Need Umbie advise

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C

Cakilla

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 2, 2009
1,953
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Illinois
I have wanted an Umbie for some time now and have chances to buy some really nice ones but have always passed on it because I knew I did not have the available space... However back in October (for my B-Day) My Wife bought me a 360 gallon tank its 100" x 30 x 29 ( I do know eventually I will have to upgrade) but how long do you think that this tank will last a pair of umbie? BTW I am going to buy the umbie most likely as young 1" fry and plan on buying 6 I am hoping to get a pair and after the pair has "paired off" sell the rest or possibly might get more then one pair out of 6...

I want to know if fed properly, correct temp, water params, what kind of growth can I expect per month ( or how big can I expect them to be in a years time )

I also have seen and read about umbie being kept with other cichlids that are the same size as juvies but have been told that once around the 6 - 7 inch mark the males tend to start getting really agro... I plan on raising the fry in a 50 gallon for a few months just to make sure they are all eating and all are nice and healthy and get some size to them then move them into the 360.


For feeding I plan on using a pretty wide variety of foods, such as a quality flake as fry possibly some small ( gut loaded ) crickets, black worms, beefheart, cut up baby shrimp , krill.
Once large enough then include frozen silversides, crayfish, shrimp, tilapia fillet, maybe the occasional feeder ( that I raise myself mollies, swordtails, guppies.... I got to get rid of some fo these guys they are over populating quick!! LOL)

I can no0t post any pics of the tank yet but I do plan on picking up a cheap digital cam soon and soon as I do I will post some pics.

The 360 isn't up and going yet but it will be soon but I have some time I will not get the umbie for another month or two , I have tons of old filters that I am going to use to jump start the cycling process

Thanks in adavance for all the info :popcorn:
 
I also forgot to mention that I will be feeding quality pellets as well such as hikari, massivore, cichlid sticks....

I am really looking forward to any advise or suggestions from anyone who knows about Umbie .... please feel free to comment or make a suggestion .... the bottom line I just want to get all the info I can to provide the best possible care for these fish.
 
Sounds as if you have a good handle on it, My 2 cents is make sure you do 60% water changes weekly , they love fresh water, I think all cichlids do, but umbies really need fresh water, and they can def. be kept in comm. but be careful with tank mates but they are really not aggres. at smaller sizes. In my experience they do not grow any where as fast as I would have expected them to. But then again I never kept them as solitary fish. Good luck
 
Welcome to the world of Umbees...truly my favorite fish...total package for sure :headbang2

Honestly, a 360 will last you a good amount of time to house 1 pair of Umbee and some may even say it's good enough for life...to each his own. Of course, it's always nice to go bigger but I think 360 will be fine for now and a pair should thrive in there for a while. Umbees grow quick and have been some of the fastest fish I've seen grow especially when they go in your 360. To put growth in perspective, the smallest I've started with have been 3" or so and within a matter of 7 months or so, I've seen it grow to 8" before I ended up selling her. Unfortunately, majority of the Umbees I've kept ended up being female and so I lack the experience of growing out males but I'm sure it's still the same expectations. Also, I've never kept Umbees with other fishes other than their own kind as I know they eventually become ruthless to other fishes in the tank even non-cichlid species. But I know some can get away with it at smaller sizes.

From my experience, Umbees will eat anything and are not known to be picky eaters even some of the F0 I've kept. I think you have the right mind set in terms of feeding them variety of food. The ones from the wild I find to be more beggars so it's easy to get caught up and overfeed which is what you don't want to do.

Anyways, good luck with them and keep us posted with pictures and updates. I know that there are a ton of more experienced Umbee keepers than me who can shed much more useful information. I am just giving you my experience with them.
 
Thanks so much for the advise!!!

I am super stoked about finally being able to house them properly!

I am planning on upgrading the 360 in a couple years , I am in the planning stages of
a fure build atm ( in college right now and after I get my degree, I am most likely going to have to move so don't want to build a huge tank and leave it behind...)

by buying 6 I think I should have a decent shot of getting a pair or should I try to buy more just in case?

There has always just been something so special to me about seeing a big male umbie that is well taken care of and colored up nicely... granted I like numerous other kinds of cichlids however just none compare to umbie to me ...

Looking forward to more responces Please
 
Personally I don't think you will ever need to upgrade. You might need to keep a divider handy.

Umbees have a pretty normal growth rate. Usually 0.5"-0.75" a month. Some will grow faster, some will grow slower. It will take some time to get them from 1" to adults. They can start breeding around 8". Smaller for some and larger for others it will just depend. They are fairly aggressive but from my experience not nearly as tough as they are given credit for. They are very aggressive to other umbees and can be very rough on females so that is the main concern. I would grow them out by themselves. I have had issues with similiar sized CA's picking on them when they are small. Just remember that an adult umbee can kill a mate or tankmate very quickly. They are strong fast fish with large teeth that can do some real damage.
 
I will for sure keep a divider for sure! I would hate for anything to happen to any of them...

The only stock I have right now besides the mollies, swordtaills guppies , are I have a albino tiger oscar and a young 4 inch red oscar, 2 JD's , a sengal birchir that is only 4 inches, a channel catfish and they are all spilt up in different tanks and a pond

I will keep the umbee seperated from evryone and going to use the 360 as my main showcase with nothing but umbee in it maybe some dithers like clownloaches or SD's just something to try to keep the agression down to a minimum.
 
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