I'm SO EXCITED

[DMD123]

Congrats, Ive kept a large male in a community setting for many years and he did very well. Liked to gill flare with a red bay snook and would even push his weight around with a big 16" pearsei but not really aggressive, more bark than bite.

He got pretty big and was 10 1/2" when he passed. Quite tall bodied and very colorful. hard to capture that color in pics. The purple and gold was very bright at times.

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Lol my guys are apparently only 1", but the "viejas" grow quick and I'm sure they'll be beautiful rainbow colours in no time! There's a couple cutteri in the tank that will stay put, but will have to figure out a few other smaller fish to add later.

They arrive in one week!

 

[keystonewma]

I have some currently and have kept them in the past. They grow very slow compared to most vieja.

I agree with their reputation as being peaceful by Central American cichlid standards. They are much more easy going than the bifas and the Lago Peten melanurum I currently keep. Both times I kept them they spawned at a small size (about 2.5 to 3"). This time, while I was at work one day, the male shredded the same sized female. I had never seen any aggression between them prior to that day.

I sold some of their spawn, but kept several to try for a replacement female. The male is a little over 4" now, and the offspring are about 10 months old (they are 2.5" to 3"). As DMD says in his post, they are more colorful than they appear in pictures. Lots of orange, purple, and blue hues.

I have sold a few, but I almost can't give them away, even though I have never seen any for sale here in the cultural center of the universe (Oklahoma). Around here Africans are the only cichlids that garner much attention.

Good luck and keep us posted on your fish!

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it - especially since it's so hard to find anything on them online. Slow growing is okay, gives me more time before they need to go into the 8ft so I can sort out what I'm doing with the fish that are in it currently. I'm aiming for a pair just because I like the relationship and behaviour of watching parents raise fry - any fry they produce will be left in the tank to get culled by tank mates, and any that survive that will just get culled by me. No disillusions of rehoming them, it would be impossible here!