Quastion, Wild caught vs farmed

[Wharf]

A lot of LFS's here around LA will actually say WC without a collection point attached to them (which is fairly useless) to gouge customers. Some are very pretty, but who knows if they are legit.

If you are wanting to sell fry to make top dollar then get WC. If you want a more sturdy, generally less skittish, sometimes better looking fish...and are not worried about labels...then get CB.

I don't want to be too negative or be a pessimist, but I believe 75% of people that advertise on Craigslist with F1 or WC are full of it. Some LFS's and people on aquabid as well.

I truly trust online vendors that support hobbyists and take some risk importing beautiful fish. I am the type that would rather pay more from a trusted source...plus picking up and unboxing air cargo is like Christmas

 

[Predator07]

If there a opportunity to purchase either wild caught festae vs tank raised festae- which do i go with?

 

[duanes]

There are many reasons, all spelled out in the previous posts, but it really depends on your conceptual of a tank in the end.
Do you want to breed them?
Are they going in a community tank?
Will they get their own species only tank?
Sometimes wild caught fish are instinctually more territorial, so put in a community might lead to a blood bath.
Are you going to keeptjust one individual per species?
Something I've noticed about festae.
If you have a pair in a tank, colors are often most vibrant, as in the pair below.

But when I have separated the female from the male, and put her in a tank with other non-festae cichlids, this became her normal coloration below

when I put her back in a tank with only the male in a tank, she became vibrant again.

This also occurred with haitiensus.
Female without a male

now, same female, with male in the tank (no other cichlids)

 

[Predator07]

There are many reasons, all spelled out in the previous posts, but it really depends on your conceptual of a tank in the end.
Do you want to breed them?
Are they going in a community tank?
Will they get their own species only tank?
Sometimes wild caught fish are instinctually more territorial, so put in a community might lead to a blood bath.
Are you going to keeptjust one individual per species?
Something I've noticed about festae.
If you have a pair in a tank, colors are often most vibrant, as in the pair below.
View attachment 1434195
But when I have separated the female from the male, and put her in a tank with other non-festae cichlids, this became her normal coloration below
View attachment 1434196
when I put her back in a tank with only the male in a tank, she became vibrant again.
View attachment 1434197
This also occurred with haitiensus.
Female without a male
View attachment 1434198
now, same female, with male in the tank (no other cichlids)
View attachment 1434199

Community tank - started him/her in 125gallon juvenile tank and eventually moving to 350gallon