So i have a 55g that im building around the EBA. Currently i have 2 male EBA's(1 about 2" and the other about 2 1/4-2.5"), 4 male and 4 female Congo Tetra(all between 1.5"-2"), 6 Bosemani Rainbow fish all around 1.5", and 2 Snowball Plecos both about 2". The idea is to have them all grow together and quell any possible aggression. So the EBA's were added this passed Saturday. Since their introduction and up until last night they swam the tank together and were very playful. Today i noticed, theyre not doing that and the slightly bigger one keeps chasing the other at random times. This could just be a "phase" but if it continues, it could be a problem. Am i better off getting rid of one of the males and getting a female to pair them off, or do i have the room to add 2 females so both can pair off? Ive fallen in love with the EBA's and would love to add 2 females, just unsure if i have the space. Like i said, its a 55 and im using a fluval 307, and parameters are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5 with plenty of hiding spots and decoration to block sightlines, just lacking plants bc i definitely do not have a green thumb lol
Help with Electric Blue Acara
- Thread starter BradT80
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charliebankston
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ime if you add a female, or 2, one pair or the other will spawn and then they'll give the whole tank problems. Spawning cichlids amp up the aggression about 5-10 times higher. It's always a roll of the dice putting cichlids together. And also ime, the "grow up together" thing is a falsehood. When they get mature, all they know is that there's a threat in their territory or to their food source. Personally I'd rehome the more aggressive one and try a different one. I always tell people, when dealing with cichlids, have a backup plan, lol
charliebankston
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sometimes what has worked for others with cichlids, won't work for you, and vice versa. They are def unpredictable
charliebankston
Aquarium Advice Addict
All that being said, it might just be one establishing dominance over the other. There's always a tank boss. Give it a few days if no one is getting hurt and see if it settles down. The more aggressive one may chill when he realizes he's the boss and the other is not a threat
I was gonna give it a few days and see what happens. Spawning im not incredibly worried about bc while my tank conditions are stable, theyre not really ideal spawning conditions for them. Temp is 78, pg is 7.6. And honestly, if they do lay eggs, i can always just snatch them up and a couple hours later they forget all about them lol i also keep a decent flow in the tank so theres a lot of movement. Idk. I may add 2 females anyway bc i absolutely love their color and personalities. I just wanna make sure i have the room for them.
charliebankston
Aquarium Advice Addict
They are gorgeous. The egg removal is what we do with our angelfish. By the next day things are back to normal. They are generally pretty laid back too, I'm a little surprised that one is harassing the other. But, that just goes back to what I posted earlier
Yea im really hoping its just a phase/breaking in period to a new enviornment. We'll see what happens by the end of the week. Is 55 with my other stock enough room for 4 of them? Im new to cichlids and dont wanna overstock lol
