Tank Mate For Electric Blue Acara: What Worked For You?

I have an electric blue acara in my 38 bow with one bn pleco and a pictus. It looks really empty... I was having a stocking forum in builds recently and it occured to me I needed some more experienced answers on just compatibility with my EBA. What combos have been successful with your EBA with minimal aggression? (I made this as it was distracting from that original post.)

 

Not me personally, but the show tank in my LPS has several blue acara along with a severum, green terror, a few other unidentified American cichlids and several of the larger + more peaceful Africans (frontosa, peacock etc). There's also an assortment of bottom dwellers including several species of pleco, synodontis, loaches, and I believe there's a large pictus or two as well. When looked at closely, you can spot dozens of fry among the rocks.

I believe their success is due to the large tank, large number of inhabitants, and their hard-scaping (tons of lava rock(?))

 

I mean you have a 38g bow... but from past experience my EBA got along AMAZINGLY with my BP. Sadly my EBA died to some weird parasite.

Although I personally would only have a BP in a 40+ tank.

 

I mean you have a 38g bow... but from past experience my EBA got along AMAZINGLY with my BP. Sadly my EBA died to some weird parasite.

Although I personally would only have a BP in a 40+ tank.

That's good to know. My EBA has lived with a few different fish in its life and he seems pretty chill. I just don't want to get a tank mate and it kill HIM. Especially in my size tank I'm prob looking at another acara, keyholes, etc. and my tank is a deep 38 not long.

I would like somethen the size of the acara or so. The other two inhabitants stay pretty close to their respective halves of the ship wreck. The acara hangs around my driftwood. He only uses like a quarter of the tank. Literally looks like its empty. Hes maybe 3.5-4 inches atm.

 

That's good to know. My EBA has lived with a few different fish in its life and he seems pretty chill. I just don't want to get a tank mate and it kill HIM. Especially in my size tank I'm prob looking at another acara, keyholes, etc. and my tank is a deep 38 not long.

I would like somethen the size of the acara or so. The other two inhabitants stay pretty close to their respective halves of the ship wreck. The acara hangs around my driftwood. He only uses like a quarter of the tank. Literally looks like its empty. Hes maybe 3.5-4 inches atm.

Send a picture of the tank, and I can offer advice. Also need to know the gender. And what kind of tank you want (Community/Separate Territories)

 

Send a picture of the tank, and I can offer advice. Also need to know the gender. And what kind of tank you want (Community/Separate Territories)

Not sure gender..

 

Not sure gender..

You have quite the nice EBA... personally for that setup, you could probably get away with a giant danio school, Denison barbs, Convicts, and Angel fish. I personally recommend schools of about 5-6 considering the tank size.

Also, I'm pretty sure it's a male

 

You have quite the nice EBA... personally for that setup, you could probably get away with a giant danio school, Denison barbs, Convicts, and Angel fish. I personally recommend schools of about 5-6 considering the tank size.

Sorry! The app just flipped out.. if an admin comes by, please help and clean out the dups?
And won't convicts be a little too agro with my EBA?

Edit: there WERE danios.. they became lunch lol!

 

Sorry! The app just flipped out.. if an admin comes by, please help and clean out the dups?
And won't convicts be a little too agro with my EBA?

If you only have a male, I think he should be ok. Just provide ample hiding spaces and a get out of jail card it if doesn't work out. Just make sure at the time the convict is either same or smaller in size

 

You have quite the nice EBA... personally for that setup, you could probably get away with a giant danio school, Denison barbs, Convicts, and Angel fish. I personally recommend schools of about 5-6 considering the tank size.

Also, I'm pretty sure it's a male

no no no , Denison barbs get to 6" and need to be in schools of 6+ , a 48" long aquarium is needed.

I would not house a convict with a blue acara , convicts are to aggressive, and tank size wouldn't be appropriate.

I wouldn't do an angelfish either because the blue acara would probably be to aggressive.

