Thanks guys for the help. What else should I add to cut down on the aggression? It's not written in stone about the green terror, I do have other places that I can make it work, I just figured that they both grow slow, when compared to other cichlids, so they would be ok together. Any other non-cichlid tankmates?
First Festae questions
- Thread starter Brazzen1
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Thanks guys for the help. What else should I add to cut down on the aggression? It's not written in stone about the green terror, I do have other places that I can make it work, I just figured that they both grow slow, when compared to other cichlids, so they would be ok together. Any other non-cichlid tankmates?
You could add more festae or rivulatus, which would help spread out aggression so no one gets it worse than anyone else. You could also add a much larger cichlid that isn't aggressive, but won't take any crap from them. Something like an oscar or large earth eater (Satanoperca or large Geo) should do well.
Non-cichlid tankmates usually are left alone unless they are bite sized or threatening eggs. A catfish that grows to 8-10" could be added, but won't likely do anything to reduce aggression.
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If you do have larger systems available, try a group of like sized fish and see how it goes. We have 5 Festae growing out in a 75 and there is very little fighting..... For now.
Lotsa cover and or site breaks help a lot as well. Wood, rocks, plants, pvc. Anything that any bullied fish can hide behind or in.
But, as with all cichlids that grow a foot or more, nothing last forever even in large systems, so be ready to separate troublesome fish as you go.
I've grown out Festae with quite a few other species in the right setup.
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Lotsa cover and or site breaks help a lot as well. Wood, rocks, plants, pvc. Anything that any bullied fish can hide behind or in.
But, as with all cichlids that grow a foot or more, nothing last forever even in large systems, so be ready to separate troublesome fish as you go.
I've grown out Festae with quite a few other species in the right setup.
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I was considering a larger cichlid but I was worried about the growth. Most of the oscars that my store sales are averaging an 1"+ per month. What about target/dithers, the catfish that I was thinking might out grow them to.
I was considering a larger cichlid but I was worried about the growth. Most of the oscars that my store sales are averaging an 1"+ per month. What about target/dithers, the catfish that I was thinking might out grow them to.
I have picked Jc119's brain quite a bit on the subject of festae and one of the things he has told me multiple times is that other cichlids make the best target/dither fish when dealing with large, aggressive cichlids. Having a small group of smaller, faster, hardy cichlids that outnumber the larger cichlids in combination with plenty of hiding spots for those smaller cichlids can go a long way to keep larger cichlids from beating the snot out of each other. Some of the tougher members of the Cryptoheros genus help a lot here. Panamensis, convicts, and sajica are some of the toughest members.
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I have picked Jc119's brain quite a bit on the subject of festae and one of the things he has told me multiple times is that other cichlids make the best target/dither fish when dealing with large, aggressive cichlids. Having a small group of smaller, faster, hardy cichlids that outnumber the larger cichlids in combination with plenty of hiding spots for those smaller cichlids can go a long way to keep larger cichlids from beating the snot out of each other. Some of the tougher members of the Cryptoheros genus help a lot here. Panamensis, convicts, and sajica are some of the toughest members.
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True to a point. We had to recently move our huge Trimac out of the 125 because the cutteri spawned and they started shredding the big boys tail fin.
Kinda crazy seeing 2-3" cichlids owning a 12" known killer. But they do work up until they spawn then you just have monitor things.
Growth rate is also a consideration as Festae growth relatively slowly so be careful with faster growers like oscars. Not saying it can't work just that in the early going an oscar may stress the Festae out. Later on, the oscar will be too passive but early it could pose a problem.
Best advice is try things out but be quick with the net if things aren't going well. All combinations "can" work, just never a guarantee for how long.
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How about clown loaches and a larger angel?
The angel would die, but the loaches would be okay. Just make sure you get 3-4" loaches because they are incredibly slow growers. Even the festae would outpace them in growth, which could be a problem for the loaches later on. And those loaches get to be 16", so they take up a lot of space on your tank's bio load.
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