Is 40 gallon big enough to breed short bodied red texas?

[RustyGrizz]

So i have this pair of short bodied red texas that im wanting to breed. They are currently in my 300 gallon community tank and they are inseparable. The female has laid before but I didn't have the male at the time and the male is a proven breeder, used to breed with a flowerhorn for a person i bought it off of and both fish are 4-5" each. I just acquired a 40 gallon i was going to use as a grow out tank for their fry when they breed in the community tank then i can scoop out the fry. However im wondering if its best just to put the pair in the 40 gallon tank until they breed then just remove them and put them back in the communtiy until the fry are grown out and sold off. TIA

 

[Gourami Swami]

How big are they, 5" or so? 40 seems a bit tight for aggressive fish of that size, I have found that especially once removed from outside competition, males turning their attention towards the female can be deadly especially in tight quarters. If you don't have something a little bigger, I would recommend dividing them with lighting diffuser or similar. Many people spawn cichlids through dividers, and it will keep them from killing each other. Bio-load is another issue, but if you keep and eye on it and are willing to do the required maintenance, it is probably do-able imo.

 

[RustyGrizz]

How big are they,? 40 seems a bit tight for fish of that size, I have found that especially once removed from outside competition, males turning their attention towards the female can be deadly especially in tight quarters. If you don't have something a little bigger, I would recommend dividing them with lighting diffuser or similar. Many people spawn cichlids through dividers, and it will keep them from killing each other. Bio-load is another issue, but if you keep and eye on it and are willing to do the required maintenance, it is probably do-able imo.

They aren't very big only 4 maybe 5 inch.

This is the current setup,(minus the bio ball bags those are just for cycling) I put it next to the sink so water changes/vaccuuming and filter cleanings will be easy and fast. How do you breed through a divider? Just leave them in the tank separated then let the male access the freshly hatched eggs to fert then separate again? I do have extra divider material if the male does turn on the female.

 

[Magnus_Bane]

I would recommend a 55g atleast. It may not be much bigger then a 40g but it is far longer, which would allow them to somewhat separate from each other if need be. I would also recommend adding in either a barrier or place for the female to be able to run away and hide from the male if he gets too aggressive with her. It's important to make certain that only the female can go in and out, otherwise the male may decide to kill her if he so chooses to.

 

[RustyGrizz]

I would recommend a 55g atleast. It may not be much bigger then a 40g but it is far longer, which would allow them to somewhat separate from each other if need be. I would also recommend adding in either a barrier or place for the female to be able to run away and hide from the male if he gets too aggressive with her. It's important to make certain that only the female can go in and out, otherwise the male may decide to kill her if he so chooses to.

So would it be best to let them just spawn in the community then scoop the fry out? Because I'm not sure how to keep a place where only the female could go because they are the exact same size. Aside from a divider and just letting the male in when the female lays eggs?

 

[Magnus_Bane]

So would it be best to let them just spawn in the community then scoop the fry out? Because I'm not sure how to keep a place where only the female could go because they are the exact same size. Aside from a divider and just letting the male in when the female lays eggs?

You could do either or but I would definitely whatch out for any aggression. Personally I would do the later method and just keep em separated till they are ready to breed.

 

[Gourami Swami]

So would it be best to let them just spawn in the community then scoop the fry out? Because I'm not sure how to keep a place where only the female could go because they are the exact same size. Aside from a divider and just letting the male in when the female lays eggs?

It is possible they will breed straight through the divider without needing to put them together.
Or you could leave them in teh 300 and remove the eggs like you said

 

[duanes]

Whether a tank is large enough, may have little to so with short or long body
It is highly questionable that fish are innately self aware (I know highly anthropomorphic) about their size.
I've seen tiny fry guarding females back down interlopers 10 times their own size.
It probably has more to do with what a fish perceives as its territorial requirements. (again the word "perceives" is a bit of a stretch)
In nature an Herichthys carpintus or cyanogutttus might guard quite a large breeding area, perhaps 200gallons.
I have had males kill females soon after spawning in tanks 4 times that size, the size of a 40 breeder.
Not saying it can't happen, but the resulting aggressive hormones produced after spawning might be magnified against one another parent in such a tiny tank.