Cryptoheros panamensis

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MonsterFishCreeper

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 30, 2015
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Picked up a nice group of Cryptoheros panamensis at the monthly fish auction today. I got six of them total which should hopefully yield a pair. Couple questions on these guys that I can't find answers to. How big of a tank for an adult pair? What if I wanted to keep all 6? Anything specific or unusual with their care or tank conditions that I should be aware of? They seem like pretty easy keepers from what I'm reading.

I'll get some photos up when I get them up on a stand they're in a 20 long on the floor ATM. They're only probably an inch or less right now anyway. They were a surprise and impulse pick up but I don't expect to see them again for a while so I had to do it. The price was way too good to pass up as well.
 
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pictures or it didn't happen.
 
cute little guys. I've never seen them in person but from pictures I've seen online they look like they turn into real stunners.
 
Yeah I'm very excited to grow them out. There were some awesome fish in the CCA auction today. If I had empty tanks I would have picked up quite a few more. Can't wait to move to the new house in a few months so I can get the 6' tank and some 40 breeders up and running.
 
panamense are fairly slow growing, I kept a group in a 60 gal for at least a year and they may have lasted another year before needing something larger. They started spawning in the 60 gal at less than 3". The largest size they achieved in my tanks is about 6".


They always hid fry very well in the back, where pics were difficult


 
What I'm reading seems to indicate that their aggression is more conspecific than anything. I've only had them less than 24 hours but they seems to chase each other around just as much as my nanolueteus grow outs. Both groups of fish chase each other alot but I've never seen any actual fighting or aggression leading to injury.
 
I didn't find them to be overly aggressive, I kept them with other non-aggressive cichlids, and live bearers.


In the pic above they are with Cichlasoma dimerus, Stomatepia pindu, and Astatheros longimanus.

In the pic below, add Etroplus canarensus
 
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Interesting. I was going to do a dedicated tank for a pair but maybe they will eventually get a shot in a big tank with some large peaceful fish. They would probably be the smallest in the tank though.
 
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