Help with blue Texas and blue acara?

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Horsechick

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 9, 2015
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Hi everyone! Thanks in advance for any help. So bear with me, I've not posted a real question here before. I've switched from angel fish to "the big bads".

I have a 125g tank. I had any mixture of fiah, including a red tail shark and a pleco. Then ordered 4/blue Texas from aquabid. I kept two and gave two away. Well, the Texas killed the other one, then picked off every other fiah in the tank, including the pleco.

Now Texas is 4-5" long, and was only (boring) fish in the tank. So the person I gave the other two Texas to gave me a big blue acara (I assume that's what it is, it's a Walmart special she's had for a few years). The BA is about 7-8" and a bully, so we thought it would keep the blue Tex in check, plus bought three little cichlids to try and distract them.


So I was worried about the new fiah but now I'm worried about my blue Tex. The BA seems dead set on hunting the Texas. All it does is hunt the tank. It does have egg spots on its anal fin so assuming it's a male.

OK, if you've read all that, thank you! And here's my question. How much can my blue Texas take before I need to separate them? Blue Tex scraped his side when I added BA but other than that I don't see any damage to body and fins. But he's hiding, turns his body toward the BA as he swima by, seems stressed, all his stress bars are showing and his under jaw/belly are black. Here and there the BTC (blue Texas ) would chase the BA but that has stopped. Currently the BTC is out in the open at the bottom just looking stressed. How much can he take? I have no clue as to his sex, he could be a she. But I love that fish and would rather not see him harmed.

Do I have to use photo bucket to attach a pic to this forum?

Thanks so much for any help!!
 
Also, what would help make this better? Adding a few larger cichlids to distract the BA? He doesn't have interest in the little guys.
 
So you think the BTC will be fine? I've been considering egg crate. I will try to get a picture. When the blue acara goes by the Texas will basically swim on its side to avoid detection. I have a good amount of cover/places to hide, but the Tex sits behind the filter output, or above the heater and seems stressed.
 
Definitely stressed, that's a big fish all of the sudden after being alone. Texas (cyanoguttatus) have a pretty nasty set of chompers and ime don't take s#!t once they've reached about the size yours is now. If yours is a carpinitis(pearl scale cichlid, commonly sold and labeled as texas), it probably won't be as ornery as mine have been. Just check out the two species and decided which one you actually have and try to post some pics
 
Well I'm thinking mine might be closer to 4"? Looking at him while trying to get a pic, he seems a bit smaller. I'm 90% sure it's a cyanoguttatus. Bought from aquabid, and this sucker is blue/purple/dark green, but mostly blue. I'm trying to load a photo but it hasn't been working. It was evil as a 2" fish when I got it. Haven't had him 6mo I don't think.

I'm going to try to resize the pic and upload.
 
This is a bad photo of what I think is a blue acara/mix. Might be a plain old Walmart mutt.

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Your Texas looks like a carpintis to me. Can you get a clearer pic of the Acara? I don't really think it's an Acara, looks like an African cichlid to me. Do Acaras have egg spots on their anal fins?
 
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