Min. Tank size for festae pair?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

JC_P

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2009
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I'm not sold on the idea just yet, but what would be the minium tank size for a pair of festae?

Thanks, Justin.
 
i would think you could get away w a 75 if they are just breeders. Not that they would be happy in a 75 though
 
+1 festae are really some of the most unpredictable fish when it comes to bonded pairs and breeding, a minimum size tank is going to enhance the chances of you losing your female sooner rather than later. i personally wouldnt try it in anything less than a 180g and even then i would keep a divider really handy in case a quick rescue was needed. they are gorgeous fish but very testy with conspecifics, bonded or not.
 
definately not a 75, were talking a fish that can get 18-20"..

really?? 18-20"??? how many festae have you seen over maybe 15"? if you have a 20" festae please show some pics. a 15" fish still shouldnt go in a 75 or anything with an 18" depth but a festae will take a long time to get to that size so a 125 would do but if they grew over 13" id move to a 180.
 
really?? 18-20"??? how many festae have you seen over maybe 15"? if you have a 20" festae please show some pics. a 15" fish still shouldnt go in a 75 or anything with an 18" depth but a festae will take a long time to get to that size so a 125 would do but if they grew over 13" id move to a 180.

Yeah, never seen a festae over the 15"-16" range. As stated, a 125 would probably work for a long time, but in the long run you wanna get a deeper, longer tank.
 
Alright, Thanks everyone! I will have to think about it then. It all really depends on whether or not I can really stretch my budget for a 125g, I don't really know if I can handle buying & setting up 2 tanks at once; especially when both are in the 100g range.

Thanks again, Justin.
 
really?? 18-20"??? how many festae have you seen over maybe 15"? if you have a 20" festae please show some pics. a 15" fish still shouldnt go in a 75 or anything with an 18" depth but a festae will take a long time to get to that size so a 125 would do but if they grew over 13" id move to a 180.

I agree w this. I've always read about how festae can reach those enormous sizes but never actually seen one. Biggest female I saw irl was an F0 and I think around the 10" mark. She had been living in a large pond for 3 years and the owner told me she had not grown significantly in the last year or so. Of course, she was a breeder and we know females grow even slower when breeding repeatedly, but I still think these 15"-20" size reports are a little exaggerated.

Just get a 125, keep a divider handy and be aware that you might or might not need to upgrade in the future. I def. wouldn't get a 200+ gallon tank right away for a fish that might take 5 years to fill it up, after all you might not even keep the fish or the tank for that long... so enjoy it while you can.
 
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