Decision to make

[Al KW Tan]

Just because you have a male and female don't mean that they will get along. Nor breed for that matter. And if they do you have to have a plan on how to remove the fry from your tanks. It's very easy to flood your area with fry and no longer have a way to sell them off. Most places will at best give you a quarter per fry in store credit, if they buy them at all.
I took in 300 of Caspers fry and got a pleco out of it.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Get the third tank, then you can try the breeding and have a safe place incase things don't work out.

Should be able to keep dithers with the Vieja and Parrot to get more activity from those tanks. Flowerhorns are not known for being nice so skip that one. The dithers will keep the Viejas tank going while otherwise busy with the FH. Swordtails or Molly's would be my choice.

Thanks for the advice. That shall be the plan. I shall use the existing barbs as dithers tho'

 

[duanes]

A 4 ft tank is not enough territory for cichlids like Vieja, Parachromis, or Amphilophus to live together in a community as adults.
Each fish will need its own 4 ft tank as an adult (if that's as large a tank as you can go)

 

[Gourami Swami]

A 4 ft tank is not enough territory for cichlids like Vieja, Parachromis, or Amphilophus to live together in a community as adults.
Each fish will need its own 4 ft tank as an adult (if that's as large a tank as you can go)

I second this, for large vieja species or parachromis, even solo a 4' 75 or 90 gallon will not be very spacious when the fish is fullgrown. And it definitely won't be enough space for tankmates. Even in larger tanks these fish don't play nice. I have found Vieja to be some of the worst offenders. The parrot would probably be fine in a 4' tank for life with some smaller tankmates.

 

[Al KW Tan]

I seem to love personable wet pets, that's the problem. We just should not have many of them. So, damage control it is

 

[Al KW Tan]

I second this, for large vieja species or parachromis, even solo a 4' 75 or 90 gallon will not be very spacious when the fish is fullgrown. And it definitely won't be enough space for tankmates. Even in larger tanks these fish don't play nice. I have found Vieja to be some of the worst offenders. The parrot would probably be fine in a 4' tank for life with some smaller tankmates.

How big would a vieja be before it gets highly territorial? Mine is just over 4"

 

[Gourami Swami]

How big would a vieja be before it gets highly territorial? Mine is just over 4"

Some are mean from small sizes, some get worse after about 6-7"

 

[Al KW Tan]

Some are mean from small sizes, some get worse after about 6-7"

Ok.. I need to get another tank by next month

 

[Al KW Tan]

Omg.. While preparing for the other tank, this two seem to be clearing the substrates and performing the dance. Wondering if they're even fertile. Should I be removing the dithers?

 

[Al KW Tan]

Omg.. While preparing for the other tank, this two seem to be clearing the substrates and performing the dance. Wondering if they're even fertile. Should I be removing the dithers? View attachment 1485678View attachment 1485679View attachment 1485680View attachment 1485681

Mass evacuation due to this ?‍