Could Someone Give me Advice on Setting Up a New Tank for South American Cichlids?

[Elizashahh]

Hello there,

I am new to this forum and excited to be a part of the Capital Cichlids community. I have recently developed a deep interest in keeping South American Cichlids and could use some guidance from those with more experience.

I am planning to set up a new tank specifically for a few species of South American Cichlids; and I want to ensure I am doing everything correctly from the start. My goal is to create a thriving, natural environment that will allow these beautiful fish to flourish.

I am particularly interested in keeping species like the Blue Acar; Severum; and possibly some Geophagus. I am also considering adding a small group of Corydoras for the bottom of the tank.

How many of each species would be ideal for this tank size?🤔 Is there a recommended ratio for males to females?
Are these species compatible with each other? Are there any potential issues I should watch out for?

Any suggestions on plant choices or tank decor to create a more natural and suitable environment?
How important is it to strictly maintain the pH and temperature within the mentioned ranges?

Also, I have gone through this post; https://www.capitalcichlids.org/forums/threads/donate-cheap-sell-full-setup-blue-prism-aquarium.19048/ which definitely helped me out a lot.

I appreciate any advice or insights you can offer. I am excited to learn and make this a successful and rewarding experience.

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.Could Someone Give me Advice on Setting Up a New Tank for South American Cichlids?😇

 

[jonclark96]

How big of of a tank are you thinking about? That will influence the number and types of fish that you can keep.

 

[Acara19]

Hello there,

I am new to this forum and excited to be a part of the Capital Cichlids community. I have recently developed a deep interest in keeping South American Cichlids and could use some guidance from those with more experience.

I am planning to set up a new tank specifically for a few species of South American Cichlids; and I want to ensure I am doing everything correctly from the start. My goal is to create a thriving, natural environment that will allow these beautiful fish to flourish.

I am particularly interested in keeping species like the Blue Acar; Severum; and possibly some Geophagus. I am also considering adding a small group of Corydoras for the bottom of the tank.

How many of each species would be ideal for this tank size?🤔 Is there a recommended ratio for males to females?
Are these species compatible with each other? Are there any potential issues I should watch out for?

Any suggestions on plant choices or tank decor to create a more natural and suitable environment?
How important is it to strictly maintain the pH and temperature within the mentioned ranges?

Also, I have gone through this post; https://www.capitalcichlids.org/forums/threads/donate-cheap-sell-full-setup-blue-prism-aquarium.19048/ which definitely helped me out a lot.

I appreciate any advice or insights you can offer. I am excited to learn and make this a successful and rewarding experience.

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.Could Someone Give me Advice on Setting Up a New Tank for South American Cichlids?😇

I don't see a problem with it, tank size depends on the species of geo essentially. Winemilleri types can get huge, whereas tapajos stay around 6 ish inches. Geos need groups, so I would go with at LEAST 5. In theory the geos would compete for food with the cories seeing as both are bottom dwellers/sifters to a degree, but I haven't heard too many horror stories about the combination, rather the opposite. I would aim for a 6 foot tank long term to be safe.

As for decor, try to get your hands on some driftwood and a finer kind of sand, like play sand. I should warn you that you will need to spend a lot of time washing the sand outside in a bucket as it comes with a lot of dust. Not play sand like the colorful stuff with glue, play sand like the stuff they put in sandboxes. Don't use paver sand either as this also has glue. Pool filter sand isn't as dusty and is just as fine to my knowledge, but is a bit pricier per bag. The acaras, severums, and cories shouldn't care too much about the conditions but I would try to at least keep it as stable and clean as possible for the geos.