Hey guys...I will be upgrading my tank (55g) to a new 180g within the next few weeks. My current tank stock has been together for almost 2 years and are well grown. With the new tank I will obviously be able to add new fish. My new 180 will have plenty of rocks for hiding, but my question is should I just add the new juvi's in or would it be more beneficial for the new fish to setup a growout tank. I really do not want to setup an additional tank if it can be avoided. Any experiences would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Do I need to put new smaller fish in a growout?
- Thread starter Juice79
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I've had way more success adding smaller fish in with larger fish. When I add fish that are the same size or larger I tend to have way more fighting. If new/old fish are all being added at once I don't see a problem at all with adding smaller fish.
At 2 years old I'm guessing your fish are full grown and you're not going to find bigger fish. Only fish that are the same size which can lead to more fighting IMO.
At 2 years old I'm guessing your fish are full grown and you're not going to find bigger fish. Only fish that are the same size which can lead to more fighting IMO.
Eh they'll still grow fine in with the other fish. But if you want them to grow faster then yes you'll need to set up a grow out, feed more and do more water changes. I'm not sure if the faster growth would really be worth setting up another tank though.
I have not had good results putting larger fish in with other mbuna if that is what you have. Introduce the smaller fish into the tank first and let them stake out the place for a few days before adding the rest of the stock.
Either that or add them all at once. If you let them grow out and then introduce them they will have to earn their place in the tank, these fish are smart and do not like newcomers. A few toes will likely get stepped on in the process.
Either that or add them all at once. If you let them grow out and then introduce them they will have to earn their place in the tank, these fish are smart and do not like newcomers. A few toes will likely get stepped on in the process.
I've had both success and failure with adding juvies with adults, some survived - some where eaten. I would prefer to go with the growout tank as i've had better survivability with introducing larger fish however I've had larger fish murdered as well.
At least with a second tank theres a place to go with the fish if things go south after introduction.
At least with a second tank theres a place to go with the fish if things go south after introduction.