Community Americans

[colby268]

Thankyou for all your replies. I am definitely looking now more at water parameters and what fish gets along with another.

I think I was going to go with
1 oscar OR 1 severum OR 1 chocolate.

with

a few geos
Maybe jurapari or sveni

(I get really confused by the scientific names)

 

[Mazan]

You might also consider a group of Mesonauta, they don't use the bottom of the tank much so go well with other cichlids that do, such as the Geophagus and Satanoperca. I have found mine to be pretty peaceful, though I have heard reports of very aggressive ones (usually wild caught I believe?). PersonallyI would go with the severum or chocolate cichlid over the Oscar , probably safer long term.

 

[Ogertron3000]

Sounds like you need to find a better fish shop.
I have heard Labyrinth Aquarium is good for cichlids up there in NSW, maybe Friller2009 could recommend some too but i think hes a QLDer.

 

[Friller2009]

Sounds like you need to find a better fish shop.
I have heard Labyrinth Aquarium is good for cichlids up there in NSW, maybe Friller2009 could recommend some too but i think hes a QLDer.

Nah I'm stuck in sydney.
Laybrinth Closed the landlord sold the place to developers. Andrew who owned the place was good friends with my dad, and he has basically moved away from fish.
Allfish2u is the best shop in sydney by far. It's the only place with reasonable prices and their stock isn't just an aquarium industries stocklist.

 

[LukeOscar]

Another thing about cichlids, is that they are long lived, and go thru many phases during and throughout maturity.
Let's take the genus Vieja, a Central American genus that prefers hard high pH water.
As juvies until about 1(even 2 ) year(s), they are very social (there is safety in numbers in nature)
At maturity, some hit it early, but normal maturity for Vieja is between 2 and 3 years.
At the time, they can get very territorial, and aggressive, so the largest tank you can afford/fit in your house,/have time to do lots of water changes on, and take care of is needed.
To me this means minimally a 6 ft tank for just a pair, preferably a space over 250 to 300 gallons, if you're considering a community.
But Vieja can be lethal if there is not enough space, or if a mate is not cooperative.
I have kept a number of them, and for at least 5 years per species,
melanura, bifasciata, breidhori, fenestrata, guttalatta, maculacauda, and zonata and their sister genus with argentea and regani.
Some have been fairly mild mannered and have done well as pairs, in 6 ft tanks
View attachment 1520277View attachment 1520278View attachment 1520279
Some I would not keep in anything under 250 gallons and might not even attempt a tank that small
Such as the two species below, and including V. maculacauda, and zonata.
View attachment 1520280View attachment 1520281
And.....if choosing tank mates for Vieja, I would choose vastly different shaped cichlids, with very different mouth configurations, because they would appear to be less than competitors for similar resources.
As adults Vieja can get very jealous of available space, and resources, and once the perceived need hits, chaos is often the result.

yea i can see your point on a 6ft minimum span. at 4" my pair will cover the entire 8 foot x 31" footprint and they will do it frequently throughout the day. they cover distance much like an arowana but tend to stay mid water. i hope mine dont go rogue on tank mates but as it is now. they just stick to themselves. the 2 stick together. i was hoping for a male and female but they were only 2.5" or so when i got them. so im still unsure.

 

[Ogertron3000]

Nah I'm stuck in sydney.
Laybrinth Closed the landlord sold the place to developers. Andrew who owned the place was good friends with my dad, and he has basically moved away from fish.
Allfish2u is the best shop in sydney by far. It's the only place with reasonable prices and their stock isn't just an aquarium industries stocklist.

Developers are killing the vibe of every city in Australia, how many more apartment blocks with a cafe on the ground floor do we need?

I just had a look at Allfish2u website, pretty impressive, I might call on their shipping service when I figure out what to do with my dodgy stocked tank.