Need some advice

[Blakewater]

1.5 years huh? Lol... i guess “doing your research” is better than owning all the species to adulthood multiple times like I have right? Or being able to grow them all to 14-16” in the first year? Oh wait that’s not possible according to “your research” right? If it was anyone else with validity responding I would’ve let it go tbh. Like I said youve been blabbing dumb **** all over so it was pat due. Enjoy all your “wild caught cichla” and continue to spread false info from your 4 months of keeping cichla and countless years of surfing the web for answers.

4x 14” bass in a 6x2 and then being upgraded? Doesn’t sound too bad compared to a lot of what I see outside of this site. I’ll continue to do exactly what I’ve been doing and you can continue tilting in your chair being a “keyboard hero” because at the end of the day, I take care of my fish and I treat people decently. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve already received a few messages telling me how full of it you are so I’m ganna take their advice and just call it an agreed to disagree situation because frankly you sound old and stuck in your ways, you aren’t about to calm down now so I hope you have a great Christmas and I hope you enjoy lurking over everything else I post ?

 

[tcav88]

4x 14” bass in a 6x2 and then being upgraded? Doesn’t sound too bad compared to a lot of what I see outside of this site. I’ll continue to do exactly what I’ve been doing and you can continue tilting in your chair being a “keyboard hero” because at the end of the day, I take care of my fish and I treat people decently. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve already received a few messages telling me how full of it you are so I’m ganna take their advice and just call it an agreed to disagree situation because frankly you sound old and stuck in your ways, you aren’t about to calm down now so I hope you have a great Christmas and I hope you enjoy lurking over everything else I post ?

full of what? I have pics and videos of everything

 

[mrrobxc]

To the Op, to answer your question, your tank is too small for bass long term. If you plan on selling them when they hit the 12” mark, than get whatever tickles your fancy. Even a 180 is too small for even the smallest species which are Kelberi.

Also, to chime in, orinos are the slowest growing, so you’ll have a good amount of time with them before they out grow your tank. About a year of you buy them small.

tcav88 is one of the Cichla experts on this site and someone I consider a friend. Blakewater is also an active contributor. Let’s let the beef go. Would hate to see two guys who add value to MFK get banned over an argument.

 

[mrrobxc]

To the op, the three Kelberi I have were grown out in a 180 with the same footprint as your tank. They were the only fish in the tank and grew to a good 14” or so. It was hell for the keeper as the Water would turn foul quickly despite large weekly water changes and 2 FX6’s.

If you want to really try and make it work for over a year, source a small group of Kelberi and thin down to the best looking pair as they grow. Who knows, you may decide to upgrade as they grow since they look the best once they hit maturity and all the colors pop.

Just stay away from the beasts. Temensis, Pinima, Mono, Azul, Vazzoleri all grow very large. Stick to Kelberi, Intermedia, or Orino. They stay at at or smaller than 24”.

 

[cigars]

, I stay away from conflict at all time! But I will say this sometimes I read some members responses and just shake my head laugh and say WHAT?!. I have been a long time Cichla keeper I know how to keep them alive and healthy not big on knowing all the collection points or any other vital info I’m terrible I know... but I share and give advice to the best of my ability and experience I also try to be respectful to everyone. The Cichla section is slow and the more activity the better for everyone, Good solid advice was given here by some OG’s! Good luck to op in his endeavors in Cichla keeping

 

[mrrobxc]

Bass grow fast until they hit the 12-14” mark then they drastically slow down. They are ambush predators so don’t need loads of room to swim around and just happily sit around waiting for food. I grew 6 on to 12” in a 6x2 with no issues other than the temensis needed moving on as she outgrew the other bass far to quickly. I’ve kept bass on and off for 8-9 years now so I’d like to think I know a little about the species.... all my fish now are male so I don’t need to worry about breeding. They do have a pecking order but nothing serious. The slowest growing of my current group is the xingu .... hope that helps.

I wouldn’t go with this advice op. Bass do not slow there growth dramatically at 12”. Might be because six were kept in a 180. 2 max in a 180 with the smaller species only and that would be pushing it for your water change schedule and the ability th of your filters to hold up effectively.

 

[mrrobxc]

, I stay away from conflict at all time! But I will say this sometimes I read some members responses and just shake my head laugh and say WHAT?!. I have been a long time Cichla keeper I know how to keep them alive and healthy not big on knowing all the collection points or any other vital info I’m terrible I know... but I share and give advice to the best of my ability and experience I also try to be respectful to everyone. The Cichla section is slow and the more activity the better for everyone, Good solid advice was given here by some OG’s! Good luck to op in his endeavors in Cichla keeping

You are most definitely one of the OG’s. Learned a lot reading your posts when I was getting serious with bass.

 

[Jayc]

I wouldn’t go with this advice op. Bass do not slow there growth dramatically at 12”. Might be because six were kept in a 180. 2 max in a 180 with the smaller species only and that would be pushing it for your water change schedule and the ability th of your filters to hold up effectively.

So don’t use this advice ....
I raised 6 Cichla from 2”-3” to 12” plus in under 12 months in a 180!
Never had nitrates over 30ppm never had nitrite or ammonia crashes!
I fed twice daily 6 days a week with a mixture of Hikari pellets and prawns/muscles!
Ran 2 fx6s full to capacity with biohome ultimate!
Carried out 2-3 50% water changes weekly!
I’ve now moved them to a 300 and feed them once daily which has slowed their growth a little compared to power feeding them!

I’ve kept 10 different species of bass over the years and all slowed in growth apart from the tem once they hit 12-14”! I’m not saying they stop growing but they do slow down!!

This is my experience and IMO works .... the 300 they are in now has nitrates less then 10 ppm the fish are healthy and growing well at a steady rate.

Once the fish hit 18” they will be moved to a 600

Everybody has different experiences dependant on routine, filtration, feeding etc

 

[mrrobxc]

So it’s a grow out tank with 2-3 water changes a week. Probably bare as well if that’s the case. Also, 30PPM nitrate is pretty darn high.

Keep in mind the OP wants this to be a permanent display . Not a grow out. Also, you’ll be moving them to a 300 and then a 600.

I think you and I agree on the same thing. His tank will not work as a permanent display for the life of the fish. No argument here. He will need a bigger tank or keep only a pair of the smallest species with lots of maintenance required to keep them healthy.

 

[Jayc]

So it’s a grow out tank with 2-3 water changes a week. Probably bare as well if that’s the case. Also, 30PPM nitrate is pretty darn high.

Keep in mind the OP wants this to be a permanent display . Not a grow out. Also, you’ll be moving them to a 300 and then a 600.

I think you and I agree on the same thing. His tank will not work as a permanent display for the life of the fish. No argument here. He will need a bigger tank or keep only a pair of the smallest species with lots of maintenance required to keep them healthy.

Taken from the original thread post:

“ I know that they get pretty big and this tank is no suitable for life , but for year or two”

He has not asked about keeping them permanently in the tank. Yes, he will definitely need to upgrade but a 180 is definitely doable for a year or so ... also if he only feeds once a day this would also slow the growth rate of the fish.

I do agree a pair could be kept long term as long as the correct maintenance regime was put in place ...