180gal festae and midas Question

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olex

olex

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 22, 2015
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Hey just wondering, I really love both of these fish and i would love to try and get a pair of festae but i would also like some midas and i was wondering if this could possibly work in a 6ftx2ftx2ft longterm if they were raised from babies together and if so, how many would work together in total after i choose the ones i like from a good size group
 
When going for a pair of almost any cichlid, I prefer to get as many youngsters as possible to grow out together, at least 4 or 5, more is even better.
And to try and have a mixed tank of festae and Amphilophines, getting large groups of both is a reasonable strategy.
But I would expect some deaths along the way, as each species, or individuals within a species, jockey for their place in the hierarchy.
This doesn't always work, if one individual in the group becomes, or is hyper dominant.
Not long ago I picked up 8 young Paratilapia sp "Andapa" and ended up with only one male. He picked off all his brothers and sisters, while leaving all other species in the tank unmolested.

I have also had this same thing happen with Vieja argentea and some others, but in most cases it has worked well.
 
So you recommend getting a group of both festae and midas and waiting till some pair off then get rid of the rest or would it be easier to have like one festae and a few midas but no pairs?
 
Compatible adult pairs will inevitably spawn, and if they do, they will try and commandeer the entire tank. If 2 pair form, they may divide the tank in half, and simply kill the rest.
In that same scenario, if you buy a bunch of juvies, and grow them out together, you may not need to sell the rest because some will ultimately be killed, or, because they have grown up together, a compatible hierarchy is a possibility for a year or 2.
I have had 2 pairs of festae (males about 1 ft each) split a 6ft tank in half, but just to be safe, I usually put in a divider.

When young, I find large crowds work well, but only with massive water changes every other day or so.
 
The Red Devil pair will destroy the Festae... Festae aren't on the same level - and thats coming from experience.
 
duanes said:
Compatible adult pairs will inevitably spawn, and if they do, they will try and commandeer the entire tank. If 2 pair form, they may divide the tank in half, and simply kill the rest.
In that same scenario, if you buy a bunch of juvies, and grow them out together, you may not need to sell the rest because some will ultimately be killed, or, because they have grown up together, a compatible hierarchy is a possibility for a year or 2.
I have had 2 pairs of festae (males about 1 ft each) split a 6ft tank in half, but just to be safe, I usually put in a divider.

When young, I find large crowds work well, but only with massive water changes every other day or so.
Click to expand...
so my best option is to just choose a species and get like 5 of them and wait till they pair off or something?
 
how does this work? the second tank is the same size as mine and he has like dovii, jaguar and all that. can i do like something like that? how does that even work
 
then there is this one with festae and midas. I know its 300 gallon but wouldnt less of them be fine in a 200gal like ive got
 
The difference between a 300 gal, and 200 gal is significant.
I have seen fish kill each other in 150-200 gal tanks, that live very quite comfortably together, or at least maintain a sense of "detente" in 300-350 gal tanks.
There is something about that extra space that makes huge difference.
If all put together when young, at the same time, without any stock changes along the way, you can try....maybe you will be an exception to the norm.
 
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