# Is There Ever A True Happy Medium?!



## CichlidStoner420 (Jun 1, 2014)

For the longest now i've been trying to get a SA/CA cichlid tank together where they can all coexist.. theres always one fish that just seems to ruin it. Then, the fish that got chased.. gets a lil bigger.. you get another version of the one you took back to the store.. and that fish goes after that one cause hes like. NOT THIS AGAIN!!! Maybe it's a hopeless quest until i get into a 8ft tank.. 6ft (125 gal) just doesnt seem big enough either. Got rid of my 8 3/4 inch male green terror for nothing.. 

Also have a EBJD, Aequedens Diadema, Firemouth, Texas, Convict, Gold Saum, Blue Acara, Geo Brasilienses, and heckelil in there at the moment.. I know some of you will say a lot of these fish look alike and it'll never work. but i think in time with the right fish it can happen.. I plan on taking a step back though, I will be taking the gold saum, blue acara, texas, firemouth, and convict out of the tank and back to the fish store.. I have 6 Red terror fry im raising up.. One's getting close to a side id be comfortable putting in my tank with the spots there are to hide.. I guess sometimes you have to take a giant step back to make a big step forward.. guess my dream wont happen till the 8ft tank.  Or two 6ft tanks.. which i dont really have the room for.. But then i could do a SA specific and CA specific tank and that would cut down on crowding.. All opinions welcome  :fish:


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## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

I feel your pain, although I don't really have answers. Just got rid of my blue acara because he was really mean and picked fights with everyone twice his size. He was getting beat up really bad. My only combination that has worked for me is when I have my 5 inch male convict in the tank. He is the biggest and for some reason is very passive. He serves as the enforcer I guess. Any combo without him ends up in war. Unfortunately I have multiple tanks and only one enforcer... good luck


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## CichlidStoner420 (Jun 1, 2014)

I had a 8 3/4 inch gold saum i got rid of cause i wanted an acara to exist in the tank with the saum.. but my saum had eggs with a female acara early on and he was stuck with the notion all acaras were gonna have some lil family with him.. so i figured to get rid of him so that i can start over n have all the fish i want.. he was very passive for a saum and i miss him dearly now cause this acara is going bye bye and i got rid of him for him.. hmmph


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## CichlidStoner420 (Jun 1, 2014)

Got rid of 4 fish today, Tank now - EBJD, Heckelil, Texas, Aequedens diadema, geo brasiliensis.. 2 farlowella, 18 assort cory's, 1 arowana, 1 non common pleco which will be leaving the tank this weekend just because of all the waste plecos leave.. Im done with them.. Farlowellas are far better cleaners and produce much LESS waste.. Soon as my Red terrors are big enough im going to throw one in with the big guys.. i might just have to save for the 8ft.. and introduce one fish at a time.. till each fish matures.


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## stalefish83 (May 22, 2014)

CichlidStoner420 said:


> 1 non common pleco which will be leaving the tank this weekend just because of all the waste plecos leave...


Amen to that!! The MOST over-rated fish in the hobby, IMO.

I too feel your pain. I've got a 75g cichlid tank with a FM, Blue Acara, Honduran Red Point and a Nicaragua, but the nic took over everything and left the other three about 6" of tank all the way to the right. That's no fun! So the nic is now sitting in a 5g holding tank until somebody comes to get her.


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## CichlidStoner420 (Jun 1, 2014)

Soon as i get my Red terror picked out of the 6 im bringing up right now. I think im going to keep my 20 gal up to be my punish tank.. see if i cant give a fish another shot after a month or so out.. if not it can go back. I know the happy balance can be there. I had it in my 55gal for a good while..


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## stalefish83 (May 22, 2014)

CichlidStoner420 said:


> I think im going to keep my 20 gal up to be my punish tank.. see if i cant give a fish another shot after a month or so out.. if not it can go back.


A penalty box, I like it! Funny thing, with cichlids it can actually work! (or so I've heard/read) Trial and error, a happy balance can be struck with the right mixture of fish. We may have to let some fish go (and at a loss), but it's worth it in the long run for a dynamic, interesting and (somewhat) harmonious tank.


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## MeCasa (Apr 5, 2014)

These attributes are what make cichlids fun.


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## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

stalefish83 said:


> CichlidStoner420 said:
> 
> 
> > 1 non common pleco which will be leaving the tank this weekend just because of all the waste plecos leave...
> ...


Any chance you live in southern cali? I'd take the female nic as I have 3 nics currently.


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## stalefish83 (May 22, 2014)

Kuromaguro said:


> Any chance you live in southern cali? I'd take the female nic as I have 3 nics currently.


I'd be enjoying much better weather right now if I was! Right coast, though (or is it the left coast? anyway...) I'm in Oregon. Thanks for asking, tho! Nothing ventured nothing gained.


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## CichlidStoner420 (Jun 1, 2014)

Pleco-less tank now. Traded it for my THIRD farlowela.. im so in love with the lil guys... they clean great and they produce little waste


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I read the subject line and thought: "Sure there is!"

Then I got to: For the longest now i've been trying to get a SA/CA cichlid tank...

and my thought changed to: "maybe not!"

I can see many SA setups full of piece and tranquility - discus, angles, earth-eaters, and dwarves all come to mind, and I won't even go into Africans, but as soon as you introduce CAs to the mix I can't see it happen. Most of these fish require a territory larger than the tank we can provide, and once their territorial behavior comes to the forefront, the resulting aggression needs to be handled. I know many people who keep these fish, and I reckon a large part of enjoyment in doing so is finding ways of dealing with this aggression. It's not a part of the hobby that's particularly attractive to me, so I keep other fish. To each his own!


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