Argentea - tell me about them...

[DMD123]

I have been eye-balling a 4" Argentea at a LFS. It is some fancy pants one from some weird location (Rio something or another) for around $60. Watching it with its tankmates that all happen to be much smaller, it seems like a pretty mild fish, no real aggression issues. The store also has a large one in a mixed tank with oscars and what not and it is also pretty peaceful.

I would like to have this guy (4") in a 210g (72x24x29) with a very easy going 10" Midas and possibly a (8" ?) Pearsei. (5 SD's and a pleco)

What are your thoughts on the Argentea? Do you think it could work or would it eventually get too mean?

 

[buddha1200]

most argentea will get pretty aggressive when they mature,but all fish are different,in a tank that size you might not have any issue's.
I have a pair when they were in my big tank the male was pretty mellow,when i moved them to another tank with different tank mates he was a bully,moved him again with his female and a few different tank mates and he is not to bad now(time will tell)
depending on the setup and tank mates you never can be 100% with any cichlid,i have a pair of chocolates that are pretty mean(and they are suppose to be mild)so every fish has its own personality,but in general they tend to get pretty aggressive.

 

[balton777]

I don't know if it cracks me up or frustrates me when people say 'It's not aggressive at all' or 'It's really mellow' when describing a baby fish. Of course it's mellow at 4". They get more aggressive and territorial when they mature. Argentea's can be pretty nasty but it sounds like you have a decent size tank with other fish that can hold their own. No one can tell you whether a certain combo of fish will work or not, that would be merely speculation.

 

[DMD123]

I don't know if it cracks me up or frustrates me when people say 'It's not aggressive at all' or 'It's really mellow' when describing a baby fish. Of course it's mellow at 4". They get more aggressive and territorial when they mature. Argentea's can be pretty nasty but it sounds like you have a decent size tank with other fish that can hold their own. No one can tell you whether a certain combo of fish will work or not, that would be merely speculation.

I ask for just a general idea of the fishes behavior. I know each fish is different; my 10" Midas proves that by how mellow he has been with a ton of different tankmates Ive tried with him.

And small fish can be total killers - I just got rid of two 4" fenestratus, that were just getting meaner and meaner the bigger they got.

So I just want some speculation... or thoughts on if it could work out. So I at least have as Pros: big tank, Fish that can fend for themselves. Cons: Argentea usually more aggressive as they mature

 

[Bderick67]

Mine at 11-12" only has trouble with cichlids that are near his size. Otherwise a rather mellow fish.

 

[DMD123]

Mine at 11-12" only has trouble with cichlids that are near his size. Otherwise a rather mellow fish.

Thanks for the info. Ive seen your tank and I'm short a couple hundred gallons...
Thats my fear with my Midas, he has been mellow with a bunch of other fish but none over 5". He is a bit of a runt at only 10" and he's two years old. So when the fish gets his size there may be some issues. I'm also actually afraid the Argentea will outsize the midas and pick on him!

 

[balton777]

Yeah actually you're right, by four inches a lot of fish are at least sexually mature and can turn into a killer. It just reminded my of my friend who bought a little 2-3" fish and says it's not aggressive.

 

[jiant2520]

My Argentea is about 7.5" and is the least agrressive fish I have owned for the past year (I have a lot of other ca/sa cichlids). I know most MFK members are gonna say they are pretty mean and they prob are once bigger then 7.5", but IME mine has been really cool and at the very bottom of the totem pole so to speak for a long while. I think it will work.

 

[AcsFoolMike]

I have a couple of argentea that were super aggressive even at 3"-4". Never kept one much passed that size, so I can't comment on adults.

 

[DMD123]

The large Argentea at the store is around 9" and he is with a ton of other fish including a pair of 12" Oscars,half a dozen Dovii around 5", some 7" pikes, JD's and a slew of other mean fish. He was definitely big enough to do damage or bully and he was pretty mild, not even a flare or a single conforontation. Maybe because he was not the biggest fish?

The other one at 4" was the biggest in his tank and only showed a tiny bit of aggression toward a couple of other vieja types in with him, but even then it was barely a gill flare nothing more.

In my set up the 4" Argentea would end up third in the chain. Most likely the Midas would be #1, the Pearsei #2, and then the Argentea. As the Pearsei grows he would end up as the dominant fish due to size with the Argentea next and then the Midas. This is where my concern lies, eventually I feel because the Midas is smaller he would suffer. Who knows maybe in 210g he might have a growth spurt.