PBass introductions

[Nick660]

Need some advice please.

I'd like some opinions on when it should be safe to move my tems from their grow-out tank into my main display tank.

Tems are 8" but still haven't got much girth yet.
They will be going in with :-
15" c. pinima
13" c. pinima
11" p. motoro
10" p. motoro

Here are the pics!

 

[voss345]

id say when they hit a foot at least depends on how much the bigger bass grow in that time span
real nice pinimas by the way

 

[mjuniorc]

nice pbass brotha... very nice... dont forget to keep us posted...

 

[cichlid savage]

I'd say let them gain some girth or they will be lunch. It's amazing what a fish can get in his/her mouth when motivated.

 

[DIESELMACK]

those pinima look great They would probably be OK,but I would let them gain some size..I have had smaller cichla do fine when mixed,BUT have also had bigger cichla grab them in seconds...even cichla of same size...best thing to do when you feel your ready to give it a go is add some tall temp cover plants and feed the pinima alot just before adding the new guys..reason being is its harder for them to take in a large fish or do very much when they have a full belly, so this would cut the initial risk way down....the plants will give refuge in case they decide to put the hammer down on the new guys(which will happen to some extent as they are entering an established territory)but cichla aggression is pretty much acceptable as long as they arent tearing the other fish up..ie expect chasing and nipping..but take measures if they are getting the $hit beat out of them and not retreating to cover as eventually the could possibly do fatal harm. I think you will be fine,but again do the feed before adding them...them observe how they are acting closely for the first 48hrs...if there are no issues within 2hrs they should be good,but still watch them.

 

[Nick660]

Thanks for all your comments.
Dieselmack, really helpful info

I think I'll leave it a few more months, if possible, before I try introducing them. It was just that they are getting really skittish lately and starting to knock themselves about in their current tank.
My pbass are not used to getting live food so hopefully that'll make them a little less likely to strike, especially if their stomachs are full.
I've got 3 tems and I was considering just putting one in to start with to see what happens, but now I'm thinking it may be better to move them all at the same time so any initial aggression will be shared out between them.

 

[DIESELMACK]

Thanks for all your comments.
Dieselmack, really helpful info

I think I'll leave it a few more months, if possible, before I try introducing them. It was just that they are getting really skittish lately and starting to knock themselves about in their current tank.
My pbass are not used to getting live food so hopefully that'll make them a little less likely to strike, especially if their stomachs are full.
I've got 3 tems and I was considering just putting one in to start with to see what happens, but now I'm thinking it may be better to move them all at the same time so any initial aggression will be shared out between them.

definately move them together as a group so everything is evenly distributed and not one will be singled out...if you put one in he will be the hot target for all the current cichla in that tank

 

[Nick660]

definately move them together as a group so everything is evenly distributed and not one will be singled out...if you put one in he will be the hot target for all the current cichla in that tank

Cheers. I'll follow the plan and post the outcome....

.....which of course will be when I've built up the courage to go for it

 

[blacktip]

Like dmack said, I'd wait until they were a little bi bigger. If you could get the tems closer to 10" without the pinimas getting too much bigger at the same time, then I think that would be much better off. Pbass start putting on a lot more bulk around that size and that would certainly make it a more comfortable move for you.

EDIT: BTW I love your pinimas. They are quickly becoming one of my favorite pbass.

 

[Nick660]

Like dmack said, I'd wait until they were a little bi bigger. If you could get the tems closer to 10" without the pinimas getting too much bigger at the same time, then I think that would be much better off. Pbass start putting on a lot more bulk around that size and that would certainly make it a more comfortable move for you.

Yep, I'm going to hold out as long as I can to try to get a bit more weight on the tems. I'm hoping the growth rate of the pinimas will slow a bit now they're well over a foot long. I think the main deciding factor for me will be when the tems start to get too uncomfortable in their grow-out tank. Lately they seem to be getting more and more skittish and go nuts whenever I approach the tank. They've got cover in there but only one tankmate - a big syno - it's not really practical to put any adequately sized dithers in with them unfortunately

EDIT: BTW I love your pinimas. They are quickly becoming one of my favorite pbass.

Cheers, I'm really happy with them. Their temperament seems pretty good too, fairly easy going and no significant aggression towards each other or their tankmates. Just hope it stays that way!