Tankmate suggestions for my cichla orinocensis

[NocturnalDez]

Hi Pam,

This winter I bought a juvenile Cichla Orinocensis at my local fish store. He is roughly 4.5 inches in length and will soon move from my smaller community tank to the 80 gal I am setting up in the living room.
Right now he is sharing his space in the community tank with a Koi or about the same size as him and a few goldfish. (The goldfish are large in size and he's not quite big enough to eat them yet...he still kills them pretty regularly and only two remain from the original

So anyway, feeding him has been a real pleasure from day 1. He is accustomed to a diet of small goldfish/minnows and beefheart-based food I made for him. He really enjoys the red frozen bits and the live fish, so that's fine and dandy. He's also in some sort of a competition with the Koi for whom will grab the meat first. Somehow, I feel like it helps keeping him active and interested.

In the 80 gal he will share his space with a 7 inches pleco. But I don't think the Koi will follow (as he is most likely going to end is a pond/basin at my parents). So, what would you advise I pair with him? A northern pike would be very flavorful, but I don't know how well they will tolerate each other. I also though of an oscar or a largemouth bass. If I get them of the roughly same size, will they cohabit?

Thanks

- Dez

[Pam Chin]

Hi Dez,

It may be difficult to be able to put any tankmates in with this type of predator. Certainly something that is slightly smaller or near the same size would be best, but it is really a roll of the dice as to whether it would work out. Especially in the tank size you are talking about. These cichlids are extremely territorial and in the wild would have control of a larger area then you are going to provide. There is nothing wrong with keeping this type of cichlid in a tank by themselves, infact I think they like it that way best.

Now lets talk a little about food. Feeding a cichlid like this live fish as food will only increase their aggression, and even lessen the possibility of future tankmates. I hope that these minnows and goldfish are something that you are raising and making sure they are disease free before you feed them. Buying bait fish and goldfish for food is a good way to introduce parasites and diseases in your tank, and it only takes one. You should never feed a mammal(Beef heart) to a cichlid, they are not able to digest it properly, and can cause all sorts of digestion problems like bloat and fatty liver disease which is just going to shorten the life of your favorite fish!

If it was me, I would house alone, and get it off the live foods.

Cichlid Power!
Pam