Im listening and thank you for the feed back.
I guess a part of me wants something to kick the acaras ass. The tank right now is not exactly harmonious.
Ive already removed an angel and festivum from the tank per advice of this forum. The acara is tank boss and was chasing mainly those 2 fish and it was clear they couldnt hang into the future. Festivum went into another tank and angel was given to a friend. Now the acara chases everyone and I dont like him enough to let him have the whole tank. I think he killed a large male diamond tetra. Saw a bunch of commotion, looked over and blood was streaming out its gill. Ten seconds later he was crashing into the bottom and died like 24 hours latter.
I was wanting a male sajica to be tank boss and then adjust around him. I can not find one around me and ordered the the one I had over the internet when this tank was set up. I ordered a sajica, rotkeil and the l091 to meet the minimum order. This was my first mistake as I should have ordered a bunch of sajicas to increase my chances of getting a healthy male and rehomed the rest. The rotkeil and pleco are healthy and growing. The sajica had an intestinal issue that I was able to cure. The problem was it was just to small and was not growing. It was only a 1/2-3/4" and either a female or stunted from the illness. With the growth rate of the other fish I felt I needed to change up fast before they get to big and I cant find another fish large enough to introduce to the tank. So I gave the sajica away.
The rotkeil is very friendly but its kinda ugly looking and Im hoping it starts to look better as it matures. Its a keeper though as I like its personality. Very friendly and hangs out mid level in the plants.
The sick sajica and ugly rotkeil has put me off ordering fish online. I would rather stick to whats available local and pick the individual fish.
Ive already rearranged the tank and given the acara a nice area to claim and protect. If he would pick an area and defend it I wouldnt have a problem with him. He wants the whole tank and has gotten worse since the festivum and angel were removed. So while they are in the 3" range Im thinking I should add something to challenge him in hopes that he will then just claim an area and not the whole tank. The ideal setup being two clearly defined areas for each fish to defend. Worst case would be another cichlid who claims the whole tank. If thats the case I would rather have a JD tank vs a blue acara tank.
If a firemouth or something else would challenge and at least attempt to fight back and claim an area I will go that route. If there is no chance of that happening I will put a JD or another recommendation in and try the combo and remove the acara if needed.
I need to make a decision before the fish get to big and I have no chance. Do you think a JD will share a 75 with a rotkeil? Do you see a problem with the JD and pleco or catfish?
The diamond tetras can go into any of my tanks if the JD tries to eat them.
Sorry about the book I just wrote!! Your help is appreciated though and Im open to any recommendations.
Thank you
