Multispinosa/Zebrina with discus and angels?

illumnae

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Feb 13, 2011
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Just a quick update, altum season came and I got myself a batch of atabapo baby altums to quarantine and grow out to keep with the discus, multispinosa and eartheaters. Figured that altums when fully grown would look awesome in a 4ft tall tank
 
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illumnae

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Finally I've moved in to my new place and the tank is filling as I'm typing this post. Quite a slow process as I'm using a 200gpd ro unit to fill the tank. Photo of it half filled attached. It looks pretty small, but I can confirm it's a 7 x 3 x 4 ft tank ?

Question on the multispinosa - what's the best way for me to get 2 nice ones in my tank? Should I get 5 and throw them into a grow out tank and let them fight it out till a pair forms? Or 5 straight into the display and hope a pair forms? Or just get any 2 into the display and hope for the best?

FB_IMG_1606577261780.jpg
 
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illumnae

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 13, 2011
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Singapore
Finally I've moved in to my new place and the tank is filling as I'm typing this post. Quite a slow process as I'm using a 200gpd ro unit to fill the tank. Photo of it half filled attached. It looks pretty small, but I can confirm it's a 7 x 3 x 4 ft tank ?

Question on the multispinosa - what's the best way for me to get 2 nice ones in my tank? Should I get 5 and throw them into a grow out tank and let them fight it out till a pair forms? Or 5 straight into the display and hope a pair forms? Or just get any 2 into the display and hope for the best?

View attachment 1441201
Anyone? mrrobxc mrrobxc Goggy Goggy
 
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mrrobxc

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Anyone? mrrobxc mrrobxc Goggy Goggy
Definitely get a group of you can. Five is a good minimum number with decent odds.

awesome setup BTW.
 

illumnae

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 13, 2011
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Singapore
Definitely get a group of you can. Five is a good minimum number with decent odds.

awesome setup BTW.
Thank you very much! So it's ok to go ahead with 5 straight into the tank? I've asked the importer to get me 5 young ones, and they're sourcing for top quality wild discus for me now too. I have altums and Geophagus sveni in quarantine and undergoing deworming; and a few Pseudacanthicus plecos being held for me while the tank is cycling now.

Just need to sort out the auto water change system and I'll be good to go!
 
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Goggy

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Question on the multispinosa - what's the best way for me to get 2 nice ones in my tank? Should I get 5 and throw them into a grow out tank and let them fight it out till a pair forms? Or 5 straight into the display and hope a pair forms? Or just get any 2 into the display and hope for the best?
Great setup. Love the white sand, I think white sand is used far too little in South American setups, even after you consider how many rivers over there naturally have white sand.

However, if you do want a pair, buying a group works best. I usually buy a group of four when I'm trying to end up with a pair of anything.

C. multipinosa is an extremely well-mannered species of pike cichlid. If you can't afford a group, you can just buy two and they will very likely coexist fine, even if they are of opposite gender and fail to pair.

May I ask who is bringing them in? I also want a group haha.
 

illumnae

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Feb 13, 2011
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Singapore
18 months on and a sad update. The discus didn't work out well... they lasted several months but eventually developed some form of skin disease that only affected them and none of the other fish in the tank. The multispinosa got along well with the eartheaters and altums, and even left the cute corydoras alone. Unfortunately the Pseudacanthicus plecos damaged the background with their spines when fighting with each other and so I had to decommission the tank to redo the background (Aquadecor was great and sent me a replacement under warranty since the background wasn't supposed to be damaged by fish). My importer came to help me catch out and hold the fish while the background was being replaced but they are not doing well at their temporary home, already lost a few fish and likely more to come.

I'm now considering a full reboot of the tank and may keep something else in here. My wife wants fancy goldfish while my importer is asking me to try tanganyika cichlids. I just have to figure out water as my awc is set up for 24/7 constant water change using ro water only, so it can't handle fish that aren't built for soft water and low ph
 
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