Good to know, about the lone sajica! I di really like how they look, so maybe Ill do that. What type of Geo did you have? My understanding is that most species are quite peaceful, but a few are pretty mean (like brasilinias).
Aggression levels of blue acara, firemouth, sajica, and festivum?
- Thread starter Quo Vadis
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Good to know, about the lone sajica! I di really like how they look, so maybe Ill do that. What type of Geo did you have? My understanding is that most species are quite peaceful, but a few are pretty mean (like brasilinias).
I know. It is a tall tank so I am not planning on planting it. Instead it will be driftwood forest. Would they eat frogbit, salvia, etc.floating on the surface?
So what if I did:
4-5 Geos
A pair of Uaru (Can anyone tell me how they are when breeding? I have watched a lot of YouTube videos of them with fry where they seem really chill.)
1 Festivum
1 true blue acara (IF I can find one - is there anyway to tell by looking at them if they are a hybrid or not?)
1 sajica OR firemouth (anyone else want to weigh in in how a single sajica or firemouth would do in tank with peaceful fish?)
Rainbow Cichlid(s??) How would they do in this tank? If I don't put them in here they will be in my 72g with a pair of keyholes, and a lone curviceps.
4-5 Geos
A pair of Uaru (Can anyone tell me how they are when breeding? I have watched a lot of YouTube videos of them with fry where they seem really chill.)
1 Festivum
1 true blue acara (IF I can find one - is there anyway to tell by looking at them if they are a hybrid or not?)
1 sajica OR firemouth (anyone else want to weigh in in how a single sajica or firemouth would do in tank with peaceful fish?)
Rainbow Cichlid(s??) How would they do in this tank? If I don't put them in here they will be in my 72g with a pair of keyholes, and a lone curviceps.
Uaru get big. I think 10-12" depending on gender (uaru keepers feel free to correct me). A pair would likely claim almost all of that tank with the exception of possible a foot or two of one end. God help you if they claim the center, because they will 6-12" on either end, which will get cramped feeling really quick for the other tankmates. My understanding of Uaru is they do tend to be very relaxed, but still can be quite defensive of fry and with their size often being bigger than their tankmates, most other fish choose not to mess with them. My opinion of successful calm uaru parents is a lack of any aggressive tankmates at all and plenty of space.
Don't forget that you could very likely see breeding from the geos and they would be more problematic than the uaru would depending on species, but since the smallest Geophagus is 5-6" (larger ones being 12-14"), they could still easily take on most of their potential tankmates to cause damage.
Hybrid blue acaras will show orange trim on their dorsal and caudal fins. Pures only show orange trim on their dorsal. However, this color doesn't fully show up until they are 2-3", so just beware if you buy small ones.
If I had to choose between the sajica and the firemouth, I would lean towards the firemouth in a peaceful tank. Sajica only hit 6", but they are bulky like a pit bull and can cause serious damage. Firemouths also only hit 6", but tend to be leaner and more interested in puffing up than actually fighting.
Rainbow cichlids would be good. They are a calm cichlid and also tend to be pretty calm when breeding compared with most other cichlids.
Your stocking success will hinge a lot of the geo species you choose. 4-5 big species will max out your bottom space and allow you to keep an uaru and a firemouth for the middle/top and some dither to completely max it out. If you choose 4-5 smaller species, you could keep a more varied stock.
I would recommend going with 4-5 smaller geos like red heads or pindare. Then you could stock an uaru, a firemouth, a blue acara, a festivum and maybe 1-2 rainbows.
A final note is going to depend on what size range you purchase at. If buying them small to grow out, festivum, geos, and uaru really should be kept in groups of 4+ until they reach 1/2 their adult sizes in order to feel comfortable and thrive. Once they reach 1/2 their adult sizes, comfort won't be a concern for their happiness and you would be able to have your pick of the litters.
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To be fair i really regret getting rid of him (although i have 5 of his fry in my tank now
He was in with an 5inch altifrons, 3 inch orangehead head, 3 inch jurupari and a 7 inch leucosticta. I think it was purely a dominance thing from the leucosticta and as the orangehead never back down they had tear ups quite often.
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What is the most peaceful Geo? I like wineerri(sp?) And they are more medium sized for a Geo. I am leaning toward getting less species, and really get the ones I want. So can anyone with Uarus or Geos weigh in on how aggressive they get when breeding ? If it was just a small group of medium sized PEACEFUL Geos, and a pair of Uaru do ok in this tank, with the Elephantnose fish?
Here is video that is a lot of my inspiration, and obviously I know it is bigger than my tank, but they have 2 pairs Uarus, several pairs various Geos, + a pair of Yellow Acaras, and Chocolate cichlids. In it one of pairs of Uaru has fry, and they don't seem too aggressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAaaFyJSo98
And in this one the Geo Altifrons (that specific species at least) seem to be very non-aggressive even when protecting fry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aaHxK-Uors
And this is kind of the effect I want to go for with the Elephantnose fish, but using SA Cichlids, since they are prettier, and more available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p_BIob8JiI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAaaFyJSo98
And in this one the Geo Altifrons (that specific species at least) seem to be very non-aggressive even when protecting fry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aaHxK-Uors
And this is kind of the effect I want to go for with the Elephantnose fish, but using SA Cichlids, since they are prettier, and more available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p_BIob8JiI
I think a group of 4-5 geos would very easily out compete the ENF for food since they occupy the same general region. Aggression-wise, they would be fine, but you might have to develop a gimmick to ensure the ENF gets plenty of food.
If you want to breed both uaru and geos, here is what I would recommend:
4-5 geos (remove a second pair if one develops)
Pair uaru (start with a group of small uaru and let them pair up)
1 festivum
1 ENF
Dithers
Breeding reduces stock ability, but if you're okay with that, them this stock should work fine. I am not sure how the ENF will fair if both the geos and uaru are guarding eggs/fry at the same time, so that is something you should keep in mind when the breeding groups start to reach sexual maturity. The lone festivum shouldn't be an issue since it will stay in the mid and upper levels and since single festivum tend to be more peaceful than those kept in groups. You will need to remove any additional pairing of geos if they develop since you simply wouldn't have the room for three breeding pairs of medium/large cichlids in that tank.
When you scape the tank, try to create 2-3 sections with natural barriers (driftwood, rocks, dense clusters of plants, etc) in the tank with 2 of the sections having one nice spot to lay eggs and make sure those two egg laying locations are far from each other. This will increase the chance of you controlling where eggs are laid and the natural barriers will encourage guarding parents to stay on their side of the barrier. It also creates some "no fly zones" for the non-breeders so they know what areas are safe to travel in/through and which ones aren't.
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As stated above, cichlids may out compete Mormyrids during the day, but Mormyrids are usually nocturnal predators, and use a weak electrical charge to locate and stun prey, feeding at night when cichlids are resting may be needed.
There are some large Mormyrids that hunt and stun cichlids at night in the rift lakes with a charge similar to an electric eel, and are able to swallow cichlids such as Aulonocara whole.
There are some large Mormyrids that hunt and stun cichlids at night in the rift lakes with a charge similar to an electric eel, and are able to swallow cichlids such as Aulonocara whole.
