600 and 280 gallon reset: getting back to my roots
- Thread starter mrrobxc
- Start date
Thank you. I am having fun with these two setups and have been enjoying the return to these CA and West of the Andes SA cichlids.
Watch it the whole way through.
The Festae are hanging in there and the five remaining are growing. Largest is pushing 5.5”. The festae own the right end and front center off the tank.
The Loiselle have broken down into two pairs. One claiming the center back around the boulders and wood, and the other just left of center under the boulders and roots.
The umbee are tucked in the back left corner. The Male Umbee still roams the full tank.
The spare umbee is up top left. And the spare Loisellei is in the top center.
The Hoplerythrinus Unitaeniatus are still hanging in there and growing fast and the school of four is stable. The Leporinus Fasciatus have grown faster and are now larger than the brunneus. I have two smaller Leporinus Fasciatus growing out to to complete the school.
Will have to lose those SD’s. If you’re local in SoCal, hit me up because they’re for sale.
Beautiful setups and beautiful fish.
I love the school of Hemiodus. I am very partial towards those. My 3 specimens (same species) continue to do great and are my pride and joy; they are about 7 inches, but (unfortunately) are in a much smaller tank (125g).
In the other tank, I find remarkable that apparently the two Leporinus spp. have been very well behaved, judging from the apparent total absence of fin nipping on the Silver Dollars and the other fish. I interpret that some minor tail fin nippings on some of the the cichlids are due to their own quarreling for dominance/pairing/dominance and not from the Leporinus. Correct?
By the way, those Leporinus brunneus are outstanding!
It is too bad you need to get rid of the wide bars. Beautiful, mature fish; I see some 3 males and 4 females; absolutely gorgeous. Somebody is going to be very lucky to get those from you.
Thanks for sharing!
I love the school of Hemiodus. I am very partial towards those. My 3 specimens (same species) continue to do great and are my pride and joy; they are about 7 inches, but (unfortunately) are in a much smaller tank (125g).
In the other tank, I find remarkable that apparently the two Leporinus spp. have been very well behaved, judging from the apparent total absence of fin nipping on the Silver Dollars and the other fish. I interpret that some minor tail fin nippings on some of the the cichlids are due to their own quarreling for dominance/pairing/dominance and not from the Leporinus. Correct?
By the way, those Leporinus brunneus are outstanding!
It is too bad you need to get rid of the wide bars. Beautiful, mature fish; I see some 3 males and 4 females; absolutely gorgeous. Somebody is going to be very lucky to get those from you.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. I think the key with the Leporinus is to keep them in groups. Most of their bad behavior is directed at eachother and they’re temperament reminds me of tiger barbs, only much larger. The key is groups and having a tank large enough for a group. They leave all the other fish alone and even amongst themselves, it’s a loose scale if nothing else.
Any random tear or bruise on the cichlids are from eachother. The odd female umbee and the 5th wheel female Loisellei, and the three smaller festae get the brunt of the aggression. Both Loisellei pair do a good job of holding the male umbee at bay. Interestingly enough, though the dominant female looks to have paired off with the male, it doesn’t join him in the turf battles with the Parachromis. So it’s always two on one. That’s why they’re not only hanging in there, but claiming attractive territories.
The festae are all literally different sizes clearly showing the pecking order. The smallest two are half the size of the largest two. I’m hoping I get a pair from these. If this tank can hold a pair of each of the three species , I’ll be a happy man.
As for the SD’s, I really like them but they eat a LOT and as all the fish grow, I’m not sure this tank would be large enough tk maintain them at the school of eight. Interesting that you’re able to tell the gender. Any tips on how to sex them is appreciated.
I see that you’re in Philly. If you were local I would’ve given you my Hemiodus. I used to live in Lafayette Hills and later in Glen Mills. I really miss PA.
Hi again,
I too wish I was closer to where you are. Alas...different sides of the country.
Thanks for entertaining my questions and I guess it is as I suspected, more or less. It is nice to have large tanks to be able to have groups of large fish such as the Leporinus spp. I have had both fasciatus and brunneus, but as solo specimens. I don't have any now.
Regarding male/female for the dollars. The various genera and species of SD's mostly can all be sexed in the same way, although individual species do have some differences.
However, in general, the outer edge of the anal fin of males is "bilobed" (2 "lobes or tips", the first being about midway on the edge of the anal fin, the second being the actual tip of the fin, or 'hook'). In females, there is an absence of the first "lobe", such that the edge of the fin is almost completely straight. In the clip below (your photo), 2 females (top) and two males can be seen (bottom).
