Festae in a community...?

[Skurj]

Ok I have a 180g and this is the current stock list:

2 striped Raphael - 4"
1 spotted Raphael - 3"
2 bristle nose plecos - 2"
2 Cubans - unsexed - 3.5"
3 paratilapia polleni's - dominant is the boss - 4"
6 red tiger motaguense 2-4"
6 black barred SD's - 5"
1 dension barb - 4"
1 alto comp - African rescue 4"

The original plan is to pull out all of the RTM cept for one female, as yet I haven't been able to sex them. This community has been together for 4 months now.

I have 7 festae in growout now at a decent size that perhaps I can add to the community.

The plan is not to add all the festae to the community but to add 1 or 2.. I do not want a breeding pair in there, I know that won't work.


So... as far as the RTM and the festae go.. what provides my best chances of success? To keep 1 male of each or 1 female of each.. or a different combination? The RTM and the Festae are the highlight fish of my tank, so the final result must maintain at least one of em....

Thoughts?

FTS as of today

 

[duanes]

I have what I call my cichlid utility tank (125gal). It houses a hodgepodge of cichlids that for one reason or another, didn't fit in else where, due to aggression others subjected on them in other tanks.
A shy female festae, a boisterous Paratilapia, Tilapines, some young bocourti all seem to exist in an interesting, fragile truce.


None of these however, are of the volatile personality of Parachromis motaguensus, but you may be lucky, especially if using a female motag, and female festae.
Motags are fairly easy to sex.
Male, note the small spots


female, no spots and typically 1/3 smaller at the same age

 

[Skurj]

Thanks, i'll be looking at those motas now! think I have lots with spots..

 

[Skurj]

Ok here are the 2 largest RTM.. the largest looks like it mebbe a female, the next a male:
Female I think followed by Male and then my 2 Cubans