Rio Mag growouts

[RampageRR]

Yes, my 240 is an 8’x2’. I’ve had mixed feedback about whether it would work for life. I do tend to switch things up every few years though, so it may be worth a try.

Any thoughts on how you plan to aquascape for a single male. Steve Poland has a nice set-up on Youtube for his single male. Most umbee tanks I’ve seen are almost empty.

As of right now, it's fairly barren aside from a slate tiled bottom and a few pieces of driftwood for the L114 pleco to hide behind in there with him. Umbees are open water predators that like to swim - mine definitely is a much more active swimmer than previous cichlids I've kept.

I plan on leaving it fairly wide open for that reason alone (aside from the fact that they get huge and need space in general), but I do plan on making it look nicer than a empty bare bottom tank. I'll most likely end up doing a rock scape with driftwood in the corners, leaving the middle area open for swim space.

 

[RampageRR]

This cell phone shot came out pretty decent - shows the crazy coloration starting to come out. Patience is key with umbees and this shows why.

 

[RampageRR]

He's finally settling in since removing the other growouts. He didn't eat for close to a month, but he's now coming to the lid as soon as I come down to turn on the lights in the morning. He eats readily and whenever I offer food, so he should really start to put on some size and color shortly.