Will Peacock Eel & Leopard Bush Fish work with SA Cichlids

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MeyiaLovesFish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 10, 2021
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Currently have 75 Gallon with:
• 1 Gold Severum about 5 inches
• 1 Festivum about 5 inches
• 1 Electric Blue Acara about 3 -4 inches

Will adding 1 Leopard Bush fish and a peacock eel be fine with current fish. I know with cichlids it’s a toss up. Has anyone had any experience with either of these fish?
 
Water params check out, the bigger issue is going to be overstocking and getting food to the eel and ctenopoma, which are both slower eaters than cichlids. Comparability wise they should work out given proper territories, but you’d be doing big water changes very frequently. Those 3 cichlids get a good size and will require a good water change schedule already. The mix isn’t impossible, just not something I’d personally do in that size tank.
If it were me I’d save the eel and ctenopoma for their own tank and get a school of dithers for the 75 plus a smaller cat (like a spotter raph or bn pleco).
 
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Deadeye said:
Water params check out, the bigger issue is going to be overstocking and getting food to the eel and ctenopoma, which are both slower eaters than cichlids. Comparability wise they should work out given proper territories, but you’d be doing big water changes very frequently. Those 3 cichlids get a good size and will require a good water change schedule already. The mix isn’t impossible, just not something I’d personally do in that size tank.
If it were me I’d save the eel and ctenopoma for their own tank and get a school of dithers for the 75 plus a smaller cat (like a spotter raph or bn pleco).
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Okay thanks for your advice I will look into the spotted raph. Not sure the BN will work my Festivum killed my baby normal pleco. I read somewhere Festivums don’t do well with catfish or plecos. Maybe I’ll keep my 45 or 30 gallon tanks as a grow out tank.
 
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MeyiaLovesFish said:
Okay thanks for your advice I will look into the spotted raph. Not sure the BN will work my Festivum killed my baby normal pleco. I read somewhere Festivums don’t do well with catfish or plecos. Maybe I’ll keep my 45 or 30 gallon tanks as a grow out tank.
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Interesting, festivum are typically calm. If anyone did damage I’d expect it to be the acara (but even those are toned down for a cichlid). And sevs are just about harmless.
Are you sure the pleco was killed and didn’t just die of disease/poor genetics? I’ve never had luck with commons.
 
Deadeye said:
Interesting, festivum are typically calm. If anyone did damage I’d expect it to be the acara (but even those are toned down for a cichlid). And sevs are just about harmless.
Are you sure the pleco was killed and didn’t just die of disease/poor genetics? I’ve never had luck with commons.
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Yes I’m sure I’ve seen him personally eat most of my Cardinal tetras I used to have. He attacked an Angelfish (took it back same day). He stalked a poor Bolivian ram to death that went in the tank the same day as him. When I saw the plecos fins were tattered on day 2. I watched my tank all day then I saw him constantly chase and nip his fins and he died that night. Lol he used to chase the Acara and Severum until they got bigger and stood up for themselves. lol assuming the Festivum is a he I’ve named him jaws.
 
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Festivum are jerks. No surprise that yours killed a pleco. Agree that the eel and bushfish eat slower. Would probably have to overfeed/target feed. But if you already have a jerkfish wouldn't mess with the balance that has been achieved
 
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Zanzag said:
Festivum are jerks. No surprise that yours killed a pleco. Agree that the eel and bushfish eat slower. Would probably have to overfeed/target feed. But if you already have a jerkfish wouldn't mess with the balance that has been achieved
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I’m not too worried about the eating part only because my Acara gets beat out of food most of the times and I’m use to over feeding. Which of course means bigger water changes. Would you think a Firemouth or red tail shark would work. I kinda wanted to add a oddball fish.
 
Red tailed shark probably would be the better bet. Firemouths are almost all bluff and would be bullied. My regular color blue acara female(male didn't seem to hate them) killed one almost twice her size and tore another up pretty bad. Senegal bichirs are a good option. Cichlids seem to just ignore them
 
Zanzag said:
Red tailed shark probably would be the better bet. Firemouths are almost all bluff and would be bullied. My regular color blue acara female(male didn't seem to hate them) killed one almost twice her size and tore another up pretty bad. Senegal bichirs are a good option. Cichlids seem to just ignore them
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Okay I’m glad you mentioned the Senegal Bichir. I have been researching them all day cause I really wanted them but couldn’t find good information about them for 75 gallons. I wonder if my Acara is a female it seems to grow slow are ar least not as fast as my other 2. One day it seemed like it was digging a pit and then saw it chasing out my Severum and Festivum.
 
Maybe a female idk I've never had that color morph and I've got 2 Senegal's in my cichlid 75. They get along with a trio of angels, a green severum, and a vieja regani. Along with some catfish and pleco. With bichirs if it fits in the mouth it is food though and will be eaten eventually.
 
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