Cuban cichlid info?

[badassmc]

if anyone can help i would really appreciate it. I am thinking about getting a pair of cubans for my 150 and i would love to know a bit more about them, because im not having much luck finding info on the net. Things i need to know: maximum size, sexual differences, temperament, tank requirements like temperature and setup and any breeding tips.
Thanks

 

[VRWC]

This should help.

http://bit.ly/sAoDFt

 

[MonitorSpiderCichlid]

This should help.

http://bit.ly/sAoDFt

lol. ^ I would follow his directions.

 

[rrcoolj]

This should help.

http://bit.ly/sAoDFt

lol VRWC you're the greatest. A lot of the basic stuff you will find on google. They supposedly max out at 10" but there was a guy on here years ago that had a 13" one I believe. From limited experience they are VERY aggressive but can be fragile when young. Keep them warm like 80* or higher and get a lot of them because they have a tendency to kill each other off. I started with 5 in a 125 and they basically killed eachother down to a pair. They get along well but my male has gotten violent a couple of times. Females will have a bold black coloration and are smaller than males. These guys have lots of personality and attitude. As far as breeding... I haven't gotten there yet but hopefully soon .

 

[badassmc]

lol VRWC you're the greatest. A lot of the basic stuff you will find on google. They supposedly max out at 10" but there was a guy on here years ago that had a 13" one I believe. From limited experience they are VERY aggressive but can be fragile when young. Keep them warm like 80* or higher and get a lot of them because they have a tendency to kill each other off. I started with 5 in a 125 and they basically killed eachother down to a pair. They get along well but my male has gotten violent a couple of times. Females will have a bold black coloration and are smaller than males. These guys have lots of personality and attitude. As far as breeding... I haven't gotten there yet but hopefully soon .

Thanks that helps a lot. Yeah i had a feeling they would be pretty aggro, but i have all that i need to house them and a divider so i reckon i could get it to work.

 

[smitty03281964]

Cubans are going to range in size from 6-12 inches. Temperment will vary depending from fish to fish. Tank size would be 55 gallons and up.

 

[tjrcf25]

They tend to be slower growers and can hold their own in a community tank, but I haven't kept them with any super aggressive centrals. I have a pair in a 180gal with some other centrals and so far they haven't caused many problems. A lot more bark than bite so far. Sexing can be near impossible until they pair up, unless you are able to vent. I had a group originally and a few I pegged out for females turned out to be male.

Pics of my pair from 6 months ago... when they were by themselves in a 55gal (Male was 4.5" and female was only 4" back then)

 

[aclockworkorange]

Sexing is actually quite easy at a decent size. Look at your two fish, the male is obvious.

To breed mine, I crank up the heat to about 84 and increase the water changes.

 

[dogofwar]

^+1

Feed more, too...

The time to keep and breed these is when they're small (<4")... My little pair is currently raising hundreds of babies...

Matt

 

[aclockworkorange]

I believe I have one of the largest males on MFK...

I have to go to lengths to get them not to breed more often. I can't get rid of the fry locally!