Vieja Maculicauda & Firemouth Shoal

[Hybridfish7]

Firemouth r more of an open water type sifter…not like convicts that relate more to structure…convict types would work better

Roger Mcfish your call... It would still work but convicts with maculicauda is also biotope accurate

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Roger Mcfish your call... It would still work but convicts with maculicauda is also biotope accurate

Firemouths run from from Yucatan to Belize into Guatemala, same as vieja in that lower region and can deal with a calm to moderate flow.

Unless you can suggest another option. Carpintis or a slightly larger than firemouth centerpiece type or as they call it "boss".

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Not really into convicts too much

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Plus I've never had much luck keeping swordtails as dithers

 

[Hybridfish7]

Firemouths run from from Yucatan to Belize into Guatemala, same as vieja in that lower region and can deal with a calm to moderate flow.

Unless you can suggest another option. Carpintis or a slightly larger than firemouth centerpiece type or as they call it "boss".

Then I still say meeki/maculicauda, especially if you already have the fish. For dithers I'd go with buenos aires tetras. Very close genetically/visually identical to Astyanax (now Psalidodon) fasciatus or mexicanus (I don't remember which exactly, one may have stayed in Astyanax). I use them as dithers for most of the cichlids I have that won't eat them or get eaten by them. To my surprise they're not the best at eradicating fry if you were hoping for fry from the thorichthys. I had a pair of lake nicaragua convicts with about 30 of them and the convicts were able to get 24 fry to half an inch before I offloaded the family. Still not the craziest survivability for 200 eggs, but I was surprised to see them get to that size after many attempts to drop food on top of the brood to get the tetras to eat them all.

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Then I still say meeki/maculicauda, especially if you already have the fish. For dithers I'd go with buenos aires tetras. Very close genetically/visually identical to Astyanax (now Psalidodon) fasciatus or mexicanus (I don't remember which exactly, one may have stayed in Astyanax). I use them as dithers for most of the cichlids I have that won't eat them or get eaten by them. To my surprise they're not the best at eradicating fry if you were hoping for fry from the thorichthys. I had a pair of lake nicaragua convicts with about 30 of them and the convicts were able to get 24 fry to half an inch before I offloaded the family. Still not the craziest survivability for 200 eggs, but I was surprised to see them get to that size after many attempts to drop food on top of the brood to get the tetras to eat them all.

I've used giant danio before, but have you ever seen danios push CA cichlids to one side of a tank? Lol

 

[Hybridfish7]

I've used giant danio before, but have you ever seen danios push CA cichlids to one side of a tank? Lol

I wouldn't put it past them lol

 

[Roger Mcfish]

I wouldn't put it past them lol

Them boys got big quick too