Question about Mesonauta festivus

[Kayarisha]

I bought (or at least pretty sure) a Mesonauta festivus today, from a funky fish store. He was in a tank that was hooked up to other tanks that had some not so good looking fish. I was going to set up a quarantine tank anyway, but I had just a general question.

He's only about 2.5 inches long, but hes very very pale. I was wondering if they just grow into his colors, or if that maybe a sign of something he might of caught from the store?

Hes pretty active all things considered, looks good (other then the pale thing) and eats.

Sorry for my kinda funky picture, I tried.

 

[ryansmith83]

The coloration pictured is normal for a young Mesonauta. Mine did not show their bars when young. They were mostly silver with the black stripe. They will often have yellow/red eyes as well. It's hard to tell which species of Mesonauta you have.

They do best in groups. It'd be great if you could find at least 3 (but preferably 5) more. They will school around the tank together when they're young.

 

[Kayarisha]

I wouldn't mind getting more later, but they're very hard to find where am at. I wouldn't have bought a fish from the store if I hadn't been looking for this guy as long as I have been (plus he was cheap).

How big of a tank should I have for a decent school of these guys?

 

[ryansmith83]

They can grow pretty large. I grew mine out in 55 gallon tanks and then upgraded them to a 150 when they hit around 5". You could probably do a group of four in something like a 75 gallon.

 

[Kayarisha]

I only have about a fifty and I probably wont be able to upgrade for a while, so I may end up finding a new home for him.
I left the tank alone for an hour and on my return one of my silver dollars had an eye missing. I know cichlids are usually aggressive, but I was lead to believe this one was calmer then others.

Here's a better picture

 

[ryansmith83]

My Mesonauta always chased and attacked other large cichlids. A lot of people here have had a very different experience than me, but I've seen this in two separate groups of wild fish of two different Mesonauta species. They definitely have the ability to be aggressive and will also target and eat small fish if they can catch them.

 

[Kayarisha]

Yeah, that really wasn't what I was looking for. I was told that these guys were relatively chill (as for as cichlids go) and would to good in my tank. I wasnt told about the group part either.
I'll try and find a better suited home for it, thanks for the info.

 

[ryansmith83]

Well, I guess as far as cichlids go they are pretty chill. Compared to things like green terrors or red devils they're mellow. They're a lot like severums. They tend to chase and nip but don't usually do much damage. Most SA cichlids will try to eat small fish. Angels (related to festivums) and discus will chase down and eat small tetras and whatnot.

You can always keep individuals in your tank. Some people have a lone Mesonauta. I was just pointing out that they seem to enjoy the company of others. There's no hard rule that says they have to be. I just tend to buy most SA cichlids (Mesonauta, Heros, Pterophyllum, Symphysodon, Uaru, Geophagus) in groups.