In Emperor Blue Hooks (your SD's) there is not much difference in coloration of the anal fin in the two genders, although in females it is more silver, while in males the silver is more faint. In contrast, in several other species, the anal fin of females is much more colorful. Further, in some dramatic cases such as with true Red Hooks ("Myloplus rubripinnins" - the quotes because it is now being re-interpreted as an unresolved complex of several species), females have a huge red Hook, whereas the anal fin of males is bilobed, much less long, and almost colorless.
Good luck with your cichlid grow-outs, pairings and with the SD sale. I do wish I could.
I too wish I was closer to where you are. Alas...different sides of the country.
Thanks for entertaining my questions and I guess it is as I suspected, more or less. It is nice to have large tanks to be able to have groups of large fish such as the Leporinus spp. I have had both fasciatus and brunneus, but as solo specimens. I don't have any now.
Regarding male/female for the dollars. The various genera and species of SD's mostly can all be sexed in the same way, although individual species do have some differences.
However, in general, the outer edge of the anal fin of males is "bilobed" (2 "lobes or tips", the first being about midway on the edge of the anal fin, the second being the actual tip of the fin, or 'hook'). In females, there is an absence of the first "lobe", such that the edge of the fin is almost completely straight. In the clip below (your photo), 2 females (top) and two males can be seen (bottom).
In Emperor Blue Hooks (your SD's) there is not much difference in coloration of the anal fin in the two genders, although in females it is more silver, while in males the silver is more faint. In contrast, in several other species, the anal fin of females is much more colorful. Further, in some dramatic cases such as with true Red Hooks ("Myloplus rubripinnins" - the quotes because it is now being re-interpreted as an unresolved complex of several species), females have a huge red Hook, whereas the anal fin of males is bilobed, much less long, and almost colorless.
Good luck with your cichlid grow-outs, pairings and with the SD sale. I do wish I could.
When I put the Loisellei (Friedrichshtali ), I thought they’d be low man on the cichlids totem pole. I was wrong.
They have proven to be fierce and the male/female pair defend their territory well. The umbee pair doesn’t work together as effectively and only control the left third of the tank. Granted, it’s the best territory so they’re still the dominant fish.
The Loisellei have broken off into two pairs and a fifth wheel female. The more dominant of the two pairs controls the right third of the tank which is the second best territory. The subordinate pair controlling the center and constantly in a stare down contest with the other pair and the pair of umbees.
Meanwhile, the festae are hanging in there and the largest is pushing 6”. Only a bit longer before they start to color up. But still, these guys are owned by the Loisellei. I’m sure as they get bigger they’ll start asserting themselves more. Remember, these fish are still young. I’ll have to remove a pair of those Loiselleis one day. For now, the Cold War keeps the peace.
Tank looks bare without the Royal Blue Hooks. I added two smaller Leporinus Fasciatus to grow the group to 5. The larger ones are around 7”, with the new ones being about 3:5-4”. They, along with the Leporinus Brunneus are Dong great and make excellent tankmates for larger aggressive cichlids. They also constantly graze on the wood and sand so they serve a similar function as Semaprochilodus.
Once these fish grow up a bit more, the colors should be popping and hopefully this tank will rival my SA setup at its peak.
They have proven to be fierce and the male/female pair defend their territory well. The umbee pair doesn’t work together as effectively and only control the left third of the tank. Granted, it’s the best territory so they’re still the dominant fish.
The Loisellei have broken off into two pairs and a fifth wheel female. The more dominant of the two pairs controls the right third of the tank which is the second best territory. The subordinate pair controlling the center and constantly in a stare down contest with the other pair and the pair of umbees.
Meanwhile, the festae are hanging in there and the largest is pushing 6”. Only a bit longer before they start to color up. But still, these guys are owned by the Loisellei. I’m sure as they get bigger they’ll start asserting themselves more. Remember, these fish are still young. I’ll have to remove a pair of those Loiselleis one day. For now, the Cold War keeps the peace.
Tank looks bare without the Royal Blue Hooks. I added two smaller Leporinus Fasciatus to grow the group to 5. The larger ones are around 7”, with the new ones being about 3:5-4”. They, along with the Leporinus Brunneus are Dong great and make excellent tankmates for larger aggressive cichlids. They also constantly graze on the wood and sand so they serve a similar function as Semaprochilodus.
Once these fish grow up a bit more, the colors should be popping and hopefully this tank will rival my SA setup at its peak.
