Anyone kept salvini and argentea together?

[lunsforj]

If you have done this before, I would love to hear your experiences. I am planning this combination in a 6 foot tank and will be growing them out together. I'm curious if the two species will be hostile towards one another or basically ignore each other? They are very different in color, size, shape and niche, so I'm optimistic they may stick to themselves. Eventually, due to size, the argentea will most likely need to be moved. I have a 300 they can call home eventually, but would love to attempt a little Mexico biotope in the meantime. I also think their colors and shape might contrast one another really well.

 

[Jdreal21]

I have done this in a 220 gallon 6x2x2 tank had 2 argentea and a pair of salvini in the community the pair had to separated eventually and the argentea would pick on some of my oddballs I had in there if your going to grow them out as fry they should be good might have some issues as adults but like every other cichlid different fish can have different personality's. nothing wrong with trying things I do it all the time

 

[8DiagramPoleFighter]

I have not kept both species together but I have kept both fish. Both fish are aggressive and Sals get worse when breeding which happens all of the time. If it’s going to work, you’ll need plenty of hiding spaces imo. Break up lines of sight to keep aggression at a minimum. I’d remove any breeding pairs that form.

 

[Toiletcar]

It could work in a 300g imo.

 

[lunsforj]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I am also confident that it could work in a 300. My hope was to get a pair of each in a 180 that was heavily furnished with rock and driftwood, perhaps some retreats that only the salvini could fit in. The last time I kept salvini I used them as dithers for hemichromis fasciatus, so in all honesty, I'm having a hard time placing their general aggression level. My thought is the argentea, given the size difference, should be fine squabbling with the smaller pair. However, I'd hate it if they became super dominant and just harassed them constantly. I also wouldn't want a situation where the salvini were constantly shooting out of the cover and damaging the bigger fish and retreating afterward.

 

[duanes]

I have kept both, but never together.
Argentea were some of the most aggressive species I've kept, especially with cichlids similar in size and larger, once the alpha argentea reached around 7", it killed 9 of his siblings, then a number of regani within 24hours, and after I moved it, it pinned a dovii, and managuense (both larger than it was) in separate corners of a 150 gal.
The argentea never bothered much with smaller species, which may be to your advantage with salvini.

 

[lunsforj]

Thanks Duanes for your info. That is pretty much my experience with argentea as well. It's been about 15 years since I kept one, but from what I remember, it was a total psycho. I did keep some juvenile fish with it though (synspylum) I believe, and it never bothered them. It did kill a number of equal or larger fish in short order though if memory serves me right. This was back in the day that Vieja was supposed to be the gentle giant genus.

 

[Toiletcar]

As w/ most CA’s it’s a hit or miss w/ aggression and the individual fish. A 300g reduces the chances of aggression.

 

[8DiagramPoleFighter]

Big water is a cure-all. I had a trimaran in a 125g and he was a total monster. I gave him to a friend with a 250g and he was a totally different fish.

 

[lunsforj]

Well we're off! picked up some Rio Candelaria salvini (6) today and began the at process. Now we begin looking for argentea. I also snagged some mysterious giant astyanax that came in on trade. would love an I'D if anyone is savvy enough.