What kind of target fish for festae?

[Rsc89]

I want to try adding some target fish to my festae tank (150 gallon). My male is 10" or so and the female around 4.5". They are the only fish in the tank and the male is overly agressive. Some days its directed only to his reflection and the pair gets along great and other days hes harassing the female. What are the best target fish to add that will school and he can focus his attention on them? I was thinking silver dollars but i dont want such bulky fish and the bio load of large dollars. Just looking for something fast he can chase and wont break the bank if he gets one.

 

[Tyler_Wentworth_150]

Giant Danios, at least 10

 

[ehh]

I bet he'll just eat or kill whatever you add then go back to harassing the female or his reflection.

 

[duanes]

Although I normally don't like to mix fish from different continents, I find Tilapia are good target fish for cichlids like festae. I have used Coptodon zillii, niloticus, and tanganyikcae. They are fast, it is usually easy to find some that are big enough not to be eaten, and because they are also cichlids, they seem to be recognized a competitor. Sometimes dither fish are not threatening enough to dissuade a male festae from attacking a female.
Tilapia do tend to add a heavy bio load, and water changes would need to be stepped up, but anything small will probably become festae food and a waste.
And after the Tilapia get too large, and have served their purpose, you can have them for dinner.

 

[Jason_S]

I kept my old pair in a 125 with a few much smaller male convicts. Worked out great...the male festae never bothered the female. They were around 11" (male) and 7-8" (female) when they died, so I can't say that it would have been a permanent solution and that the male would have never harrassed the female, but I kept them like that for several years before I lost them and all of the other fish during a horrifically bad move to a new apartment.

 

[Jason_S]

I also think silver dollars would work well

 

[Rsc89]

I bet he'll just eat or kill whatever you add then go back to harassing the female or his reflection.

Your probably right, hes a savage. His agression shot through the roof after moving them from a 90 gallon into the 150 about 4 months ago. I removed the female a couple days ago, he got her pretty good and hes now by himself. I decided i dont think im going to put them back together as shes just not big enough to stand her ground and it turns into a game of cat and mouse. I thought he would realize what his reflection was and eventually stop, but hes still on a mission to catch whoever it is that been following him around the past 2 years lol. Appreciate the help guys hes definitely one of my favorite fish compared to my Mota's and La ceiba pair just wish he would calm down as id like the pair to get along like they used to.

 

[Iohn d.]

Your probably right, hes a savage. His agression shot through the roof after moving them from a 90 gallon into the 150 about 4 months ago. I removed the female a couple days ago, he got her pretty good and hes now by himself. I decided i dont think im going to put them back together as shes just not big enough to stand her ground and it turns into a game of cat and mouse. I thought he would realize what his reflection was and eventually stop, but hes still on a mission to catch whoever it is that been following him around the past 2 years lol. Appreciate the help guys hes definitely one of my favorite fish compared to my Mota's and La ceiba pair just wish he would calm down as id like the pair to get along like they used to.

 

[mrrobxc]

I kept my old pair in a 125 with a few much smaller male convicts. Worked out great...the male festae never bothered the female. They were around 11" (male) and 7-8" (female) when they died, so I can't say that it would have been a permanent solution and that the male would have never harrassed the female, but I kept them like that for several years before I lost them and all of the other fish during a horrifically bad move to a new apartment.

I used convicts as well. I had the blue variety and it was a nice contrast to the festae. The problem is the convicts are very adept at eating festae fry.

 

[Iohn d.]

Best thing to do is put a divider across one corner of the tank at the back with a hole in the middle big enough for the female to fit though but the make can't put the female in the divider she will find her way out. Whenever the male gets aggressive she will go in there. I've hade my breeding pair for three year if I didn't have that divider my female would be dead long time ago.