Which pair needs to be moved?

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R

rtague

Candiru
MFK Member
Dec 16, 2009
247
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new york
Hi all,I have a 125g with a pair of spawning cubans an a bonded pair of red tiger motas,a 5'' black belt and 3 juvie carpintis.The pairs have taken up residence on either end of the tank and defend feircely pinning the other fish in the middle.One of the pairs has to be moved to an empyt 90g I have.Which of the pairs do you guys think can co-exist better in a community setting and who should go in the 90g?,they will have the 90g to themselves.Thanks.
 
nice selection of fish. if it was me i would remove the spawning pair and see if they will spawn in their own tank and raise the fry. Might also help the motas to spawn where they are the dominant pair in the tank.
 
Thanks SOA,not a bad idea.I'm just concerned as to which pair will play nicer in the community set up in the long run.
 
This isn't an easy situation to handle. You have some rough fish living together. I think the Cubans will be the most aggressive of the breeding pairs. They will need their own tank for sure. The RTMs will defend their fry too. They will still go after any cichlids foolish enough to venture close to their young. But I think that they will be less dangerous than the Cubans. You still have the Blackbelt and carpintis to worry about. These cichlids will not be peaceful community fish for long with any breeding pair. A 125 is pretty small for the amount of aggressive fish that you have. The Blackbelt will grow and become increasingly aggressive and so will the 3 Carpintis. You will have to decide which cichlids you plan on keeping. You will either have to part with some or get more large tanks to group them in. You may have some luck with one VERY large tank to house them all. In the end you will definitely have to make some changes other than removing the most aggressive breeding pair.
 
Thanks Gruffmaster,I can't disagree with anything you're saying.Both pairs are only in the 5'' range,the carps 3'',BB 5'',so maybe I have a little time .I'm thinking 1 pair,1 carp, 1BB long term,I dunno:confused:
 
Being that small, you have a little time left to make your decisions. Think about future tank sizes and the stock you plan to place in them. You will need large tanks to keep your cichlids in any kind of groups. be careful of the BB. They can be really mean when older. But every fish is not the same. Some fish contradict what is known about their species. This is a learning experience. No matter what people say, you will have to try out some things on your own. What doesn't work for many may work perfectly for you. But I still believe that separating your stock in bigger tanks will be best. Good luck.
 
I agree. Leave the pairs and pull other two then perhaps throw some silver dollars in as dithers. I have an rtm pair and festae pair in my 180 with. 5 silver dollars and its working great.
I also have a Cuban pair and If they weren't bigger than rtms then rtms would dominant for sure.

mintersmadness;4217864; said:
Why don't you keep the breeding pairs in the 125 and move everything else to the 90?
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