Red bay snook questions

[coltiger1975]

Good morning, I recently purchased a juvenile Red bay snook. It was sort of an impulse buy as I was buying juvenile black belt vieja for my wife as it's her favourite cichlid.

There were two snooks in the next aquarium to them, one of the vieja had made the jump to their tank. It was flaring like mad at its siblings next door while periodically chasing the bigger snooks away. I noticed the one had a messed up mouth. I am thinking now that probably was the vieja that perhaps damaged it. Observations of this I also noticed an egg tube on the damaged mouth fish which I assume would have meant female. Long story short I purchased the other one.

This one appears to be male as a smaller tube was and is now out. One question is, if I do return and get the female. Do you think it is likely damage from the vieja or small change it's a birth defect? I would like to breed them but not sure if the offspring will be messed up.

To add to this, currently the snook is in qt with a female Rio Bagaces and an unsexed Tuba. The tuba is another attempt with them as the last ones I had were savage on themselves. I would like to try solo one in a mixed CA tank as I found they didn't bother other CA other than themselves. Now snook is boss of the tank but he appears to be pairing with the female Rio Bagaces. I am assuming they could breed but I would really like it with another snook. Which is why I'd like to buy the female to keep and if they breed it is pure not mutts.

Should I buy the female and keep them in a 265? I am not sure if the Tuba would work long term with the male snook without the female and some medium sized CA instead. Also not sure of Tuba sex which I assume if female a small chance of pairing. I would hope for a male if I do this way.

At moment Snook is four inches as is the Tuba too. Is a 265 big enough for a snook with some tankmates? I like that the snook while not overly aggressive can still establish its status as tank boss without wrecking it's tankmates. Obviously small enough ones can be snacks.

 

[duanes]

The 265 is a nice size tank for Petenia, but they are quite placid, and will grow to about 16" under the right conditions.
Both Vieja maculicauda and Tomocichla tuba are very aggressive and are probably not good tank mates for Petenia even in that size tank.
I have kept all 3 species and would not put them together in the same tank, Petenia have very sensitive jaws, and would not be able to compete with jaw lockers like Vieja, and Tomocichla, that use their jaws to determine dominance.
I must admit that when I first kept Petenia, I tried them in a cichlid community, and results were not good, lots of dislocated jaws.

 

[coltiger1975]

The 265 is a nice size tank for Petenia, but they are quite placid, and will grow to about 16" under the right conditions.
Both Vieja maculicauda and Tomocichla tuba are very aggressive and are probably not good tank mates for Petenia even in that size tank.
I have kept all 3 species and would not put them together in the same tank, Petenia have very sensitive jaws, and would not be able to compete with jaw lockers like Vieja, and Tomocichla.

I am thinking best to keep the snooks with themselves. I won't risk keeping the Tuba long term with them. The vieja will be solo as I know from experience they can be quite aggressive and my wife wanted one as I had traded off a female years back and to say she was annoyed understatement lol

If I get the female would this be fine? Or do they do better in groups? The green was my preference but only seen red when available here. Any cichlid you think be good with him if I am unable to get anymore? Thinking predator haps out of the question here.

 

[duanes]

The green (natural color) is also my preference, but when they were available there were only the pink .
After realizing they didn't do well with Vieja, or other aggressive cichlids, I grew out a trio in a 6 ft tank by themselves, and never noticed overt aggressive between them.
As far as cichlid tank mates, something on the mild mannered side, and an opposite shaped non-piscovorus mouth.
Big enough Rheoheros lentiginosus not to be swallowed.

or Paraneetroplus gibbiceps

Herotilapia multispinnossa might also work

Even one of the more mild mannered Amatitlania like mynae.

Although I've kept all the above cichlids, I've never kept them with Petenia, so its their more mild mannered disposition on which I base my conjecture.
These also tend to inhabit a different and more substrate hugging section of the water column than the open mid water areas preferred by Petenia.

 

[coltiger1975]

Great input thank you, I actually have a pair of myrnae right now. The rheoheros looks very nice, not seen here in Canada yet.

 

[coltiger1975]

I've decided to keep the snook solo for now. He seems to now be sexually mature, he is only 5 inches and his breeding tube is dropped. I would have thought it takes longer for this fish. He does seem to really interact better now he is by himself, funny watching him posturing around the tank to himself though lol