180 Gallon Breeding pair.

[gobucks1]

They are not too small for a 180.......

Most things i've seen say they get around 14''.

Or do they get bigger?

you say you want something that gets 18"?

dovii and umbee IMO are what you should get. they will be fine as a pair in a 180G for quite a while

I would love to, but how long would either be comfortable in the 180?

And how sensitive are umbee to hard, alkaline water?

Get wild color morph snooks. Still my grail cichlid .

Yeah, i posted a thread on these guys not long ago. My holy grail cichlid as well. If any vendor got some of these in, there are soooo many people that want them, they'd sell out fast.

That's what i'd do if i could find them.

Why is a 180 too small for a Dovii, but not for another 18" male cichlid? Sorry, I don't understand the contradiction. Higher Ph isn't the end of the world for the big brute SA's, raising fry may be a challenge, but, can be done with a little tinkering. Check out some Creni's like Cincta - big, blue and GOOD eaters!
http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/5491/cinctapage.html

Every thread i've seen says that a 180 is too small for a full grown male dovii, let alone a pair.

Could i keep a pair of dovii in a 180 for life, or at least for 3-4 years?

And could i really breed SA monsters in my water? I love the genus Crenicichla, but i've always shied away because i don't want them to suffer in my water.

Also, how would festae do in my water?

GEt a nice pair of nicaraguan blue dovii.

If i got dovii, it would definitely be nics. They are IMO the best looking dovii.

what about a pair of trimacs ? they're not always placed in amphilophus at the mo either just 'cichlasoma' ! lol the males can get huge and heavy as well !!! colours are great especially when breeding,maybe a bit aggressive unless there are dithers but they will prob get rid of them as well lol,if not go for a pair of snook as suggested above at least you can keep other fish with them that are too big to eat !

Some people are going to hate me for saying this, but i think trimacs are probably the ugliest cichlid in the world.

And if i could find wild color snooks, i'd looove to do them.

 

[hairdog]

festae people are always willing to their fry

 

[BigPic]

Every thread i've seen says that a 180 is too small for a full grown male dovii, let alone a pair.

Could i keep a pair of dovii in a 180 for life, or at least for 3-4 years?

And could i really breed SA monsters in my water? I love the genus Crenicichla, but i've always shied away because i don't want them to suffer in my water.

Also, how would festae do in my water?

I think that Dovii is a neat option, they are beauties and I'm not sure that they are that quick growing once they reach the over 12" mark, Maybe one of the Dovii experts can confirm or deny that

I have well water at my house, similar ph to yours, I have had a few types of Creni spawn in my care, rased fry and all. Based on the info Vinny had in the link I provided, Cincta for example, could likely be worked with in your water.

As for Festae, they are pretty much a Central American cichlid, stuck just south of the imaginary line to my knowledge, Festae don't get anywhere close to the 18" mark, again, the guys/gals that know more about Festae in particular can clarify on this.

I say, just pick something that intrests you, go with it and upgrade as needed or move on to somehting else when things aren't working with your equipment.

My $0.02 - take it for what it's worth

 

[peathenster]

Most things i've seen say they get around 14''.

Or do they get bigger?

Easily....Mo has a 14" female pearsei http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223647 and http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242941 Males should be able to reach 17".

I really like your idea, and have found species tanks to be more enjoyable myself. But keep in mind that you tank is 24" from front to back (?)....for your fish to be able to turn around comfortably, I don't know how much bigger you want them to be.

They do take a couple of years to mature and show the full coloration...but you can get adults to start with. Oh and they do well in pH8-8.5 water.

 

[gobucks1]

festae people are always willing to their fry

Willing to what their fry?

I think that Dovii is a neat option, they are beauties and I'm not sure that they are that quick growing once they reach the over 12" mark, Maybe one of the Dovii experts can confirm or deny that

I have well water at my house, similar ph to yours, I have had a few types of Creni spawn in my care, rased fry and all. Based on the info Vinny had in the link I provided, Cincta for example, could likely be worked with in your water.

As for Festae, they are pretty much a Central American cichlid, stuck just south of the imaginary line to my knowledge, Festae don't get anywhere close to the 18" mark, again, the guys/gals that know more about Festae in particular can clarify on this.