 

no no no , Denison barbs get to 6" and need to be in schools of 6+ , a 48" long aquarium is needed.

I would not house a convict with a blue acara , convicts are to aggressive, and tank size wouldn't be appropriate.

I wouldn't do an angelfish either because the blue acara would probably be to aggressive.

Angelfish can definitely hold their own; Blue Acaras are quite docile.

I've housed a convict before and if you read what I said, it says make sure at the time it's smaller or same size as the acara.

Mistake on the barbs though.

 

in a bowfront I wouldn't do two mid/top dwelling cichilds if anything I would do 2 rams , I would just keep the blue acara with a large group of schooling fish , large group of bottom dwellers.

something like this

1 Blue Acara
2 Rams what's your current temp at?
12 Harlequin Rasboras or Lemon Tetras
10 Corys
1 BN pleco


and honestly I would try rehoming the picture catfish , as they do best in groups and are huge active swimmers a 55 gallon is the bare minimum for them.

Angelfish can definitely hold their own; Blue Acaras are quite docile.

I've housed a convict before and if you read what I said, it says make sure at the time it's smaller or same size as the acara.

Mistake on the barbs though.

maybe in a large tank I might agree with the convict but not in a 38 gallon bowfront. Convicts need lots of space or else are very aggressive.

EBA are pretty docile depending on individual personality but not as docile as anglefish. I think it's to small of foot print in a 38g bowfront to keep the two together.

 

no no no , Denison barbs get to 6" and need to be in schools of 6+ , a 48" long aquarium is needed.

I would not house a convict with a blue acara , convicts are to aggressive, and tank size wouldn't be appropriate.

I wouldn't do an angelfish either because the blue acara would probably be to aggressive.

It is an electric blue acara, more docile and stays smaller. Males are usually bout the side of a large female standard blue acara.

Angelfish can definitely hold their own; Blue Acaras are quite docile.

I've housed a convict before and if you read what I said, it says make sure at the time it's smaller or same size as the acara.

Mistake on the barbs though.

My only ever convict (I sold to my friend) was a killing machine- which is why I'm hesitant lol. Big blue is my fav and he wasn't cheap around here either, but the tank looks super empty as my pictus and bn only come out when they so please- usually about this time at night. So big blue is the only guy swimming around and he seems to favor that tree/left wall. He WILL eat anything that fits in his mouth.. all 8 danios in 3 days... and he even eats MTS right out of their shells.. hes a pig but a friendly giant. Hes a chicken when the catfishes want what hes eating lol.

 

in a bowfront I wouldn't do two mid/top dwelling cichilds if anything I would do 2 rams , I would just keep the blue acara with a large group of schooling fish , large group of bottom dwellers.

something like this

1 Blue Acara
2 Rams what's your current temp at?
12 Harlequin Rasboras or Lemon Tetras
10 Corys
1 BN pleco


and honestly I would try rehoming the picture catfish , as they do best in groups and are huge active swimmers a 55 gallon is the bare minimum for them.

This I do know from research; Lemon/Harlequin would not work. They are around the same size as Neons and if they can fit a fish in their mouth, EBA will try.

 

lemon tetra are wide bodied and get 2" lol keep doing research.

no where near the same size as neons.

 

lemon tetra are wide bodied and get 2" lol keep doing research.

no where near the same size as neons.

Neons are about 1.5" that's a .5" diff. But whatever

 

It is an electric blue acara, more docile and stays smaller. Males are usually bout the side of a large female standard blue acara.



My only ever convict (I sold to my friend) was a killing machine- which is why I'm hesitant lol. Big blue is my fav and he wasn't cheap around here either, but the tank looks super empty as my pictus and bn only come out when they so please- usually about this time at night. So big blue is the only guy swimming around and he seems to favor that tree/left wall. He WILL eat anything that fits in his mouth.. all 8 danios in 3 days... and he even eats MTS right out of their shells.. hes a pig but a friendly giant. Hes a chicken when the catfishes want what hes eating lol.

btw I no it's EBA , it's a hibernization between a blue acara and electric blue ram thus creating a smaller version of a blue acara. They only get 4" while a blue acara gets 6-8".

