Hi everyone. I am putting together a 75 gallon. Right now the only set occupant is a lone Sajica juvenile. I'd like to add another 1-2 mid-sized cichlids, but I want to avoid anything that will be likely to try to breed with the Sajica (don't want to deal with fry or aggression) and I want to make sure that whatever I get will be evenly matched with him in terms of aggression. Any suggestions on good Sajica roommates for a 75 gallon? Thanks for any thoughts!
Stocking suggestions for 75 gallon with lone Sajica?
- Thread starter BlueEyedCichlid
- Start date
If per chance you are iffy on its gender , here is how to tell the difference
Male sajica
female
Pair together
Male sajica
female
Pair together
I agree with this, when male sajica are fully grown, a 75 is not a big tank, and they can become quite territorial.
Somewhere in that range. 7 would be rare I don't doubt it is possible. 5 or 6 more common, but they do get very chunky and tall-bodied. So it is a big 5 or 6 inch fish. I do think a big male would fill up a 75 and may or may not allow other cichlids.
I would find out if your fish is a male or female, that will be a big difference. If you don't want crossbreeding, the other fish should be the same sex as your fish. Though, females may attempt to breed with each other still, or even lay and defend their eggs alone without a mate.
If you do have a female, I would say adding 3 females of similar amatitlania species, or most central american cichlids which stay under 10" (females usually much smaller), would be worth a shot. If you have a male, it will be tough to recommend good tankmates, as I think it's likely to bump heads with any other male cichlids.
Another route would be to simply get the opposite sex, and have a breeding pair of Sajica. With some livebearers, that would be a nice CA themed setup.
My male was about 8"-10" , almost as tall, and a good 2" wide (about as big as a text book), he made a 6 ft tank look tiny.
I find most reports of how big cichlids get, underestimate true size.
Maybe its because they get stunted by high nitrate, and growth inhibiting hormones in crowded, too small tanks, with too few water changes. In fact that's where I believe the old adage "they only grow to the size of there tank" comes from.
But.....Its not the physical size of the box, but the rate in which water quality inside that box degrades, that causes growth to slow or stop.
In the shot above the female is about 4"-5", so you can extrapolate the males size from that.
I find most reports of how big cichlids get, underestimate true size.
Maybe its because they get stunted by high nitrate, and growth inhibiting hormones in crowded, too small tanks, with too few water changes. In fact that's where I believe the old adage "they only grow to the size of there tank" comes from.
But.....Its not the physical size of the box, but the rate in which water quality inside that box degrades, that causes growth to slow or stop.
In the shot above the female is about 4"-5", so you can extrapolate the males size from that.
How about some clown loaches. Cool to look at, very active, totally different from the Sajica so unlikely to have aggression between them. And loaches grow so slowly, they'll stay small size for years.