn]

Have a look at the Cryptoheros genus, many of these fish work well with other small cichlids e.g. Sajica, Cutteri

 

[flyhawk]

well i am starting to disassemble my old tank, and am getting ready to but the driftwood in.

i really am thinking a species tank

would a siamese algae eater and/or pleco be ok so that they can keep the tank clean?

also are 2 or only 1 pair ok

 

[flyhawk]

what about a pair of firemouths and 1 blue acara? there is lots of driftwood and plants for them to set up territoys(Spelling)

 

[flyhawk]

well, i got the firemouths and they are settling in
there is alot of wood and plants, though, and its just alot of tank for two fish

would a Blue acara be good with the firemouths?
severums get too big as do green terrors, and i dont want to have to deal with getting another tank!!

 

[flyhawk]

its a poll!!!