Red Terror Tank Mates?

Joshooo

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 31, 2009
27
0
0
Brisbane, Australia
I'm planning the stock for my new 350G and i'm thinking of building around a pair of Red Terrors (Festae).
I realise that:
A. Red Terrors are agressive at the best of times and
B. During Spawning they get even more agressive and would be a threat to any and all tank mates.

But as juvies and until they reach about 7" they would be fine to be seperated from the rest of the fish during spawning (I think?) and after they grow larger then 7"+ they'd end up (unless I can find another option) with the tank to themselves.

Rehoming tank mates in the future wont be a problem and i'll be adding all the tank mates first then the terrors last and all as juvies (probably tank mates an inch or so larger though) with plenty of hides etc.

My real questions are:

Has anyone successfully kept Red Terrors with other Cichlids?
What would be worth trying with them?
Is there anyway to determine the sex of juvies?
What are the best ways to establish pairs? Is the technique used for Oscars (buy a bunch and cross your fingers) effective?

I realise thats alot of questions but as I understand it, here is my best chance for quality answers :)

Joshooo
 

sick_lid

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2008
1,145
1
36
Austin, TX
I have mine with a jag, loisellei, escondido, argentea, and salvini, with dithers. There's a bunch of members on here that have them with other tankmates, just depends on the personality of the individual fish. Try growing everything you put together at a small size, so they will be more tolerable with eachother when they mature..
 

sick_lid

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2008
1,145
1
36
Austin, TX
a 350 leaves a lot of room for territory, but they can get very aggressive during spawning. All you can really do is trial and error and see where it takes you, if that's what you want. When they're not spawning, it shouldn't be a problem.
 

Joshooo

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 31, 2009
27
0
0
Brisbane, Australia
I thought going tank mates in first would be the best way to help the survive?
Should i go all at once as Juvies?

And is there an easy way to sex them as juvies?
 

Peanut_Power

Running From The Hammer...
MFK Member
Jul 6, 2005
15,021
35
36
BannedVille
www.monsterfishkeepers.com
Well, you've got to consider a full grown male festae is well over 12" of pure muscle. The female is just as impressive. Put them together, defending their young, its a brutal force to reckon with.

I've got mine with some H. bocourti and Cren. lenticulata right now. The pikes have the tank dominated, and its a 125gal.

Point is that if you put them with some more aggressive fish it will help to keep them in check. But then you have the more aggressive fish to worry about. Haha

It would indeed be best to buy a group of them and let them grow up together. Definite chance of a pair that way. :)

Female will have a purple/violet/black spot/blotch in the dorsal, as well as more pronounced bars and red coloration. Male will lack this spot/blotch generally, and have a more spotted appearance over an olive/green body. Gorgeous fish, both of them.

In a tank that size you have a lot of potential for tankmates for sure. Not sure what is available to you though. Normally a lot of the CA cichlids work well with festae, only problem is sometimes the festae will mate up with the other fish.

As they gradually get larger, they will also get more aggressive. Mine when I got it at 2" didn't flare or bother any fish. Now she is punkin the bocourti that are fair amount larger than her.
 
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