Hi all. New member but I have been browsing the site. Loving all the info, so I thought I would join.
I know stocking questions get old, but hoping to get some insight before jumping into anything. I have a 40 gallon breeder that I will be setting up soon(ish), and was thinking about trying something new and getting into cichlids. I have an Aquaclear 70, and a 30 I could add for extra filtration. I will be using BD sand, going to try my luck with a few real plants, and right now I have a fake piece of driftwood and a couple of zebra rocks. I do plan on cycling the tank without fish and giving the plants a little time to get settled before adding fish.
I would like to have a pair of rainbow cichlids, a pair of electric blue acaras, ideally a school of cories, and maybe a small school of serpae tetras for dither, but playing around with AqAdvisor that's getting close to pushing it. I'd be more comfortable being a little more under-stocked than over. From what I have gathered, this should theoretically work but I am hoping to get some insight here to be sure. My understanding is that rainbows do better in a group/ pair and the EBAs are also relatively peaceful. I'm wondering if 2 pairs of cichlids in a tank my size would be ok or not. I could do a pair of one species and a single of the other, or possibly 2 singles and add a third?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am very drawn to the EBAs and thought the yellow of the rainbow cichlids would compliment them well, but my biggest concern is everyone being happy.
I know stocking questions get old, but hoping to get some insight before jumping into anything. I have a 40 gallon breeder that I will be setting up soon(ish), and was thinking about trying something new and getting into cichlids. I have an Aquaclear 70, and a 30 I could add for extra filtration. I will be using BD sand, going to try my luck with a few real plants, and right now I have a fake piece of driftwood and a couple of zebra rocks. I do plan on cycling the tank without fish and giving the plants a little time to get settled before adding fish.
I would like to have a pair of rainbow cichlids, a pair of electric blue acaras, ideally a school of cories, and maybe a small school of serpae tetras for dither, but playing around with AqAdvisor that's getting close to pushing it. I'd be more comfortable being a little more under-stocked than over. From what I have gathered, this should theoretically work but I am hoping to get some insight here to be sure. My understanding is that rainbows do better in a group/ pair and the EBAs are also relatively peaceful. I'm wondering if 2 pairs of cichlids in a tank my size would be ok or not. I could do a pair of one species and a single of the other, or possibly 2 singles and add a third?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am very drawn to the EBAs and thought the yellow of the rainbow cichlids would compliment them well, but my biggest concern is everyone being happy.
2 EBA 's would probably work if only they were a genuine pair, but no other Cichlids a group of Cories could work.
