Need ideas for keeping my grown festae...

[Crazylegs78]

So I've got a male festae thats around 12", and a female that's 10". They spawned twice last year, but are not a compatible pair. Their 210g tank was always divided, and she's fatter than him, so the hole in divider method does not work. I've now moved them out of the 210g into a divided 125g, but I want a better solution as this just seems too cramped. The female is my favorite fish, so I don't want to get rid of her. She's personable, relatively peaceful, and the most neon red female I've kept. I'm not really looking to breed, just looking to keep a male and female, with the female staying colored up.

I'm not opposed to giving each their own tank, but I'm afraid she'll go green if I do that. So I was thinking...what if I place them in their own 75g tanks and place these tanks side by side so that they can see each other, but not access each other. Should work, right?

Here are the beasts in question...

 

[spitz006]

So I've got a male festae thats around 12", and a female that's 10". They spawned twice last year, but are not a compatible pair. Their 210g tank was always divided, and she's fatter than him, so the hole in divider method does not work. I've now moved them out of the 210g into a divided 125g, but I want a better solution as this just seems too cramped. The female is my favorite fish, so I don't want to get rid of her. She's personable, relatively peaceful, and the most neon red female I've kept. I'm not really looking to breed, just looking to keep a male and female, with the female staying colored up.

I'm not opposed to giving each their own tank, but I'm afraid she'll go green if I do that. So I was thinking...what if I place them in their own 75g tanks and place these tanks side by side so that they can see each other, but not access each other. Should work, right?

Here are the beasts in question...
View attachment 1513626

I have read that when fish are next to each other but in separate tanks they won’t be able to communicate through their urine like they do normally, so they just keep peeing more and more to try to get the message across but they can tell the message isn’t getting through. I’m sure it stresses them out and is probably cruel and unusual punishment. But yeah I don’t know… this is why I don’t ever want to keep fish which only color up during breeding, I want to try to find species that are always colorful regardless of breeding.

 

[monterey]

beautiful pair

 

[duanes]

When my fester were in the same tank the female colored up nicely.

When put in a separate tank, without a male (below)

 

[BIG-G]

Mine didn’t stay constantly in full on breeding colors even in the same tank. Their patterns were cyclical.
These being similar size does pose a problem.
Divided isn’t what you want anymore and
If they can’t tolerate each other you could try making a couple caves or hides, something where she could get out of sight or at least stand her ground against the male.
Other than that I think you’ve answered your own question.

 

[Hybridfish7]

I have read that when fish are next to each other but in separate tanks they won’t be able to communicate through their urine like they do normally, so they just keep peeing more and more to try to get the message across but they can tell the message isn’t getting through. I’m sure it stresses them out and is probably cruel and unusual punishment. But yeah I don’t know… this is why I don’t ever want to keep fish which only color up during breeding, I want to try to find species that are always colorful regardless of breeding.

Freshwater fish "pee" through their gills by the way (and "drink" through their skin), that's why candiru are attracted to urine, because that's what they use to locate the fish's gills to slip in and drink blood, but I get what you're saying

 

[spitz006]

Freshwater fish "pee" through their gills by the way (and "drink" through their skin), that's why candiru are attracted to urine, because that's what they use to locate the fish's gills to slip in and drink blood, but I get what you're saying

Interesting - I never knew that's where they excreted urea, i assumed it was out of cloaca. And yeah.. I'm definitely never peeing anywhere where the candiru live!

 

[Hybridfish7]

Interesting - I never knew that's where they excreted urea, i assumed it was out of cloaca. And yeah.. I'm definitely never peeing anywhere where the candiru live!

Fish don't have cloacas either, they have... pretty standard (albeit backwards) hardware

 

[spitz006]

Fish don't have cloacas either, they have... pretty standard (albeit backwards) hardware

I guess it must be slightly different than a true cloaca, but their hardware is the same as other tetrapods. Ovaries, testes, and a genital opening.