180 gallon grow out question

[twhittle]

I have set up a 180 gallon growout tank with the following juvenile cichlids, all about 1-2 inches in length.

2 Cubans
2 black nasty
2 red tiger motoguense
2 festae
2 beani

My filtration is a 40 gallon sump and two fluval 405 canister filters.

I realize that this tank will not be sustainable for life. I was wondering based on your experiences, how big will the fish be when their aggression gets to the point where I will need to separate them?

 

[MP_cichlid]

I would say that it depends, one fish could hit sexual maturity early and become dominant, there are a lot of possibilities. Also it depends on the sex of the fish and if you end up with maybe a pair, however on a general standpoint, I would say until the fish average about 6-7 inches. Also it depends on the growth rate because festae are very slow growers, so are cubans, however the rtms are parachromis, they grow fast. So it really comes down to growth rate and sex in my opinion.

 

[MP_cichlid]

By the way, that dovii in your pp is a beast

 

[dan518]

I would separate the black nasty and beani now, both suffer from bloat if they get stessed

 

[Freshwaterpredators]

Yes I would keep beani and haitiensis seperate and as far as the general question was asked. A 180 does great usually till fish start reaching sexual maturity around 3.5" and then the dominant ones start picking off and challengers. So I would keep more than two each to increase your odds. Also have spare tank ready to pull out and honicidal maniacs lol

 

[twhittle]

Thanks for the replies. I have many spare tanks. I will watch closely.

 

[Cichlidfever]

My experience the Beani & Black nasty will bloat at some point when trying to raise the with the others. Beani will have to have a separate tank and Black Nasty with have to have a separate tank...

 

[duanes]

One of the reasons beani and haitiensus probably should not be grown out together is they both have a dramatically different temp requirements.
On the island of Hispaniola, normal temps for haitiensus are in the mid to high 80sF, and beani, the most northerly found cichlid on the pacific coast of Mexico, can have temps that easily dip into the high 60sF.
My beani spawned at 68'F, and I kept them without a heater, and although I never had a problem with boat, during a summer heat wave, 3 were stricken with bacterial infections when temps exceeded 82'F.
The only time I had trouble with bloat for haitiensus, was before I realized they needed quite warm tanks. If you read the article Hispaniola Oh Island in the Sun, you will see where the authors found their natural temps to be.
http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=55