Electric Blue Acara planted tank

[Oli]

hi guys,

Just set up a 200 litre and thinking about stocking. I definitely wanted a planted tank and have read different things about electric blue Acaras. Anyone have experience? Secondly what would people recommend for stocking?

I am after a number ot medium/big fish as well as a large number of smaller schooling fish. I was thinking a few Acaras, 4/5 angels and maybe a school of tetras but didn’t get much luck on my last post.
Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.
Angelfish, most tetras, barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

 

[Oli]

The water is very soft and the PH low. The dimensions are 101x42x55 (cm) and 200 litres (53 us Gallons.)

Can anyone help regarding numbers. I definitely want blue Acaras and angels. Is it best to get any of these in pairs or should I get more/less? Also is there a smaller schooling fish that would go well with these 2?

 

[Colin_T]

The best way to get a pair of cichlids (angelfish, acaras or any other cichlid) is to buy a group of 8 or more young fish and grow them up together. Let them find their own partners and then move the prs to their own tank. If you only want 1pr, then let 2 form a pair and remove the others.

There might be problems if the fish breed in that tank. Angelfish and blue acaras are both cichlids and territorial when breeding. There might be enough room but there might not, depending on where the fish breed. If you put caves at either end of the tank then the acaras will hopefully breed at one end and the remaining fish can hang out at the other end. But if the fish breed in the middle of the tank, they might cause problems to everyone else in it.

If you want tetras, look for bigger species like bleeding hearts, rosey, diamond, black or red phantom tetras, and other deep bodied fish. These are less likely to be eaten because they are higher in the body and don't resemble a snack.

 

[Oli]

How will I know when they have formed “a pair”? What if I were to keep more than a pair such as 4/5 of each? Would this be a problem?

 

[Colin_T]

When 2 cichlids form a pair, they will hang out together and spend all their time together. Fish like blue acaras will find a cave to hide in and usually lay their eggs somewhere secluded. The female will disappear for days on end and you might only see her occasionally. The male will normally hang out in the open near the nest.

Your tank is not big enough for more than 1pr of each (angelfish and blue acara). If you try to have several prs of acaras in the tank, they will fight and the weaker pr will probably be killed.

 

[Oli]

Ahh okay thanks for the info! So if I were to get 2 blue Acaras and 2 angel fish that would work? As it seems they are quite hard to sex when young, would it matter if they ended up being 2 males/2 females etc? Thank you!

 

[Colin_T]

It's preferable to let them choose their own partners. If you stick any two fish together and they are male and female, they might not get along and can argue with each other and the stress can cause problems to other fish in the tank. You might get lucky and they do get along, but they might not.

Two males will usually fight over territory when they mature.

Two females sometimes get along and might even produce eggs. But they might not get along.

 

[Oli]

So essentially my only way to own these fish is to buy 8 Blue Acaras, wait for 2 to pair off and then remove 6. Then buy 8 angels, wait for 2 to pair off and again remove 6?

 

[Colin_T]

You could buy 6-8 angelfish and 6-8 blue acaras and grow them up together, then keep a pair of each and remove the rest. You usually get 1 male and 1 female from a group of 6, but the odds increase significantly if you get 8 or more.

Or, you could buy 1 of each.

Or you could buy a couple (2 or 3) of each and hope for the best. But if they start fighting you will need to separate them.

If you want a breeding pair, then buy a group and let them pr off.

If you don't mind having just 1 fish, then buy a couple and see what happens. If they fight, separate them.

 

[FishNturt808]

I would go the route of just one blue acara and maybe 3-5 angels. Theoretically the acara would stay lower in the tank than the angels. But, fish do what they want.