"NetMax" wrote in message
. ..
"Mariachi" wrote in message
oups.com...
What if raising fry were not an issue which kinds of fish would be good
with the Blue Acaras. Gouramis would be harrassed? Even the bigger
ones?

Thanks


*You* might not care about the fry, but the parents will not share your
sentiments. Typically, cichlids will prepare their breeding site by
clearing it of other fish. In a small tank, their territory may not
leave enough room for anyone else. The Blue Acaras are not particularly
aggressive fish, and in a hostile situation, they might take a low key
approach and quietly spawn in hiding, however your combination is a not
hostile or aggressive, so I can't predict how the Acaras will behave.
When there are eggs to defend, and as the fry go through the stages
towards free-swimming, cichlids typically become more 'parental' not
less, even attacking your fingers if they get too close. I've had
Convicts terrorize cichlids double their size because they were
protecting fry.

currently in my 55 gal - 70-80 or so convicts with four more sets of new
fry.........crazy........I started with 6 small fish from petsmart $2.95
each 7 months ago. I have successfuly bred Acaras (and many other cichlids)
in the 80's and have always started with 6 fish the chances of getting all
male or all female are slim and there are enough fish to "spread" agresion.
I'm not sure how many convicts there will end up being I had thought the
limiting factor was the size of the tank but I'm starting to wonder!!

Either you want to spawn a breeding pair of Acaras and will plan
accordingly, or you do not want a breeding pair and will plan a community
tank. To plan a breeding pair in a community tank requires a much larger
tank size than 40g, and in a small tank the Acaras will take over your
planning ;~), with less than entirely predictable results (jmo).
--
www.NetMax.tk