Large farmies

[Chub_by]

Rare visit of Mine to the cichla section.. lol
So does anybody here have large farmed cichla hybrids? Like 12"+? It seems like all the people get into cichla with these then give them away in favour of kelberis etc., and then they're never heard of again..

 

[heatherbeast]

Yes, I have kept a few of my farmies to the bitter end. My first was a princess that wouldn't anything except frozen smelt (I got her big, already 8") and spawned a few times before dying from nutrient deficiency -- she was about 15".



I currently have a weirdo azul/mono cross that is a lot of fun and tolerates me BOOPing him on the hump -- and he's close to 14".


My guess about why you don't see them after that first fish or two is that people would rather spend the time collecting other, harder to get species since they have already invested the tankspace in the fish. Also, if you don't know the source of your farmies, they often grow up to have really disappointing, muddy colors (which prompted me to sell several of my others went once they got to about the 12" size -- they are fun to growout). I lucked out with my first being a looker since she favored mono so much.

 

[Chub_by]

The first one is amazing and the second is pretty impressive, too! I agree that they can look drab when compared to kelberi for instance, but yours Show that some are really nice.