New festae fry

[cbourg746]

Got some of these little guys from a buddy today.

 

[Cichlid-dude]

Congrats!

 

[stone1269]

I want some true red terrors sooo bad lol but Congrats anyhow

 

[HUKIT]

I keep Festae as well, congrats in 12-18 months they'll be fire breathing monsters like mine.

 

[cbourg746]

I keep Festae as well, congrats in 12-18 months they'll be fire breathing monsters like mine.

They are beautiful!!!!!!

What would you say the expected growth rate should be? These were born on fathers day and the bigger ones are about 3/4"

 

[jetajockey]

Awesome - we are planning to get a juvenile male and female festae from a local guy tomorrow morning if everything pans out.

 

[cbourg746]

Awesome - we are planning to get a juvenile male and female festae from a local guy tomorrow morning if everything pans out.

If things don't pan out please let me know. My buddy has well over 400 fry from two different spawns. Pensacola isn't too far from New Orleans.

 

[HUKIT]

They are vey slow growers, I've had some hit 5-6" in a year and some that only grew only 2" in that same time. Don't expect to much more than a half inch per month, good luck my largest female is insane.

 

[jetajockey]

If things don't pan out please let me know. My buddy has well over 400 fry from two different spawns. Pensacola isn't too far from New Orleans.

Thats a ton! The ones that we are going to look at are already a few inches and beginning to get some color so I hope to pick out the cream of the crop. Hopefully it will work out but if not I will let you know.

 

[stone1269]

I would love to buy a few if anyone could help me out I live in Tenn so they would have to b shipped but I would pay for it. They are like my dream fish lol

 

[Ralphie126]

Nice parents and fry! What size tank are they in and what tank mates if any do they have? Jw because I might get a pair

 

[cbourg746]

I would love to buy a few if anyone could help me out I live in Tenn so they would have to b shipped but I would pay for it. They are like my dream fish lol

I will run that by my buddy and see what he says. I don't see why he couldn't help you out.

 

[cbourg746]

Nice parents and fry! What size tank are they in and what tank mates if any do they have? Jw because I might get a pair

They are in 55gal with no tank mates. There's about 15 in there now until they start to get some size. I'm hoping to get 2-3 breeding pairs and then sell the rest.

 

[HUKIT]

There is no way you'll get 2-3 pairs forming in a 55g, I had 11 alone in a 180g and they started killing each other off around 2-3". My largest female has killed dozens of tankmates including the largest male after they spawned, she refuses any tankmates and now lives alone while I try and grow out my remaining 2 males. If your serious about keeping these fish a few large tanks will be required, I've seen males over 12" and they can reach 20".

Mine didn't start spawning until around 4-5", so a couple of pairs in a small tank is impossible. I've been breeding cichlids for the better part of 20 years and these guys are on a different aggression scale than most. There have only been 7 people to turn in fry in the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association, they are extremely difficult to breed due to aggression issues...especially conspecific.

 

[Ralphie126]

Oh, didn't think that males actually got to 20 inches, never mind looks like I'm not getting them

 

[stone1269]

I will run that by my buddy and see what he says. I don't see why he couldn't help you out.

Thank u so much lol I have been chasing these particular fish for soo long!!

 

[cbourg746]

There is no way you'll get 2-3 pairs forming in a 55g, I had 11 alone in a 180g and they started killing each other off around 2-3". My largest female has killed dozens of tankmates including the largest male after they spawned, she refuses any tankmates and now lives alone while I try and grow out my remaining 2 males. If your serious about keeping these fish a few large tanks will be required, I've seen males over 12" and they can reach 20".

Mine didn't start spawning until around 4-5", so a couple of pairs in a small tank is impossible. I've been breeding cichlids for the better part of 20 years and these guys are on a different aggression scale than most. There have only been 7 people to turn in fry in the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association, they are extremely difficult to breed due to aggression issues...especially conspecific.

I have a 150 gal and a 75 to move them to when they get bigger. I will keep you posted on the progress and will be looking to you for advise. At what point will I start to see the conspecific aggression? I was told at around an inch/ inch and a half. I have 15 and did not think for one second that all were going to survive.

 

[HUKIT]

I started with 5 F2's and 11 F1's and I'm down to 3, one large 6-7" female and 2 3-4" males that need to bulk up prior to me introducing them to the female.

The aggression started around 2" and has progressed to the point of most of mine would not accept tankmates, even killing fish 2-3x their size.

I've seen a couple of pairs that got along but the majority of them don't, the wild caught parents of mine have beat the crap out of each other over and over and without a tank divider one of them would be dead.

 

[cbourg746]

I started with 5 F2's and 11 F1's and I'm down to 3, one large 6-7" female and 2 3-4" males that need to bulk up prior to me introducing them to the female.

The aggression started around 2" and has progressed to the point of most of mine would not accept tankmates, even killing fish 2-3x their size.

I've seen a couple of pairs that got along but the majority of them don't, the wild caught parents of mine have beat the crap out of each other over and over and without a tank divider one of them would be dead.

The parents of these fry are in a 90 gal with no tank mates. They get along except after spawning he said. There was a divider in the tank when I got there yesterday buy they had just did the deed a few days earlier. He said the male won't leave the female alone. The other pair he has are in a 220 gal with several tank mates. He claims to have no issues with any of the fish in that tank. They actually spawned in that tank.

 

[cbourg746]

Thank u so much lol I have been chasing these particular fish for soo long!!

My friend said no problem he just wants them to get a little more size on them before they would ship. How many would you want. Not sure on pricing.