Vieja Hartwegi tankmates

[..puSkar..]

Recently rehomed my tinfoil barbs in the 90g and got a 7-8" vieja Hartwegi from a friend .
The Hartwegi was in a 180g community with syns, pearsei , regani etc.
I kept it alone for a maybe 4-5 days but it seemed very uncomfortable, so got a bp .
It's now in the 90g with a blood parrot , both females. they seemed fine for maybe a week , but now as the Hartwegi is getting comfortable it is starting to bully the bp.
So I'm considering removing the bp , cause it's the only other fish in the tank except the vieja , and adding some other small tankmates maybe tetras or barbs .
What do you suggest ?
Could I do a few female convicts ?

 

[duanes]

In nature hartwegi is found with a number of tetras such as Astyanax, and Brycon, live bearers such as Poecelia shenops, and catfish such as Rhamdia.
The only other endemic cichlid in its natural habitat is Chiapaheros grammodes, but grammodes would not be a good tank mate in the limited amount of space you have available.
If it were me, I'd stick to non-cichlids as tank mates, like geographically correct tetras or live bearers, that act as dither fish offering the sense of security cichlids look for, large enough not to eat, and not to be considered by the hartwegii as competitors.

 

[newworld]

def one of many favorite vieja, they can be aggressive in smaller tanks like duane said but then again most cichlids can be even the more peaceful ones, do you have a pic? this is another fish i would buy from a reputable source since there are a lot of vieja mixes out there unfortunately

 

[Hybridfish7]

I like using Buenos Aires tetras as cheap substitutes for Astyanax, pretty much the same thing, just from a bit further south.

 

[keystonewma]

I don't know how similar bifasciatus is in mannerism to the hartwegi, I know they appear similar in shape, coloration and niche. I had 3 bifas, all 7"+ in a 110 gallon tank and I put in 12 Buenos Aires tetras as dithers a couple of weeks ago. The tetras did well initially, but all became feeders overnight. I was very surprised as those bifas had been around BA tetras when they were younger with no issues. I guess in low light the bifas had the advantage being accustomed to the tank decor. I might suggest moving any decor around a bit before putting in the tetras, and get big Buenos Aires. If I had it to do over again I would not have turned off the lights for a day or two and stuffed the vieja with food prior to putting in the BA.

I usually find BA to be very good as dithers with vieja types; just sharing my recent experience to the contrary on medium sized vieja. Like a lot of things with big cichlids, you can't be sure.