need info on Vieja synspila

[midasman714]

Don't know much about them but just started to get back into fish keeping and it sparked my interest due to its colors.

I have a 90G and wondering if i can keep a pair in there for life?

also where's the best source to buy them? or if any LFS carries them in/around Orange county CA?

thanks!

 

[Aisle17AorE]

females will kill the male; male will kill the female; young that start gettng any real size will kill and then get killed; the mom will kill the up and coming young as juveniles. at least, that's my direct experience. The word "conspecific" seems to have been made just for them; and they are one of the flowerhorn base species, if not the main one. Behaviour alone points that out, along with a somewhat vegetarian diet.
Exceptions? There are always exeptions. But in term of keeping them as a pair bond for life in a tank, I found that the female in particular after regular behaviour for months would have "kodak" moments when all hell broke loose.
As other threads have observed, the dovii can somtimes be seen to have a strong pair bond, but few other central americans seem to share that characteristic. Interestingly for me, the dovii is a predator, so I'd consider that species and the jaguar or other top of the food chain first for a pair.

 

[Gruff Master]

I don't think that a 90 would be good to house a pair. They grow to over 14". A pair would be too much. I wouldn't advise a Dovii pair in a 90 either.

 

[Aisle17AorE]

The other really weird thing about Synspila is that since their tail is twice the size of a comparable they're so powerful they are really the first "tankbusters" I've ever owned. They don't panic in tight spots the way a lot of fish do but if they're surprised I've heard locally (Vancouver, B.C.) that keepers have had them power through the end of their tank! I believe it.
Down south larger tanks are cheap; we get hosed big time up here. Definitely get the biggest tank you can.

 

[Amphilophus88]

Well I had a Synspilum in a 75 gallon hospital tank for a while, and he wasn't even full grown. He really made that tank look small. So I can't imagine 2 of them in a 90.

 

[buddha1200]

i breed synspilums and in my experience they are pretty mellow(always exceptions,i had a male that was a total mad man)but out of the six i have now three in a 180 and 3 in 125 i have no aggression problems. my pair will gaurd their breeding spot pretty hard but nothing to over the top. my pair has been housed with alot of other fish and i never had a problem. a 90 would be way to small for a pair. The aggressive side of the flower horns comes from the trimac base(in my experience i have never had a mellow trimac all of them are brutal to there tankmates) but as said before there is always an exception to the rule.

 

[ohdannyboy]

i breed synspilums and in my experience they are pretty mellow(always exceptions,i had a male that was a total mad man)but out of the six i have now three in a 180 and 3 in 125 i have no aggression problems. my pair will gaurd their breeding spot pretty hard but nothing to over the top. my pair has been housed with alot of other fish and i never had a problem. a 90 would be way to small for a pair. The aggressive side of the flower horns comes from the trimac base(in my experience i have never had a mellow trimac all of them are brutal to there tankmates) but as said before there is always an exception to the rule.

i agree my breeding pair are the same as this

 

[Noddy]

i had one female at 10" in my 180Gl and it was the meanest fish i ever owned.
She fought my foot long pleco for the zuchinni, bit my silver dollars and bullied my oscar, until the oscar was knocked out cold and got hurt very badly.
the vieja was rehomed, for her behaviour really got me very angry.
Seeing the males even get larger than the females, i think a pair in a 90Gl spells big trouble.
i never want a vieja anymore.
I was fooled by it's "lovely" outward appearance, when it turned out to be a monster.

 

[glenbo]

^ that looks like my 'Biffa' except my Biffa has a bit of a black line through the middle. (mine is only 3")