Neons are about 1.5" that's a .5". But whatever

the difference is neons are thin while lemon tetras are wide bodied. EBA can't fit it in its mouth and won't view it as food.

 

in a bowfront I wouldn't do two mid/top dwelling cichilds if anything I would do 2 rams , I would just keep the blue acara with a large group of schooling fish , large group of bottom dwellers.

something like this

1 Blue Acara
2 Rams what's your current temp at?
12 Harlequin Rasboras or Lemon Tetras
10 Corys
1 BN pleco


and honestly I would try rehoming the picture catfish , as they do best in groups and are huge active swimmers a 55 gallon is the bare minimum for them.

Pictus is.. a word I can't mention and is a loner. He does not like other pictus. At my lfs he was the loner who killed his own kind twice. Got him for frEeeEeeEee. he doesn't mess with anyone but other pictus though. I think he is stunted too hes maybe 6months when I got him and he is only like 2.5-3 in.

Edit: he munches my MTS all night which helps me a LOT lol

 

Pictus is.. a word I can't mention and is a loner. He does not like other pictus. At my lfs he was the loner who killed his own kind twice. Got him for frEeeEeeEee. he doesn't mess with anyone but other pictus though. I think he is stunted too hes maybe 6months when I got him and he is only like 2.5-3 in.

really that's interesting , normally they love being in groups and having "friends". but hey to each their own right.

 

really that's interesting , normally they love being in groups and having "friends".

Hes an odd duck.. he hid behind my filter for a week and now hes right at home. Likes to hang with my BN. Hes "sharking" around now. I think he just spent waaay too long in a 20gal lfs tank. 6months no buyer..

 

Pictus is.. a word I can't mention and is a loner. He does not like other pictus. At my lfs he was the loner who killed his own kind twice. Got him for frEeeEeeEee. he doesn't mess with anyone but other pictus though. I think he is stunted too hes maybe 6months when I got him and he is only like 2.5-3 in.

Edit: he munches my MTS all night which helps me a LOT lol

Just curious, if your LFS has some cheap catfish, I would test buying lime 4-5 catfish and seeing if he kills all of them. Could've just been a fluke before and if he has 4-5 he could be dethroned from the alpha pos.

 

Just curious, if your LFS has some cheap catfish, I would test buying lime 4-5 catfish and seeing if he kills all of them. Could've just been a fluke before and if he has 4-5 he could be dethroned from the alpha pos.

He was free for being a non-selling stock killer. I'm sure I would have to pay for more lol. And I don't want to spend like $20 on fodder. He seems chill with my current amigos so I won't bug him too much. Lfs guy thinks he was stunted too, but said in my tank he should naturally get a few more inches if hes not. ANYWHO- would another acara be impossible? Electric or standard?

 

is your current EBA male or female ? you can add the opposite sex it should be fine.

 

is your current EBA male or female ? you can add the opposite sex it should be fine.

Do standard Blues mix with EBRs?

 

a 38g bowfront is to small to house a regular blue acara they get bigger and would need a 55 gallon at the very bare minimum.

I would go with the opposite sex EBA or a pair of rams for the bottom, a nice large school of dithers and also a nice large school of bottom dwellers.

 

lemon tetra are wide bodied and get 2" lol keep doing research.

no where near the same size as neons.

Neither are harlequin rasboras.

Also, I thought Angels were very aggressive? EBA are labeled as gentle. No angel falls under that label.

 

a 38g bowfront is to small to house a regular blue acara they get bigger and would need a 55 gallon at the very bare minimum.

