Peacock Bass/75 Gallon

[superleggera123]

Like everyone said.. avoid cichla all together.. agree with jose ( jcardona1) that a 75 is not enough FOR any specie of cichla.. not even a 125 is..
the fact is.. ALL cichla have the potential to reach a minimum of 2+ft.
But length is not the only thing.. you could fit a 3ft lungfish in a 75 for life.. CICHLA are big bodied fish.. i.e Very muscular therefore.. anything less then a 300g is torture for an adult cichla

 

[JayAllure]

There is only 1 tilapia butikoferi. Just like with cichla ocellaris individual fish can vary in appearance depending where they come from.

There is a pet store in somerset nj called pets pets pets on JFK Blvd. that gets butikoferi often. They look like dead ringers for what you saw in the photos. The butikoferi are approx. 2 inches but have the dark black body with the yellow stripes.

The owner is a real cool guy so maybe he can order what you want.

Well, I found 1 lol believe it or not my local Monster Pet had several, I'm very happy with him so far. He loves to hide in my tree stump decor and pop his head out now & then. Thanks for your help, below are some photos of him

 

[tigeroscarsaresweet]

i would put 3 pbass and maybe a florida gar i have a florida and he is realy cool and he will hold is ground if the pbass mess with him i think anymore then 3 adult pbass in a 75 is over crouded

 

[jworth]

i would put 3 pbass and maybe a florida gar i have a florida and he is realy cool and he will hold is ground if the pbass mess with him i think anymore then 3 adult pbass in a 75 is over crouded

thats terrible advice. A 75 gallon is too small for fish that will reach more than two feet potentially. Gar are also more skittish and not great tank mates for bass especially in a small tank and a gar should never be kept in anything less than a 125 with a 180 being much more preferable. Pbass should really never be kept in anything less than a 180 and if you have seen an adult peacock bass you would know that is not even enough.

 

[BigUmbeeFan]

Nice buttikoferi Jay...Looks like quality speciman. When it gets bigger it will charge the glass and be very social. They act timid small but become nasty as the grow.
It will tear up and destroy pbass...Unless the pbass is big enough to eat it.

 

[fish junkie]

geez Jose ever feel like ur talking to the wall lol
jayallure read some posts brotha and when ur eyes hurt read some more cichla are out
just an fyi aggressive fish are predators shoaling fish are predator food an aggressive shoal is pretty much a pipe dream unless you go with exodons, piranha or maybe even tropheus
there arent many fish that fit in that category

 

[BigUmbeeFan]

Mbuna african cichlids....Not predatory but mean.

Too small for my taste.


They do make for good food for cichla though..lol

 

[JayAllure]

Nice buttikoferi Jay...Looks like quality speciman. When it gets bigger it will charge the glass and be very social. They act timid small but become nasty as the grow.
It will tear up and destroy pbass...Unless the pbass is big enough to eat it.

thanks, yeah he's a beauty....I noticed he's a lil timid, but like you said once he grows....it'll be a problem, lol 2 questions for you?? 1) How often should I feed him?? 2) Do they enjoy more lighting on or off?? 3

Thanks again for helping with the research on this fish, I'm not getting a PBass I'm sticking to this beautiful fish.

 

[BigUmbeeFan]

How often you feed him depends...

This fish is a bottomless pit that will eat ungodley amounts. It will eat what you put in and when you put it in.

For now I would feed flakes then get him on hikari food sticks.

Depending on how much you feed it will determine how fast it will grow.

If you want to blow him out fast feed him every 3 to 4 hours whatever he can fit. If you do feed heavy do water changes every 3 days as food creates waste both uneaten and fish droppings. Water changes help with growth as well as keeping the water conditions in check.
Having 2 plecos will help with eating the uneaten scraps.

I'm sure many here will tell you over feeding is bad and shame on me for suggesting that. You will be entertained by its pig outs.

If you want to grow him slow feed twice a day with a fair amount.

As for lighting a good flourescent light to bring out colors and I leave mine on from 11 am til 11 pm. As long as he has shelter to hide he will be happy.

Hope you enjoy having him.

You got an exceptional looking juvenile with great colors.

If he maxed out to 15 inches he will be perfect for your 75 as a show piece.

I have seen them hit 15 inches myself...

Lastly , good luck and DO NOT ADD PBASS!!! LOL!!!

 

[JayAllure]

How often you feed him depends...

This fish is a bottomless pit that will eat ungodley amounts. It will eat what you put in and when you put it in.

For now I would feed flakes then get him on hikari food sticks.

Depending on how much you feed it will determine how fast it will grow.

If you want to blow him out fast feed him every 3 to 4 hours whatever he can fit. If you do feed heavy do water changes every 3 days as food creates waste both uneaten and fish droppings. Water changes help with growth as well as keeping the water conditions in check.
Having 2 plecos will help with eating the uneaten scraps.

I'm sure many here will tell you over feeding is bad and shame on me for suggesting that. You will be entertained by its pig outs.

If you want to grow him slow feed twice a day with a fair amount.

As for lighting a good flourescent light to bring out colors and I leave mine on from 11 am til 11 pm. As long as he has shelter to hide he will be happy.

Hope you enjoy having him.

You got an exceptional looking juvenile with great colors.

If he maxed out to 15 inches he will be perfect for your 75 as a show piece.

I have seen them hit 15 inches myself...

Lastly , good luck and DO NOT ADD PBASS!!! LOL!!!

thanks, yeah I think I'll just watch him grow slower than faster & do constant water changes, I just needed a few suggestions. I'm more anxious to see him become more social and somewhat aggressive...I love aggressive fish. I will say I'm tempted to purchase another, but I've read either have 1 or have 6...there's not really a in between number to get other than those 2. I've really fallen in love with the color & how he brings out the tank more compared to the previous fish I've owned, thanks again for all of your help..and yeah I'm passing on that PBass lol