L14 pair

[Charney]

So I have a healthy 11 inch female sunshine in my 75g and my 12 inch male who is in "quarantine" and still be nursed back to good health in my 90g. My 90g was a beautiful planted tank, but the male took care of that problem and destroyed it as expected. Once healthy I want to get him out of there (then I can use the tank to grow out my small sunshines). I do intend on trying to spawn the pair eventually but not going to "actively try" to make it happen for another year or two. I need some input on how to best keep these two in the mean time. My options are:

1)keep the female in her 75g with two 6-7 inch pairs of thin bar silver dollars, a 5 inch TAFT, a three inch syndo decorus, and a mild manner green terror. I would move the male to the 125g with six 4 to 7 inch mixed silver dollars (regular and wide bar)shoal, 11 inch odeo pike, 6 inch syndo feather fin, 7 inch vieja fenestratum (don't think he will cause a problem but if so he is gone) and 8 inch or so polypterus delhezi and palmas buettikoferi.

2) put the pair into the 125g together and move out the polypterus to the 75g

3) put the pair in the 75g with tons of drift woods and large breeding caves for hides and move out the silver dollars and green terror. I would move my four inch panda uarus in with them though.

4) all bad ideas

If i can get them into the 75 away from the silver dollars I can feed them more then once a day, with the SDs it is very hard to get food to them during the day time.

thanks for the input

 

[UnstoppableJayD]

125

 

[Recumbent]

125G. The larger they are before they are kept together, the greater the chance of losses when you do. I lost 2 of my 7 (10" - 12" L14) in the first few months together in a 300G. The remaining 5 have been fine together for at least 2 years. They are now in a 180G with 3 L27 and 7 roseline barbs.

 

[Charney]

Jay I thought you were going to recommend getting a 180 g

Recumbent
recumbent how do you have your tank set up? i was just going to cover the bottom in drift wood, breeding caves, and large flower pot saucers. Also how often do you feed your adults. Right now I can only feed my big guy once a day with the silver dollars around. If I put food in the tank during day light hours they have not chance of getting to them or having them keep it. My two that are between 4 and 7 inches I feed once to twice daily. My two babies I feed three times daily.

 

[Recumbent]

I only feed mine once a day after they get to about 10". They stay plenty fat on just NLS Thera and spirulina pellets. They are in a BB tank with large pieces of driftwood and 2 large caves (5" X14").

 

[RD.]

I agree with the others, the 125 is the best way to go. My buddy has 5 adults in his 350 and while they are all territorial at times, especially his 12" male, they have now been together for over a year, some of them for 3-4 years with no serious aggression issues. To his mix I just added my 8-9" female (shown below) which has always been a she-devil in my tanks, and couldn't seem to get along with anything, even in a 6ft 125 gallon. In my 90 gallon she killed smaller fish just for fun. In the last 6 months she took out a pair of german rams, and approx 10 corydora, and sliced the dorsal of my severum. I finally had enough, beautiful fish, but she'll do better in my friends larger tank with larger more aggro fish. As far as feeding, fed once a day with NLS for the past 3 or 4 years.