advice needed please!

[jimmyp]

I'm very much a newbie and recently started a 40 gal cichlid tank picking up a blue acara, sajica(t - bar) and red jewel cichlid last week all beautiful fish but the red jewel has taken over 80% of the tank and is evil sajica has small chunk out of fin and acara can bearly move. spoke to lfs and i'm taking the jewel back tomorrow. They had a bandit cichlid. firemouth and festive but none to keen on these. was thinking maybe to get a female sajica and some some target fish instead. Would this work with the blue acara? if not any other suggestions of a peaceful sa or ca cichlid?

 

[severum mama]

Welcome to the site!

If you add a female sajica to the mix, you're going to go through the crazy aggression all over again once they hit sexual maturity.

The problem is, 40 gallons really isn't a large enough tank for more than a couple of SA/CA cichlids of similar size and temperament. IMO you'll have better luck with just the BA and the sajica and maybe a school of some tough dither fish like tiger barbs.

 

[HUKIT]

That's alot of personality in a small tank, a 40g doesn't provide the necessary space to house these fish, even when small it's not uncommon for them to attack and kill larger fish defending what they think is there territory.

I would keep a pair or sajica's in a 40g with maybe some small dithers, but I don't recommend mixing different cichlids in small tanks. Once a larger tank is aquired then adding different breeds into play will work.