Tilapia Buttikoferi vs polleni help needed!!

[mattybecks]

So I've been offered a large tilapia buttikoferi. should I accept? I have a 6 ft by 3 ft tank and 350 litre sump. The other fish I have in the tank are a 23 cm oscar and a 36 cm red belly pacu, school of seven silver dollars, two breeding convicts, synodontis E polyptrus senegalus, and pleco. And a few other random smaller fish.

I also have two madagascar cichlids (pollenis) who are are 3.5 and 4.5 inches, which in time I wanna move into my bigger tank.

My pacu , whom I've got really fond of, a real gentle giant, this guy wants to trade my pacu for the butterkoferi, he only has a 5 foot by 50cm tank. what should I do?! Please need help deciding from the experts. Pacus are illegal here and nobody wants him, this is the first time in a year someone has shown any interest.

 

[surfpalmsncycads]

that butterball will end up killing those polleni. id move them into there own tank before anything. butti's are mean. not just a lil. they are pissed off!

 

[duanes]

Agree with surfpalmcycades, only take the butti if you have a separate tank, just for it.

 

[petspoiler]

butti's can not be kept with ANY other fish. they become extremely territorial as they mature. when they begin to show aggression, they will soon (if not immediately) kill everything else in their tank. they require a large tank dedicated to them for life. it's not unusual for people to say that all went well with their younger butti's, then one day they find every other fish massacred.
your pacu, alone, needs a larger tank than either of you have. they get VERY large.

also, this forum advises people to abide by their local laws about banned species, etc. so you do have some hard choices to make.
I'm sure that other members will have input also.

 

[mattybecks]

Thanks for the wise words and input I only got into fish keeping just over a year ago, and when I got the pacu I was mislead to what it was, and only found out when it started growing. And have not able to find anyone willing to take it, I know my tank is too small, but it was the best and largest I could get for him.

As for the Tilapia , is there any chance it may get along with the other tank mates? Or really none at all. Its just such a beautiful fish.

 

[trace]

Thanks for the wise words and input I only got into fish keeping just over a year ago, and when I got the pacu I was mislead to what it was, and only found out when it started growing. And have not able to find anyone willing to take it, I know my tank is too small, but it was the best and largest I could get for him.

As for the Tilapia , is there any chance it may get along with the other tank mates? Or really none at all. Its just such a beautiful fish.

Not likely. And as they get larger and more aggressive they also get quite drab looking turning charcoal in color and all but lose their stripes. I would stick with your stock and lose the pacu. Not sure what you should do with it but probably euthanizing it is the most lawful answer but I realize it's a very hard thing to do good luck maybe someone will have a better answer for you.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Lambrakopoulos]

Got for it, remove the smaller fish before though.

 

[brich999]

story about my butti. got him for free from lfs because they sold him 5 times before and 5 times people put him in a community and 5 times he killed everything snd got returned. they are not overly territorial or agressive, but they snap. just randomly thy will decide to go all homocidal and raise hell. i remember reading something where someone compared the butti to charles manson.

 

[brich999]

and the stripes come and go with mood. whoever said they disappear with age is wrong. all i know if mine is 8+ years old and when he gets mad the black and white are more vivid than a zebras. (just a warning if u do get him intense color= rampage is about to occur or just has)

 

[TheHolyArachnid]

DO NOT GET THE BUTTI.

Every single butti I had were precious little brats when they are young, but man do they change into blood thirsty killing machines.

I tried to mix my 5 inch butti with my 7 inch dovii, the dovii tried to jump out of the tank(from the fighting and chasing) lol. I had to move the butti back before he brutally killed the poor dovii.

I wouldn't get that butti unless you have another big tank all for him.

IMO buttikoferi cichlids are the most aggressive cichlids out there, maybe not the most ferocious but when they 'snap' say good bye to every other fish.