New setup Idea

[Gourami Swami]

Duanes' information is correct. However if you buy fish which have been bred in captivity for a few generations (all the species you listed can be commonly found at big box stores) they are pretty adaptable to pH and gH, usually to local tap water. I wouldn't chase parameters and try to alter it for these fish.

The first combination you list is better, the Midas in the second would be a wild card.

Oscars and jack Dempseys have been a classic pairing for years, and can certainly work together in a tank. I have combined them myself and seen many do it successfully. If your Oscars are an actual pair and start to breed, that would be an issue, and they would probably bully the other fish into a corner. The green terror could also be an issue, but I think you have a decent shot of making it work in a properly sized tank. I would go for minimum 180 gallon to try this.

 

[Harmoustakas]

Duanes' information is correct. However if you buy fish which have been bred in captivity for a few generations (all the species you listed can be commonly found at big box stores) they are pretty adaptable to pH and gH, usually to local tap water. I wouldn't chase parameters and try to alter it for these fish.

The first combination you list is better, the Midas in the second would be a wild card.

Oscars and jack Dempseys have been a classic pairing for years, and can certainly work together in a tank. I have combined them myself and seen many do it successfully. If your Oscars are an actual pair and start to breed, that would be an issue, and they would probably bully the other fish into a corner. The green terror could also be an issue, but I think you have a decent shot of making it work in a properly sized tank. I would go for minimum 180 gallon to try this.

Hello and thanks for the reply,

I have seen a lot of videos with green terror and jack dempsey thats why i thought about it. Also somewhere i read that a female green terror is less agressive so probably would be a better choice but i dont know if i would be able to choose sex when the fish is 5-6 cm i dont know if it will be recognizable. Same with oscars if i could choose the pair i will choose same sex probably 2 females. If i have females i thought it will be less agressionjs inide the aquarium. Its just my thoyght if someone knows it can confirm it to me. Even chat gpt says it can be done

 

[Ancistrus Fan]

Hello and thanks for the reply,

I have seen a lot of videos with green terror and jack dempsey thats why i thought about it. Also somewhere i read that a female green terror is less agressive so probably would be a better choice but i dont know if i would be able to choose sex when the fish is 5-6 cm i dont know if it will be recognizable. Same with oscars if i could choose the pair i will choose same sex probably 2 females. If i have females i thought it will be less agressionjs inide the aquarium. Its just my thoyght if someone knows it can confirm it to me. Even chat gpt says it can be done

Chat gpt isn’t very reliable I’ve been told I can have: a jack Dempsey, carpintis Texas, firemouth, convict, green terror, Nicaraguan cichlid, rainbow cichlid. In a 210 gallon tank with other tank mates like silver dollars, plecos…. As much as I would love that I think if I had that tank I would try and get the first 3 cichlids and maybe the Nicaraguan at most. I’ve never kept the Nicaraguan but from what I’ve heard I think it would be a nice option with a jack Dempsey and some of the cichlids, just to throw out another option for you. Females aren’t necessarily more peaceful. They likely will be generally more peaceful but then if they lay eggs and they may get really protective.

 

[duanes]

I have been keeping, breeding, and studying cichlids for over 60 years, in aquariums and observing them in nature.
Studied them in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and now live in Panama, where I study and collect them every couple weeks of so.
Because cichlid keeping lead me to a career in chemistry, and mivrobiology, I test water parameters where ever i go, and every where collect cichids.

Occasionally I visit sites the claim to know cichlids, and have seen some of the most ridiculous nonsense spewed about them ad nausium.

Many people here with tell you things that you may want to resist, and/or you don't want to hear, but that's because they have real world experience.



Above left a Cenote in Mexico where JDs come from, hard water high pH.
Below a river near Santa Marta Colombia where oscars come from, low pH, soft water, the difference is like night and day.

 

[Ancistrus Fan]

I have been keeping, breeding, and studying cichlids for over 60 years, in aquariums and observing them in nature.
Studied them in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and now live in Panama, where I study and collect them every couple weeks of so.
Because cichlid keeping lead me to a career in chemistry, and mivrobiology, I test water parameters where ever i go, and every where collect cichids.

Occasionally I visit sites the claim to know cichlids, and have seen some of the most ridiculous nonsense spewed about them ad nausium.

Many people here with tell you things that you may want to resist, and/or you don't want to hear, but that's because they have real world experience.
View attachment 1560850
View attachment 1560851
View attachment 1560853View attachment 1560852
Above left a Cenote in Mexico where JDs come from, hard water high pH.
Below a river near Santa Marta Colombia where oscars come from, low pH, soft water, the difference is like night and day.
View attachment 1560854

What would you recommend duanes that H Harmoustakas chooses? Thing is someone could go and put a jack Dempsey or a green terror in a 75 gallon as the only cichlid with maybe dithers or a catfish. But someone can’t keep more than one type of cichlid CA ticketed in a 6 foot tank(180 gallons)? So is there really much point in getting a tank bigger than a 4 foot if you are keeping these kind of sized cichlids?(for getting more cichlids of course the fish would like a bigger tank) Your the expert here and I’m no where near as experienced as you but just curious whether you can keep multiple CA cichlids(different species in the same tank)?

 

[duanes]

I find a 6 ft tank is usually only large enough for one pair of large Central, or large West of the Andes cichlids (or a pair of oscars).
I personally of consider a 75 gal tank, only large enough for cichlids that don't grow larger than 7".
And none of the cichlids mentioned in post 1 are small enough, for a 75, as adults (JD 10", GK 10"+, Midas 12"+, Oscars 15")
This is why in my post (#3), I recommended 4 six foot tanks for those size cichlids.
In my own case, I have kept only pairs of predatory cichlids such as
Nandopsis haitiensus in a 6 ft 150 gal

Or a pair of Nandopsis tetracanthus ina 6 ft tank

When in the grow out process, using a 6 ft tank to allow cichlids to select mates with a group can be used, but one should expect attrition, and possible assasinations.
I used a 6 ft tank to grow out Chuco intermedia

But as soon pairs select mates, the extras must be removed.
And for some social cichlids more than than pairs are possible, and even recommeded, but these are social cichlids found in nature, they are not the loners mentioned in post 1.

Cribroheros above, Thorichthys are another social Central American type, as are many Geophagines in S America.
One other concerni small tanks (such as 75 gals), where dither fish seldom have enough escape space to evade predatory cichlids, and even in 6 ft tanks, when large cichlids are used, dither fish are in a precarious position.

 

[Beani keeper]

I am intrested in a new aquarium with ciclids. I want to use one of two setups. 2 oscars 1 jack dempsey and 1 green terror OR 1 oscar 1 dempsey 1 terror and 1 midas. Which of the 2 is the most functional and can it work? How many gallons tank shoukld i use? Thanks in advance.

If your new to the hobby I would recommend 2 Oscar’s in a 6 foot tank. Oscar’s are one of the most people friendly cichlids, their personality is wonderful. They love their people and will dance up and down and all around a 6 foot tank. They love to eat a lot, they will great you every time they see you. I would just go with Oscar’s. You will not regret it. Adding others my work for awhile but they will not all be happy and some will get picked on. Cichlids are much happier usually as species only. Oscar’s out of all you named would be best for you if you are new to the hobby. Later on but another tank and try another species.