Earth eaters for a 55 gallon?
- Thread starter wattfish16
- Start date
The Wetspot in Oregon has 1" juveniles for $8 each, plus shipping. Imperial Tropicals (listed as Showfishing on Aquabid) has 5 @ 2" for $60, with free shipping. Not sure about prices in local fish stores, but $10-12 would be ballpark I think.
My lfs just quoted me at 25 a piece but didn't give me a size and could only get 2 from his supplier.
Mine came from Imperial Tropicals. Couldn't be happier. All arrived alive and happy in April of 2014.
$25 a piece is a STEAL if they're actually a pair. Problem is, unless it's a pair, that's a little steep.
How old before you can distinguish the sexes apart? So when I do look at them I can tell before I buy.
Personally, I'd go the Imperial Tropicals route over your LFS given the price and the constraints on what they can tell you. Besides, if you want a breeding pair then you are better off getting a small group and letting them pair naturally. Mature males become a bit more colorful than females, and they have a steeper head profile and longer fin trailers. However, it would be very difficult if not impossible to accurately sex small individuals with certainty.
Basically what Fug said. Hell, I don't know which of mine is male or female to be honest. I just know they're a pair because they definitely hang together in the same "hole" under a branch while the other 3 stay away. It's pretty obvious. If I took a pic of the full tank now you'd see the two basically cheek to cheek and the others COMPLETELY opposite on the other side of the tank.
The male, come time to breed, will develop sort of a hump (usually). The female does not. Both will color up and both can have longish tail streamers. At least that's what people tell me! haha
