Question for Longear Experts

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RD.

RD.

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May 9, 2007
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I'm considering converting one of my 125 gallons (72x18x24) into a central longear species tank. What is everyones opinion on total numbers, and a good male/female ratio? These would be F1 juvies.

Plan A - I was thinking 6-8 males, and 4 females.

Plan B - 8-10 males, and no females.

I'm not overly interested in breeding, just looking for a more natural biotope with min overall aggression that the juvies can all grow out into.

I've successfully kept all male African cichlid tanks in another 125 for several yrs, and found that the overall aggression is minimal sans females, yet the males still display full color to each other.

The males of this geographical variant are quite stunning, below is a 5" male. (looks washed out from flash)

longear3.jpg


Thanks!
 
Brian Zimmerman of the NANFA forums, has the most info in regards to Longears, as is available. He captively breeds them, and I can speak highly of his knowledge, quality of fish, and willingness to help. Here's his info:

http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php/topic/6109-missouri-central-longears/

My longears that I aquired from him are almost (2) years old now, and I have yet to be disappointed with them. Mine are at a ratio of (1) male to every (3) females, and the agressions has been non-existant. They are avid consumers of frozen foods but have accepted pellets as well. Even with (2) similarly sized LargeMouth Black Bass added to the tank, their aggression hasn't been noticable at all.

Give Brian a call, and pick his brain if you want a TRUE Longear officianado's advice and expertise. I'm not sure if anyone else could even compare to his years of knowledge, on specifically, the Central Longear from the Missouri basin drainages.


Best of luck,
Ben.
 
Thanks Ben. I also joined NANFA but thought that I would ask here as well. I'm not sure that anyone has ever attempted an all male set up, so I was hoping for some long time keepers of central longears to add their 2 cents. I may end up calling Brian as well. Appreciate the feedback.

How many longears do you have in that tank, and what size is the tank?

Thanks again!
 
Plan B is what you want. Plan A is a recipe for a bloody mess. Males fight each other more when females are present, and will harrass females constantly. Mixed-sex groups work best with high female-to-male ratio, as Benji suggested.

I have heard that longears raised together tend to be less aggressive toward one another, but I still would go with an all male tank.

Add some visual barriers to break lines-of-sight; this will help weaker males avoid bullying. The shear number of fish in the tank will help too, as no individual will be able to stake and keep a territory. You could even add a few more than 10 if you have adequate filtration.
 
Thanks, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear. :)
I have lots of breaks in lines of sight, and lots of tangles in the driftwood which will allow for escape routes for sub dom males.
Filtration will be 3 AC 110's, and large frequent water changes are typical in my fishroom.

Thanks for your input.
 
it would be best to have more females than males, unless of course you want to see the fish fight like no other
 
Longears are by far my favorite fish ever. I had a 265 with quite a few that I'd collected from different areas, streams, rivers, etc. I really enjoyed seeing the variations from region to region. I had best luck with all males, although when I had females I had very few problems with aggression. I always collected them at a small size (1-3").
 
That makes sense, which is why I would prefer to have no females.

In the words of the late great Bob Marley - "no women no cry". :)
 
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