Tank size for breeding Cuban Cichlids ???

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aussieman57

aussieman57

Aimara
MFK Member
Nov 11, 2021
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Title says it all. What I am wondering is it possible to maintain a breeding pair of Cubans in a standard 90 gallon tank? 4ft long 1.5ft wide. Doing some interweb research (if you can call it that) info for this species is all over the place. So I am looking for practical working knowledge from those of you have have kept & bred this species.
 
My pair did well and spawned as the only fish in a 6 ft 125 gal.
Whether that extra 2 ft made a difference in their success it's hard to say.
I find in less than 6 ft tanks, the female is not as safe.
One thing I have found helps, is to put another tank right next to the breeding tank, with another male cichlid visible in it.
It captures the spawning males attention, and focuses his heightened aggression hormones toward the perceived threat, and away from the female.
 
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Well I wonder if H. carpintis might be a better choice. This 90 is in the living room where there is a decent amount of traffic & 2 crazy Australian Shepherd one which likes to sit on the couch and watch the tank. No room for a tank next to it. My plan is to move the Gymno balzanii into the 125 I have coming which will be in a dedicated fish room and put something in that 90 that won't be stressed out by the activity around it. I was thinking something like Cubans could handle this. Still having problems deciding what to do with this 90. In the scheme of things it's a great problem to have.
 
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Of all the fish you mention, I would consider the Gymno's the best fit for a 90.
In my experience with both carpintus, and tetracanthus, larger, minimally 6 ft tanka are more suitable for their territorial requirements, and considering just size alone, both get far larger than the Gymnos over will. And Gymnogeophagus are far less instinctually less aggressive in a limited space
 
duanes said:
Of all the fish you mention, I would consider the Gymno's the best fit for a 90.
In my experience with both carpintus, and tetracanthus, larger, minimally 6 ft tanka are more suitable for their territorial requirements, and considering just size alone, both get far larger than the Gymnos over will. And Gymnogeophagus are far less instinctually less aggressive in a limited space
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Gymno balzanii has become one of my favorites. They tend to be a little on the skittish side for me in the 90 due to the activity around the tank. That is why I am upgrading their living quarters to a 6 ft long 125 gallon tank. The quest is to find something for that 90 that can handle some activity around the tank.
 
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