Pink-Tail Chalceus with Eartheaters?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Dan F

Dan F

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 10, 2007
3,889
24
68
53
Oregon
I am looking for some new topwater fish for my 210 gallon Eartheater tank. I would really like to do a small school of 6-10 Pink-Tail chalceus. Does anyone have experience keeping them with cichlids? I also have a pretty good-sized Flagtail - there shouldn't be an issue with that, should there?

Thanks for any info! :popcorn:
 
i havent personally kept these but i seriously looked into them when i was first switching my 120 over to new world cichlids, and then the consensus was pretty much that it wouldnt be an issue at all, they pretty much just stay at the top and look at the top for food and shouldnt bother anything below them, and this was talking about a single specimen so i definitely think keeping them in a group would keep all their attention on each other and i really wouldnt see it being an issue

i would do 6-7 at the most though, you have to remember these guys get pretty big and you dont want to over do it with your bio load once them and your geos are full grown (what type of geos are you keeping?)
 
Sarah88 said:
i havent personally kept these but i seriously looked into them when i was first switching my 120 over to new world cichlids, and then the consensus was pretty much that it wouldnt be an issue at all, they pretty much just stay at the top and look at the top for food and shouldnt bother anything below them, and this was talking about a single specimen so i definitely think keeping them in a group would keep all their attention on each other and i really wouldnt see it being an issue

i would do 6-7 at the most though, you have to remember these guys get pretty big and you dont want to over do it with your bio load once them and your geos are full grown (what type of geos are you keeping?)
Click to expand...

It seems like they are pretty safe with anything too big to eat - I just don't want any fin-nippers.

In this tank I currently have:
3x Geophagus abalios
3x Acarichthys heckelii
1x Biotodoma species "Guyana"
2x Tahuantinsuyoa macantzatza
1x Mesonauta mirificus
1x Amphilophus robertsoni
1x Flagtail Prochilodus
2x Angels
1x Geophagus steindachneri (soon to be moved as he is a bully)
1x Gymnogeophagus tiriparae (soon to be moved in with my G. balzanii)

I am planning on adding a school of 15-20 Corydoras as well.

Bioload isn't a huge issue - I have a 300 gallon sump and I change out close to 200 gallons of water per day. :headbang2
 
See if you can get the yellow finned Chalceus, I have both in with Oscars and they do fine but the yellow finned looks far more impressive.
 
Agreed that they look cooler, but don't the yellow finned versions get a lot larger? I've kept and currently have a pink-tail and they are mellow. He just hovers at the surface. They are super fast and usually the first to hit anything that hits the surface of the water. Every so often, mine will get fed up with my angelfish pushing him around and he will fight back, but I have never seen him act aggressively towards any other fish outside of self-defense. I saw a video of pink tails kept in a large school and their behavior was totally different. It was like a school of koi, swimming in unison. Really cool to see.

You won't have any problems...go for it!
 
Well, the only thing I can tell you from my experience with them is make sure you want them in your tank before you put them in... They are damn near impossible to catch! :)
 
Dan F said:
Bioload isn't a huge issue - I have a 300 gallon sump and I change out close to 200 gallons of water per day. :headbang2
Click to expand...

wow! yeah bioload will def not be an issue haha, sounds like an amazing tank with all those wonderful geos, the corys and chalceus should be awesome additions :)
 
I keep my Chalceus with predatory fishes, like RTC, Gar, Knife Clown, TSN, P. Bass ....he is over 13 cm and doing well. But before this one, I had one with Oscar's, the Oscar's killed him. =/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom