Carpintis question

[guru101]

Hi,

I recently picked up 3 juvenile carpintis froma local fish store. 2 of them seem to have paired up at least i think so. They seem to swim together and never fuss and fight while the other of the 3 will get chased from time to time but nothing overly aggressive. I planned on removing the 3rd but have not been able to catch him, . I didnt want to destroy the tank setup an stress everything out since they have only been in the tank for a week. My question will a 55 gailon be ok for a carpintis pair?

 

[fug202]

From what I've read here, mature male H. carpintis can be pretty rough on females if they are not ready to spawn. Provide plenty of hiding places and/or be prepared to move her if things get rough.

 

[guru101]

OK ty for the advice. They are only about 2 inches atm and im planning on getting a larger tank down the road preferably 100 gallon 6 ft long doesnt fit the spce where i would like the tank to be, about 2 inches to long so a five foot tank would be great. Hopefully i can get one sooner then later

 

[duanes]

Sometimes it's a good idea to keep the 3rd wheel around, maybe behind an eggcrate divider where it can be seen, and flared at by the male, but not injured or killed.
The extra fish helps the pair bond solidify, as it takes the attention away and allows the male to focus his aggression elsewhere. Without the distraction, the male could easily turn his energy and aggression against the preferred female.

 

[guru101]

ty, just not sure if 55 gallon is really big enough to support all three of them especially with the tank split up in halves. At least long term

 

[guru101]

I been feeding them a pinch of nls cichlid pellets 1mm or the thera + 2-3 times a day. Is this enough? I gave them them a little brine shrimp last not but the werent super excited about. Eat the pellets right up