I say, just pick something that intrests you, go with it and upgrade as needed or move on to somehting else when things aren't working with your equipment.

My $0.02 - take it for what it's worth

How common are cincta? They are really good looking and due to their benthic habits, i could probably keep my NGT dat with them, which would be great because i'd hate to get rid of him.

I looked at the link and it 7.2 pH, so they would spawn at 8.1ish pH you think? That would be really great if they would.

Easily....Mo has a 14" female pearsei http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223647 and http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242941 Males should be able to reach 17".

I really like your idea, and have found species tanks to be more enjoyable myself. But keep in mind that your tank is 24" from front to back (?)....for your fish to be able to turn around comfortably, I don't know how much bigger you want them to be.

They do take a couple of years to mature and show the full coloration...but you can get adults to start with. Oh and they do well in pH8-8.5 water.

Wow, they do get bigger than i had thought. I'll do some more research on them, they seem to be more peaceful than most big CA cichlids, so that may allow for some more non-cichlid tankmates.

Yes, the 180's are 2' front to back, so wouldn't want anything more than 20" for the male. I really enjoy tanks where all the big cichlids are the same species, because IME you can't really see all of a fish's personality if its crammed together with other big fish.

 

[gobucks1]

What about Vieja Synspilum? How big do these guys get? I love their coloration.

 

[peathenster]

Wow, they do get bigger than i had thought. I'll do some more research on them, they seem to be more peaceful than most big CA cichlids, so that may allow for some more non-cichlid tankmates.

yep - they call them the "gentle giants". Don't expect to keep any plants though...

Yes, the 180's are 2' front to back, so wouldn't want anything more than 20" for the male. I really enjoy tanks where all the big cichlids are the same species, because IME you can't really see all of a fish's personality if its crammed together with other big fish.

I agree entirely. You'd get distracted too.

What about Vieja Synspilum? How big do these guys get? I love their coloration.

They are a bit smaller...probably in the 14" range. Just got a 5-6" pair myself....they sure have LOTS of colors!

 

[BigPic]

How common are cincta? They are really good looking and due to their benthic habits, i could probably keep my NGT dat with them, which would be great because i'd hate to get rid of him.

I looked at the link and it 7.2 pH, so they would spawn at 8.1ish pH you think? That would be really great if they would.

I think that they are seasonal, just like almost all the pikes, I know that one of the guys that I deal with has seen them on lists recently, but, the season is over on most pikes now I think.

The spawns may not be vialbe in your tap water, but, you can get your water to where it needs to be without too much difficulty, Cincta isn't one of the "blackwater" species that needs pH 5.0. What I was pointing out is that you don't have that far to go, water softener, RO and peat should do it.

edit: I forgot to mention, if you spawned them and raised fry, it may be a first in captivity

 

[gobucks1]

yep - they call them the "gentle giants". Don't expect to keep any plants though...


I agree entirely. You'd get distracted too.


They are a bit smaller...probably in the 14" range. Just got a 5-6" pair myself....they sure have LOTS of colors!

Are they diggers, or do they just shred plants?

Would i be able to get away with some anubias attached to driftwood?

Are the synspilum peaceful as well?

I think that they are seasonal, just like almost all the pikes, I know that one of the guys that I deal with has seen them on lists recently, but, the season is over on most pikes now I think.

The spawns may not be vialbe in your tap water, but, you can get your water to where it needs to be without too much difficulty, Cincta isn't one of the "blackwater" species that needs pH 5.0. What I was pointing out is that you don't have that far to go, water softener, RO and peat should do it.

edit: I forgot to mention, if you spawned them and raised fry, it may be a first in captivity

Hmm, how low would i need to go to have a reasonable shot at spawning them?

Would you think the NGT would be able to live with them in a 180?

What kind of price would i be looking at for a few of them as juveniles or a sub adult pair?

 

[peathenster]

Are they diggers, or do they just shred plants?

Would i be able to get away with some anubias attached to driftwood?

They eat plants...primarily....

Are the synspilum peaceful as well?

They are not aggressive....