Poll: Festae & friends

[terrors r us]

Hi there, I am still working on setting up my 600 gallon acrylic tank.
I have had cichlids before and have done my homework.
This poll is not to discuss if these combo's will work or not
but rather which would you choose and why?
They will start out with groups of six each, then eliminate as
they grow...This would be for the entire life of the fish...

In a 600gal. tank what would you choose ;

1) Festae & Managuense(Jaguar)
2) Festae & Haitiensis(Black Nasty)
3) Festae & Beani(White variety)
4) Festae & other type of cichlid

 

[VRWC]

I voted #1 but could have gone with #4 as well.

1) Ive done successfully, until the festae spawn (m 10 inches, f 7 inches). They killed every thing except my jag pair in one night and the jag pair was on its last leg. They were the biggest pair in the tank, roughly the same size a s the festae, but looked like they had been through a shredder. The festae killed a grammodes pair, a pictus, 10+ convicts & various other small cichlids.

2) Ive never been able to keep Haitians alive with other fish. they die from bloat everytime...so Id pass.

3) Id say the same for the beani as #2, except Ive never kept them, but understand they have bloat issues until quite larger with other fish.

4) Ive kept them with just about every cichlid I could, until they spawn. Then all bets are off. I have a 3 yr old male that lived with freddis, jags, carpintis, trimacs, convicts, dovii, rtm's and more. He even lived in my 265 when a dovii pair and an rtm pair spawned at the same time in the same tank and never had an issue. I had a female that did the same in my 125..and loved my red devil. She was never a problem.

When I moved the pair to my 265 they werent the least bit aggressive, until they spawned. Then it was game over for ALL other inhabitants in less than 24 hrs.

 

[fishloaf666]

i have #4

1" festae with a 1" EBJD growing out in a lil 29 for now. i thought it would be pretty interesting if they bred too. im assuming my festae is female and the dempsey is male but it is too early to tell yet. GL with your choices

 

[uncwnells]

i have #4

1" festae with a 1" EBJD growing out in a lil 29 for now. i thought it would be pretty interesting if they bred too. im assuming my festae is female and the dempsey is male but it is too early to tell yet. GL with your choices

I imagine that the ebjd will be dead soon.

 

[fishloaf666]

I imagine that the ebjd will be dead soon.

im hoping not, i bought them both as fry at the same time and they have been living peacefully for almost a month now. they share food and get along great for now. if i see a problem in the future i have many other tanks i can toss one in, but i am hoping for the best

 

[terrors r us]

I voted #1 but could have gone with #4 as well.

1) Ive done successfully, until the festae spawn (m 10 inches, f 7 inches). They killed every thing except my jag pair in one night and the jag pair was on its last leg. They were the biggest pair in the tank, roughly the same size a s the festae, but looked like they had been through a shredder. The festae killed a grammodes pair, a pictus, 10+ convicts & various other small cichlids.

2) Ive never been able to keep Haitians alive with other fish. they die from bloat everytime...so Id pass.

3) Id say the same for the beani as #2, except Ive never kept them, but understand they have bloat issues until quite larger with other fish.

4) Ive kept them with just about every cichlid I could, until they spawn. Then all bets are off. I have a 3 yr old male that lived with freddis, jags, carpintis, trimacs, convicts, dovii, rtm's and more. He even lived in my 265 when a dovii pair and an rtm pair spawned at the same time in the same tank and never had an issue. I had a female that did the same in my 125..and loved my red devil. She was never a problem.

When I moved the pair to my 265 they werent the least bit aggressive, until they spawned. Then it was game over for ALL other inhabitants in less than 24 hrs.

Thanks...you said you moved the festae pair in with your Dovi pair and
the Dovi were in trouble?? Is this correct?

Also when the festae shredded your Jaguars, were the Jag's
breeding at the time??

 

[terrors r us]

i have #4

1" festae with a 1" EBJD growing out in a lil 29 for now. i thought it would be pretty interesting if they bred too. im assuming my festae is female and the dempsey is male but it is too early to tell yet. GL with your choices

You never know....if they get along then things might be O.K. but
def need bigger tank later...some target fish might help......

 

[VRWC]

Thanks...you said you moved the festae pair in with your Dovi pair and
the Dovi were in trouble?? Is this correct?

Also when the festae shredded your Jaguars, were the Jag's
breeding at the time??

No, I had moved the male festae into the 265 gallon with a spawning pair of Dovii & a spawning pair of RTMs and didnt have a problem. Both parachromis pairs were around 5-6 inches...and uncharacteristically non-aggressive. I sold the dovii pair to a member here and he had the same experience with them as well.

After I sold the dovii and RTM pairs, I added the female to the tank, along with a 5 inch grammodes pair, at least 10 convicts, a fem festae, several catfish, 2 smaller trimacs and the Jag pair.

No, the jags werent spawning. The pictus was the last one that made it and I tried to keep it alive but it didnt make it. Again, this all happened between midnight and 8am.

heres some pics of the carnage and the tank it happened in, chock full of TONS of hiding space and caves under all the wood & rocks.

 

[fishloaf666]

You never know....if they get along then things might be O.K. but
def need bigger tank later...some target fish might help......

thanks for your concern with my fishies lol, i have a fancy guppy in there as a type of dither fish for now. when they get bigger i was going to pop them in a 60, 75 acrylic bayfront , or possibly my 135 depending on what i have in there at the time.

 

[fishloaf666]

No, I had moved the male festae into the 265 gallon with a spawning pair of Dovii & a spawning pair of RTMs and didnt have a problem. Both parachromis pairs were around 5-6 inches...and uncharacteristically non-aggressive. I sold the dovii pair to a member here and he had the same experience with them as well.

After I sold the dovii and RTM pairs, I added the female to the tank, along with a 5 inch grammodes pair, at least 10 convicts, a fem festae, several catfish, 2 smaller trimacs and the Jag pair.

No, the jags werent spawning. The pictus was the last one that made it and I tried to keep it alive but it didnt make it. Again, this all happened between midnight and 8am.

heres some pics of the carnage and the tank it happened in, chock full of TONS of hiding space and caves under all the wood & rocks.

reminds me of when i was young and dumb, i had a 40 gallon solo tank with managuense, oscars, convict, smallmouth bass, and a ****load of other fish in this small tank to say the least. one day i was like oooh look a red terror and i bought it and popped it in there. needless to say i lost like all my fish due to that red terror reeking havoc killing a fish or two a day... that male festae was a bastard!