My juvenile Sajica

[Dwl0222]

I had asked for help on picking what species to stock...then asked for a bunch more help after deciding to go with Sajica, so i thought I’d post an update and some pics of the group. I have 6, ranging from probably about an inch to an inch and a half or maybe a bit more. They came with a lot of torn fins etc, but they seem to be ok and settling in fine. They’re in a 20L quarantine tank for now then I have to decide how many to try and move into the 75 gallon, then re home the rest. Let me know what you think!

The 1st, 6th and last pics are what’s looking like a pair in the making....they hide in the same cave, seem to not like others around it or them, and they do a little shimmy thing next to each other occasionally lol. The others are just random decent pics I was able to get, one including my pup that is fascinated by the fish haha

 

[kno4te]

Nice additions. Like the blue eyes.

 

[Dwl0222]

Nice additions. Like the blue eyes.

Thanks! Yeah the blue eyes are really cool. Just got a couple more great shots of the possible pair

 

[HybridFinatic]

That definitely looks like a pair. I would finish quarantine and and then move them all to the 75 first and let them grow a little more before you rehome the rest.

 

[Dwl0222]

That definitely looks like a pair. I would finish quarantine and and then move them all to the 75 first and let them grow a little more before you rehome the rest.

Thanks for your input! Did you happen to see my other thread/posts? I was wondering what to do because the pair forming is pretty considerably bigger than the others...I don’t want to risk losing any because of stress/injury, but my hope was to end up with a pair plus an additional 2 females in the 75. I had gotten some good advice on mid size Central Americans, people have had success with pairs when there are additional fish of that species in the tank. Apparently it gives the pair something to focus on, strengthens their bond and helps prevent the male from turning on the female. Problem is I’ve only had them in quarantine for 5 days so I dunno if I should move them over now or what...

 

[duanes]

I agree the 1st and 6th look like a pair, and a number of others females, maybe 1 more male.
I agree, about moving all to the 75, a while before rehoming. You never know when a pair becomes just one, and having the others in the tank with the pair, can help cement th pair bond.
What else is in the 75 gal? Maybe nothing much to worry about if the tank is mainly about the sajica.
Females often spawn at only 2+"

 

[Dwl0222]

I agree the 1st and 6th look like a pair, and a number of others females, maybe 1 more male.
I agree, about moving all to the 75, a while before rehoming. You never know when a pair becomes just one, and having the others in the tank with the pair, can help cement th pair bond.
What else is in the 75 gal? Maybe nothing much to worry about if the tank is mainly about the sajica.
Females often spawn at only 2+"

Thanks, right now in the 75 is just 10 giant danios and 4 green swordtails. How long would you try and keep them in quarantine? As I said they’ve only been there 5 days...maybe a divider in the quarantine tank to separate the pair from the others?

 

[Dwl0222]

I agree the 1st and 6th look like a pair, and a number of others females, maybe 1 more male.

Oh and I agree there may be 1 more male, I had been thinking that just from comparing/observing them. I’m no expert though so I wasn’t sure...I did ask for 1 or 2 males, but was told no guarantees. I wanted as good a chance at a pair so figured that was the best way. Can I ask which picture/fish you think may be a 2nd male and what you’re basing that off of?

 

[duanes]

Very hard to pinpoint at that size, I was thinking pic 4 may be male.
Since the 75 is not going to house other cichlids, or other prized fish, sometimes we need to weigh death by aggression in a small tank, with the possibility (or not) of a disease and opt for the best worse case scenario, and live with the consequences.
I have found sajica to be rather tough on each other (especially is a spawning situation) so the more space and sight breaks the better.
In the 75 you could end up with 2 pair, each on opposite sides of the tank.
.

 

[Dwl0222]

Very hard to pinpoint at that size, I was thinking pic 4 may be male.
Since the 75 is not going to house other cichlids, or other prized fish, sometimes we need to weigh death by aggression in a small tank, with the possibility (or not) of a disease and opt for the best worse case scenario, and live with the consequences.
I have found sajica to be rather tough on each other (especially is a spawning situation) so the more space and sight breaks the better.
In the 75 you could end up with 2 pair, each on opposite sides of the tank.
.

I’m pretty sure that’s the one I thought may be male too. Just from research I’ve done, I’m basing that on the dark vertical line that does not extend into the dorsal fin, or at least becomes less defined (smudged, blurred etc) in the dorsal. As well as the coloring of the fins, that fishes seems to be an orangish color (males=red, females=yellow) whereas others are pretty obviously yellow.

I agree that I’m going to have to weigh the pros and cons of tight quarters in the quarantine vs moving to the 75 early and risking introducing any disease etc to the main tank. I’m hoping I can stretch quarantine time to at least a couple weeks before making a decision. I think if it does seem that a second pair might form, I may re home the male and a female to end up with a pair plus 2 additional females, but we’ll have to see how it goes.