6 Uarus Oh boy!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
What are the dimensions of the 55g? I had a pair in a 48x20x20" tank for a while and would be reluctant to see them in anything smaller. I also raised a group of six from about 10mm to nearly full size in my old 1400L tank before selling them to a guy with a 6x2x2' 180g, and again I wouldn't feel comfortable having a group in anything less.

As for them being sociable/schooling fish, while that may be true when younger as adults a pair or even single will do just fine. You've done the right thing by starting off with a group if you want a pair, over the years I've kept and raised ~20 uaru, and never have I been able to tell the sex until they pair up and start breeding. Make sure there is driftwood in the tank and feed plenty of high quality green foods, they should grow fairly quickly. I fed mine a mix of NLS, Hikari cichlid bio gold, spirulina flakes and romaine lettuce (and wood!), but they also had a tendency to steal carnivore sticks off my arowana. I always kept the temp warm (28-29C) and the water soft, and be cautious about adding other fish as they can be prone to whitespot (not as prone as say clown loaches, but more sensitive than the average cichlid IME), quarantining is a good idea if you're adding fish from the LFS.

Congrats on buying one of (IMO!) the most interesting and personable cichlids out there, certainly one of my favourite fish!!
 
Depending on the size of the sponge you have the HOB and that should do the job so you could hold off on the canester (wich are very easy to figure out). When using two heaters I will run a smaller size than I would if I was running a single heater maye two one size down from what I would use as a single.The veggie rounds are fine I use Omega One or NLS waffers. What I was referring to was when most people pick out a pellet they usually get a size larger than is necessary. I had a 14" RD that was feed exclusivly on NLS Jumbo Fish Formula that was only 4.5MM in Dia. My Angelfish, Discus, Festavum and Geos. get .5 and 1mm pellets. Pellets should be small enough to be swallowed not chewed that's when you start to get excess food blowing out the sides of the gills.

David R gave you some great advice as well and I agree with a 180 being the min size for a small group but the pair if you go that route will do well in a 125.

I have used a Fluval 305 and an Aquaclear 110 with good results on a 125 in the past. Please keep us posted on your progress, we like pictures too!
 
David R said:
What are the dimensions of the 55g? I had a pair in a 48x20x20" tank for a while and would be reluctant to see them in anything smaller. I also raised a group of six from about 10mm to nearly full size in my old 1400L tank before selling them to a guy with a 6x2x2' 180g, and again I wouldn't feel comfortable having a group in anything less.

As for them being sociable/schooling fish, while that may be true when younger as adults a pair or even single will do just fine. You've done the right thing by starting off with a group if you want a pair, over the years I've kept and raised ~20 uaru, and never have I been able to tell the sex until they pair up and start breeding. Make sure there is driftwood in the tank and feed plenty of high quality green foods, they should grow fairly quickly. I fed mine a mix of NLS, Hikari cichlid bio gold, spirulina flakes and romaine lettuce (and wood!), but they also had a tendency to steal carnivore sticks off my arowana. I always kept the temp warm (28-29C) and the water soft, and be cautious about adding other fish as they can be prone to whitespot (not as prone as say clown loaches, but more sensitive than the average cichlid IME), quarantining is a good idea if you're adding fish from the LFS.

Congrats on buying one of (IMO!) the most interesting and personable cichlids out there, certainly one of my favourite fish!!
Click to expand...

Thank you!! So my 55gal is 48Lx20Hx13W. I see how as adults they will fill this tank up. If i can manage to keep a guaranteed pair I will be thrilled. And if they happen to be both runts I'll be even more thrilled! I have their tank at about 80 degrees. They have driftwood and veggie rounds and lettuce. I have basic Tetra Min Tropical Crisps. I will invest in Hikari cichlid Bio Gold and Spirunlina Flakes. I also heard pond sticks? The only thing I would like to add is a Golden Nugget Pleco to help catch missed food. I'm so excited to see these grow. They already follow us from one side of the tank to the other. So cute! I gave them some Romain lettuce and they loved it. I did get some video hope I can post it so you can see. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your opinion. :)
 
Aquanero said:
Depending on the size of the sponge you have the HOB and that should do the job so you could hold off on the canester (wich are very easy to figure out). When using two heaters I will run a smaller size than I would if I was running a single heater maye two one size down from what I would use as a single.The veggie rounds are fine I use Omega One or NLS waffers. What I was referring to was when most people pick out a pellet they usually get a size larger than is necessary. I had a 14" RD that was feed exclusivly on NLS Jumbo Fish Formula that was only 4.5MM in Dia. My Angelfish, Discus, Festavum and Geos. get .5 and 1mm pellets. Pellets should be small enough to be swallowed not chewed that's when you start to get excess food blowing out the sides of the gills.

David R gave you some great advice as well and I agree with a 180 being the min size for a small group but the pair if you go that route will do well in a 125.

I have used a Fluval 305 and an Aquaclear 110 with good results on a 125 in the past. Please keep us posted on your progress, we like pictures too!
Click to expand...


Well I currently have a 200w Aqueon Heater. I have a heater for a 29 gallon not sure of the wattage. What can I run with my 200w and what temp do I set it at? Or, should I have 2 29 gallon heaters instead?

I like your idea of over filtering and adding a canister filter. Never thought of running 2 filters for added cleaning. Love that idea! Did my first wc about 55% everyone seems happy. I took some video of them eating Romain lettuce. They love it! I will keep you posted on their progress. Now let me see if I can get these videos to load on here. Cheers! :)
 
hi to chime in on filtration do yourself a favor and skip the fluval stuff and go with an ehiem 2217 good luck wish i could find some uaru oh and use the NLS ( new life spectrum) its an excellent food i'd go with the 1mm for now
 
[video=youtube_share;sxnGLa5xOnc]http://youtu.be/sxnGLa5xOnc[/video]

Video of them following me to the side of the tank. The black angel is like the ugly duckling. She keeps staying by them like she's one of them lol
 
Chowing down on Romain Lettuce. There is the black angel again lol too cute!
Sorry the it's not very clear
[video=youtube_share;GbKfH14XpHM]http://youtu.be/GbKfH14XpHM[/video]
 
Man they're cute at that size! I hope I can find some once I get my big tank set up. Your tank would probably be ok for a pair, but if you could upgrade to something a little wider I'm sure they'd appreciate it, 13" width for fish that have the potential to grow to 12" is pushing it a bit!
 
They sure love lettuce. They look great! The heater your using at 200 watts is plenty for that thank. When you upgrade if you get a 125 you can do two 200 watt heaters. I think you'll do fine. The little guys look great.
 
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