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How are these guys suited to a 44g tank?

How many would be best kept - a single specimen, a pair or more?

How do they pair up to breed - how successful would a male/female be together, if placed in the tank at the same time?

Good tankmates - would they eat neons, unless raised with them from a young age/small size? Are they particularly aggressive to tankmates?

Do they destroy or eat plants?

x

I don't think they eat plants or destroy them. Two pairs by themselves should fit in a 44 gallon. I don't think it matters much as to when you buy each fish, they should pair up regardless. They would be very happy if placed in the tank together, as blue acaras are very easy to breed. I don't know if they would bother small fish, they are somewhat territorial when breeding, but not as much so as other cichlids.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Interesting. So a pair in a 44g would be happy then, leaving plenty of room for a gang of tetras and corys. I wonder what other specimen type fish would be compatible in that setup.

i'm not sure they'd go too well with cories. i have a single firemouth and krib in my tank, and both these cichlids chase the cories. if you had a pair i think they'd be very anti-coy since the cories hang out on the bottom where the eggs would be.

Firemouths and kribs are more aggressive than blue acaras. The blue acara could almost be considered 'peaceful' for it's size. They are responsible parents, but not overzealous. I don't think there would be a problem with haveing them in the same tank with cories.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

hmmm im not sure sirbooks.
blue acaras (males esspecially) can be very aggresive and get quite big, so i personally wouldn't put them in with neons or corys.
My female blue acara is fairly peaceful in my 40g with larger tankmates (featherfin syno, angel, firemouth, RTBS) and i really think blue acaras are really suited to that kind of a tank more than a community
And blue acaras don't eat plants, but sometimes they will do a bit of redecoration

cfd

Last edited by catfish_dude at 03-Oct-2004 00:46

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

i'd probably agree with catfishdude, since in my experience, a pair f any kind of cichlid will be more aggressive than a single one of a lighly more aggressive species.
both my krib and firemouth are totally passive towards other fish, even at feeding time, i think they just don't like cories. if i had a pair of either species i'm pretty sure the cories would be in life-threatener trouble.
i'd always thought that blue acara and firemouths were of an almost identical level of aggression, certainly they're the two most common examples of small-medium tough-community cichlids.

So could a single Acara be kept in a 4' tank with Rams? How might that turn out?

It all comes down to the individual fish. I kept two Blue Acaras for ~1.5 years and they spawned around 20 times. They are fairly aggressive fish to other cichlids when they are breeding, and become territorial. I would occasionally find a dead Cory during breeding time.

If a fish is small enough to fit into their mouths, they will have a go at eating it. My 5.5 inch male tried to shallow a 2 inch male Swordtail. Mind you the i found the Swordie on the ground, he was a jumper and i put him back into the tank, then the male had a go at it.

Like i said, it all comes down to the individual fish. I kept a 4 inch Severum with Rummynose Tetras, and it was fine.

I would not keep two pairs in that tank. My breeding pair finally came to an end when the male killed the female. This was in a 53 gallon tank. So think what will maybe happen in a smaller tank with two pairs.

One pair, with maybe some Rainbowfish and a Bristlenose will be great.

They are easy to breed, and great fish to watch, with great parental behaviours.

EDIT: I tried to keep three Bolivian Rams with my Acaras, the Acaras didn't pay much attention to the Rams, only chased them away when they came too close. The Rams were overly shy, and wouldn't eat and i eventually had to take them back to the LFS when they turned into skeletons.

-- Gomer

Last edited by Gomer at 06-Oct-2004 23:14

WHat I found with my Blue Acaras is that they were very tolerant of the fish they were brought up with, but not with new additions, which may be worth remembering. (apart from small tetras etc)

Last edited by Tom at 07-Oct-2004 14:39