I find it amazing how so many "medium" fish don't fit in tanks that most people have and yet they are the main seller. You always here about the big ones like oscars and plecos, but when you look into something much smaller it still doesn't work. My 38 isn't huge, but it isn't small either. I think its the first size that gets. Support brace. Its aqueon so its labeled a 36 (36 gallons stops BELOW the black band on top) 38 fills it almost to my filters out flow. I could prob get it to 39+ gallons but I like to fill it to where my filters make air bubbles to disturb the surface. Are there any other SA cichlids that would behave with my EBA that can do okay in this tank? I have heard keyholes are tame and stay the same size?

Looks empty lol



Edit: your posts appeared as I wrote this lol

 

Neither are harlequin rasboras.

Also, I thought Angels were very aggressive? EBA are labeled as gentle. No angel falls under that label.

harlewuin rasboras are also wide bodied dithers??

IMO an angelfish wouldn't be able to defend itself against a EBA , EBA are considered semI docile for a cichlid but that doesn't mean they can't be aggressive depending on individual. Anglefish are labeled generally peaceful.

I find it amazing how so many "medium" fish don't fit in tanks that most people have and yet they are the main seller. You always here about the big ones like oscars and plecos, but when you look into something much smaller it still doesn't work. My 38 isn't huge, but it isn't small either. I think its the first size that gets. Support brace. Its aqueon so its labeled a 36 (36 gallons stops BELOW the black band on top) 38 fills it almost to my filters out flow. I could prob get it to 39+ gallons but I like to fill it to where my filters make air bubbles to disturb the surface. Are there any other SA cichlids that would behave with my EBA that can do okay in this tank? I have heard keyholes are tame and stay the same size?

Looks empty lol
View attachment 334414

Edit: your posts appeared as I wrote this lol

yes a keyhole may work , with cichlids it's always a trial an error , always need a plan b just in case things go south. They don't grow big but they are very docile cichlids and very shy.

a 55 gallon is always the best option when dealing with cichlids it has 48" in length and allows 2 deferent top dwelling cichlids and 1 bottom dwelling cichlid with obviously dithers and bottom dwellers

 

yes a keyhole may work , with cichlids it's always a trial an error , always need a plan b just in case things go south. They don't grow big but they are very docile cichlids and very shy.

Problem I have with cichlid shopping is that my lfs has tons! Lots of the knowns, acaras, green terrors, fire mouths, convicts, the many africans, but there are so many un labeled cochlids (many look more bass-like with natural colors) I assume most are hybrids.. then you find a few you like and you find conflicting data. My acara I saw on Tanked and then saw a shipment of them came in at the store so I got one and hes been pretty awesome. Very smart and beautiful and well behaved. I had a convict in my other tank anddd killed everything. I had kribs and they ate eachother after making babies they also ate.. this is hard.. you never know if your gonna get a jerk or not..



Goal was a 55. We had a few lines up and one set up. It failed. I had this tank, a 20l, and a 10 and a 25. 25 went to my bros and then our house flooded in may now I'm in an apartment and had to sell the rest... that cubby is all the room I got here

 

Problem I have with cichlid shopping is that my lfs has tons! Lots of the knowns, acaras, green terrors, fire mouths, convicts, the many africans, but there are so many un labeled cochlids (many look more bass-like with natural colors) I assume most are hybrids.. then you find a few you like and you find conflicting data. My acara I saw on Tanked and then saw a shipment of them came in at the store so I got one and hes been pretty awesome. Very smart and beautiful and well behaved. I had a convict in my other tank anddd killed everything. I had kribs and they ate eachother after making babies they also ate.. this is hard.. you never know if your gonna get a jerk or not..

Very true , you never know with cichlids. The problem is the tank dimension , normally a 55 gallon is very good option for cichlids because of its 48" in length.

Most large cichlids need a 75 gallon minimum such as Jack Dempsey , Oscars , severums, Texas cichlid, green terrors ect..


