I've been keeping Festae on n off for over 30 years since I was a kid - even got asked to write an article in Britians top Aquarist magazine in the 1980s about care of this species So yes I think I have a bit my experience of this species than most....
So in my opinion they aren't the most aggressive cichlids out there... yes they can be killers (but so can a Ram or a Firemouth)... in the grand scheme of things, though, they are pussy cats... That's why its safer to keep them in their own species tank. Yes you do get rogues and you do get teddy bears and they're certainly not best suited for mixing with Blue Acaras, but if you have a busy tank with lots of scope for hiding places and security (Festae love squashing into tight dark spaces) you can keep a fair few specimens at relatively close quarters, as proven with my set up. This way they show their breeding dress regularly and warning displays can be a real spectacle - who wants a boring tank where nothing happens. You're creating an interactive environment which fish enjoy aswell as their owners.
On that note it is my belief that fish keep together in a great stimulated place show their best colours.... This is the father of my current male .
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Heres the two females I have in a different tank when they were just 5"
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These cichlids are design to compete and it usually works best to have a tank with one male and two or three females... Two males could spell disaster.
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