Mix & Match...Large tanks=Large cichlids=Large problems

[terrors r us]

Hi, I was going to build one monster tank but due to certain issues I have to
build three large tanks instead.

Tank 1 = 700 gal Tank 2 = 500 gal Tank 3 = 240 gal


SPECIES: festae...odo...jag...umbi...fenestratus...bifaciatum...midas...

cuban...trimac...buterkofrie...labiatus...carpinte...motaguense.


each species will be introduced at the same time when small, say 6 of each
then weed out.....
In your opinion which species would go with which species in which tank
to have the best chance of survival????? Thanks....
Please use only the species from the list.....:

Example; Tank 1 = Festae , odo , carpinte , Trimac , labiatus
Tank 2 = umbi , jag , moto, etc
Tank 3 = etc , etc

 

[thefishguy7]

Tank 1: umbie, jag, midas, buttikoferi, trimac (Be careful with mixing the umbie, it could spell trouble)
Tank 2: bifaciatum, labiatus, odo (this is nandopsis haitiensis correct??), fenestratus (now my favorite vieja/paratheraps)
Tank 3: moto, carpintis, festae, cuban

I tried putting the most aggressive/largest in the 700. Didn't put the labiatus in though because they are too similar to midas. The 500 got smaller, less aggressive cichlids. I'd put male festae in the larger tanks and keep the females in the 240. Again, a 24" male umbie can spell trouble to the smaller cichlids...(I've never kept an umbie before, so maybe someone more experienced with them can chime in)

Hope this helps...

Also, are you planning on having breeding pairs in the tanks? With groups of 6, I guarantee pairs will emerge. That might be okay seeing the large size of your tanks, but I wouldn't do it if you don't want to risk it...having pairs from the same line is bad anyway...

 

[pdbrady]

^ I agree with all. You may end up moving the umbie to a tank by itself and split those fish in with the others.

 

[FSM]

Maybe give King Umbee the 500 to himself.

 

[---XR---]

Hi, I was going to build one monster tank but due to certain issues I have to
build three large tanks instead.

your going to be looking at problems with aggresion anyway you swing these tanks. (all fish are different with different temperments) just like people.

i'll try to give you the best advice i can to help you keep these species with minimal casulties.

Tank 1- if the umbee is male give him the 240 to himself, if your going to want multiple umbees (6) make sure there female, you can mix them with other cichlids.

the 500 and 700's are a throw up being that it's impossible to know how the cichlids will react with eachother until you can experiment with them cohabing. i'll say this- keep some larger dither fish in the tank, this may rule out some of the aggresion. a faster, more active larger fish like tinfoil barbs would work. (and make sure there are NO breeding pairs of anything in those tanks. i'd also take butti's off the list. and keep one male umbee alone.

 

[WildCAught]

The gallon capacity is important in determining the compatibility but not as important as the basic footprint of the tank. What are the dimensions gonna be? You can get away with a lot more in a 12 foot 500 gallon that isn't as high versus a tall 500... obviously a 12 footer is hard to accomodate but you get the picture.

as for stocking, I agree with thefishguy7's stocking suggestion as well as the possibility of fish pairing up.

 

[thefishguy7]

your going to be looking at problems with aggresion anyway you swing these tanks. (all fish are different with different temperments) just like people.

i'll try to give you the best advice i can to help you keep these species with minimal casulties.

Tank 1- if the umbee is male give him the 240 to himself, if your going to want multiple umbees (6) make sure there female, you can mix them with other cichlids.

the 500 and 700's are a throw up being that it's impossible to know how the cichlids will react with eachother until you can experiment with them cohabing. i'll say this- keep some larger dither fish in the tank, this may rule out some of the aggresion. a faster, more active larger fish like tinfoil barbs would work. (and make sure there are NO breeding pairs of anything in those tanks. i'd also take butti's off the list. and keep one male umbee alone.

x2, but, a 240 is nowhere near large enough to accommodate a male umbie for life. As FSM said, it might be a good idea to give him the 500 all to himself. In groups of 6, you can keep the least aggressive, but unfortunately, they are usually much weaker and don't look as good. I think the butti should come off too.

The gallon capacity is important in determining the compatibility but not as important as the basic footprint of the tank. What are the dimensions gonna be? You can get away with a lot more in a 12 foot 500 gallon that isn't as high versus a tall 500... obviously a 12 footer is hard to accomodate but you get the picture.

as for stocking, I agree with thefishguy7's stocking suggestion as well as the possibility of fish pairing up.

x2- Footprint is very important, especially length. I'd go as long as possible, but maintain a 2-4' width so the fish don't have trouble turning around. Height is basically useless, besides for the look, I'd recommend no more than a 3' height.

 

[---XR---]

double

 

[---XR---]

x2, but, a 240 is nowhere near large enough to accommodate a male umbie for life. As FSM said, it might be a good idea to give him the 500 all to himself. In groups of 6, you can keep the least aggressive, but unfortunately, they are usually much weaker and don't look as good. I think the butti should come off too.

1. how large do male umbriferium grow, from what i've read 24" and from what i've seen 22-24". 1 male umbee at 22"-24" in a 8'x2'x2' tank is not horribly wrong IMO. as always bigger the better.

2. i have never noticed weaker and less aggresive fish to be less attractive. the ones that are more aggresive get more battle wounds from other fish, so ripped fins and etc doesn't look all that pretty. but being more aggresive does not have any effect on colors and features.

 

[thefishguy7]

1. how large do male umbriferium grow, from what i've read 24" and from what i've seen 22-24". 1 male umbee at 22"-24" in a 8'x2'x2' tank is not horribly wrong IMO. as always bigger the better.

2. i have never noticed weaker and less aggresive fish to be less attractive. the ones that are more aggresive get more battle wounds from other fish, so ripped fins and etc doesn't look all that pretty. but being more aggresive does not have any effect on colors and features.

1.) Umbies are open water predators and require much more space than an average 20" cichlid would need. Of course, you can keep it in a 240, but that's like never letting a race horse run.

2.) I'm speaking generally. In my experience, the weakest fish in a batch of grow outs is always less colorful than the dominant fish. Yes, the more aggressive fish have more wounds, but say they were to live in a tank by them self, the strong, aggressive ones usually look better. Also, weak fish sometimes end up with deformities from loosing fights, etc... Of course, there are exceptions to this.