Edit I didn't think you noticed the next part..

in a 55 gallon you would be able to do two deferent top dwelling cichlids such as EBA , firemouths or Rainbow cichlids and also have a bottom dwelling cichlid such as rams or apisto, with dithers and bottom dwellers.

 

harlewuin rasboras are also wide bodied dithers??

IMO an angelfish wouldn't be able to defend itself against a EBA , EBA are considered semI docile for a cichlid but that doesn't mean they can't be aggressive depending on individual. Anglefish are labeled generally peaceful.

I've never heard of angelfish being peaceful, but that's besides the point. The comment about harlequin rasboras was agreeing with you about the previous comment saying an EBA would eat them and lemon tetras, because they're similar in size to neons. Not the case.

 

I will admit I don't know if they are temp compatible, but what about a Bolivian Ram? Should be able to hold it's own (at least the one I got did) and it stays more towards the bottom of the tank.

 

I've never heard of angelfish being peaceful, but that's besides the point. The comment about harlequin rasboras was agreeing with you about the previous comment saying an EBA would eat them and lemon tetras, because they're similar in size to neons. Not the case.

peaceful to a limit, they can difinetly hold themself and can be territorial. They would be fine with keyholes or rams ect.. but imo not EBA or firemouths ect..

I will admit I don't know if they are temp compatible, but what about a Bolivian Ram? Should be able to hold it's own (at least the one I got did) and it stays more towards the bottom of the tank.

They are compatible temp wise with EBA.

I agree a nice pair of them would look great.

but I'm assuming the OP is looking for something large.

 

Very true , you never know with cichlids. The problem is the tank dimension , normally a 55 gallon is very good option for cichlids because of its 48" in length.

Most large cichlids need a 75 gallon minimum such as Jack Dempsey , Oscars , severums, Texas cichlid, green terrors ect..


Edit I didn't think you noticed the next part..

in a 55 gallon you would be able to do two deferent top dwelling cichlids such as EBA , firemouths or Rainbow cichlids and also have a bottom dwelling cichlid such as rams or apisto, with dithers and bottom dwellers.

Yeah, I got 36 inches of wall there lol. My tanks about 30.6 wide, 13 front to back at the sides, a little over 15 I ches at the bow, and a little over 21 tall. Its a glorified 30 with an extra 6-9 gals depending how I fill it. Soo short

 

but with some dithers swimming and some bottom dwellers it'll look more filled up.

 

but with some dithers swimming and some bottom dwellers it'll look more filled up.

He can fit a 2 inch "slinder" fish in his mouth. My danios were around a. It and on gen 3. My biggest was 2inches. He literally just snuck up and grabbed it and it was like animal planet. I actually got one left that's too fast for him to catch. Its 2 years old now so idk how long hes got. I don't think danios live long.

 

He can fit a 2 inch "slinder" fish in his mouth. My danios were around a. It and on gen 3. My biggest was 2inches. He literally just snuck up and grabbed it and it was like animal planet. I actually got one left that's too fast for him to catch. Its 2 years old now so idk how long hes got. I don't think danios live long.

in perfect water conditions and diet ect.. danios can live up to 5 years.

what about diamond tetras , they get to about 2.5" and are also wide bodied.

 

in perfect water conditions and diet ect.. danios can live up to 5 years.

what about diamond tetras , they get to about 2.5" and are also wide bodied.

Didnt see those at my lfs. They remind me of black tetras? Am I thinking the right fish?

 

Didnt see those at my lfs. They remind me of black tetras? Am I thinking the right fish?

 

I have 6 eba (3 breeding pairs), and I keep them with bristlenose, gold nugget, green phantom, and snowball plecos, banjo catfish, clown loaches, s.petricolas, emerald corys, spotted and striped raphael, and silver hatchetfish (the least successful of them, I started with 17, and am down to 5 big ones (they seem to leave adult hatchets alone, even when they get near their eggs or fry.