Solo argentea in a cichlid community?

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Sinister-Kisses

Sinister-Kisses

Aimara
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Jan 19, 2022
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Looking for some insight from people who have kept argentea as adults on compatibility. These shimmery black and white beauties have always been a favourite of mine, but almost impossible to get where I live - until recently. I DID have a few juvies way, way back when - decade or more ago - but they caught something and died off long before even hitting the 5" mark. I've decided to give them another go as my "local" supplier keeps them in stock fairly regularly now and I was placing an order anyway...so I just ordered 3 argentea juveniles, around 2.5" per the website.

I know these guys have a rep as pretty highly aggressive as adults...but I *believe* that is mostly conspecific aggression from what I've read - no? I ordered the 3 juveniles with full intentions of letting them grow out together as long as they play nicely, but when they start getting too aggressive I'll pick my favourite to keep as a solo individual in a 6ft, 135gal tank.

However, there's also a little thought in the far back of my brain wondering...do they play relatively okay with other large cichlid species in larger tanks? I have an 8ft tank (also 135gal, it's a custom footprint) that I'm stocking as a cichlid community. It will have my two existing marbled fenestratus, a solo cutteri who has been doing well in the tank so far (but can be moved if needed later on), and three pearsei juveniles I just put on the same order as the argentea - given their large size, again the plan is to let them grow out and eventually just have one pearsei in the tank. So, 2 x fenestratus, 1 x pearsei, and maybe 1 x cutteri in an 8ft, 135gal tank. Any chance an adult argentea could join the mix without issue?
 
Both of the aquariums you mentioned are too small for M. argentea or C. pearsei, these fish get massive especially the pearsei and produce a tonne of waste. People always underestimate their adult size.

The argentea and Fenestrata are likely to cause trouble, especially with the much more peaceful pearsei over territorial disputes in tanks of such small volume and likely not large enough width given the 8ft is only 135g.
 
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Are the 244 cm 511 liter's dimensions 244 cm x 46 cm x 46 cm?
 
If this is pertinent please take benefit if not please disregard. I did not read the long original post. Argentia have extremely tall body but comparably relatively small mouth. Small tank mates even tiny are compatible. Anything that doesn't fit in the viejas mouth. Small fast moving fish like the buck tooth tetra, small growing cichlids like panamensis, or less tall but equally aggressive like Cuban or loiselle make great take mate...if tank is big enough to establish different territories with plenty open water between. Some argentia go bananas but if it can't fit into the small cave were let's say a mbuna lives, small agile fish lives happy(ish)
 
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Pikes make good addition. Often people make the mistake of dominant vieja with dominant Midas or carpinte or festae, etc. If all have equal ability to fit in same cave never is there a break from harassment. It's like putting a Trimac with a red devil in an aquarium without hiding places basically. Unless it's one of the flukes and they cohabitate peacefully, one is an compressor and the other one is miserable. Actually sometimes the fish doing the chasing can stress from constantly exerting himself. It's not always the subdominant fish to dies. But usually when two equal size equal matched equal tempered fish live in an aquarium, one night they come unglued
 
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Okay so scrap the idea of an argentea in the 8ft tank with friends, my original plan was a solo fish in the 6ft anyway. But I fail to see how a 6ft tank is not large enough for one individual argentea.
 
Argentea (even in nature) are loners, except when spawning.
As juvies they are not a problem, but once they hit maturity are intolerant of any similar sized or larger cichlids..
The first time I got them (in the 90s), I bought 10 x 2"F1 juvies while visiting Don Conkels fish farm.
They were fine for about a year, but after growing out a bit, the largest (an alpha male) hit 7 ", and started killing everything in a 6 ft tank. I moved him to a tank with larger cichlids of the genus Parachromis (a dovii, and managuense). I thought the dissimilar appearance might hold back aggression.
Within 24 hours he had both the dovii and managuense pinned into opposite upper corners of the tank.
I tried them again in 2011, and ended up with a mated pair, after the 1st spawn (with just the pair in 6 ft tank) the male killed the female and ate the eggs,
https://hosting.photobucket.com/alb...sunrise001.jpg?width=450&height=278&crop=fill
I believe most even large tanks are too small to keep more than 1 individual.
Although they don't seem to bother non-cichlids (large tetras etc)
Don Conkel had a trio in a 1,000 gallon vat that seemed to work.
I have found the same aggression to be true for their close cousin Maskaheros regani, once they hit maturity.
 
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Tank size when it gets to big fish is a divisive topic. I think your 135 would be about "minimum" for an argentea, some people may consider it too small based on the width. Tank is probably 18" wide, correct? Argentea are one of the bigger species, have heard of males reaching 15-16", which would make 18" a little skinny. 180gallon would be better for argentea or pearsei. There is a guy here with a single pearsei in a 300, and the tank looks like a 125 when you see the whole full tank shot.
Common sense tells us sometimes that a tank is just objectively too small- a silver arowana in a 125 gallon for example, fish can grow twice the tank's width, of course it's too small. That's not the case with a vieja or pearsei in a 135, so it's an issue of opinion/preference.
As far as compatibility- A big male argentae is not likely to play nice with other fish, especially other viejas. I would agree you should keep the Arg alone.
 
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No, it's a custom tank. It's 24" wide.
 
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