hi- i got a 20 long with a 5" tilapia in there with a small 3" pleco, 1 2" filament barb, 1 2" red tail shark and 1 small festivum cichlid. they all get alonbgf pretty good. the tilapia is king though. he rules the roost and the fish know it. the festivum kinda chlls in the swords most of the day while the shark and barb chase each other alot. anyway, the tilapia would be broderline semi-aggressive territorial to peaceful territorial. i got a zoomed filter with sponge on the intake on one side and a whisper 10i on the other side for filtration while a sponge filter provides the bacterial core. what kind of fish would be good with him? thanks
Tankmates for a Tilapia cichlid
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Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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What tilapia is it? A lot of them will quickly outgrow a 20. It seems the tank is beyond its limits already. What's with a red-tail shark(that needs more than just a 20 and at 5 inches at most), pleco(species not known yet), a filament barb(this fish will need company) and a festivum cichlid(there is still a chance it'll try to establish boundaries as a cichlid) sharing the same tank.
they gtet along. the red tail was a 50 cent fish, the filament barb is doing great by itself in the long tank, the tilapia was bought under the mistaken assumption he would top off at 5" http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10cichlid_redtilapia.htm
WRONG info there though- the fish gets bigger depending on the sex. its a pink tilapia fyi.
the pleco was bought to save it from some mean oscars who had damaged it (several open wounds). unknown max. size- he is an L-087, a very exotic species (http://www.jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquarium/hypostomus_species_l087.htm). although he has healed wll and is quite active and getting larger.
as for the festivum, he was bought a while back as a baby. hes getting bigger though. ill trade him in if he gets too large or nasty.
anyway, no recommendations?
WRONG info there though- the fish gets bigger depending on the sex. its a pink tilapia fyi.
the pleco was bought to save it from some mean oscars who had damaged it (several open wounds). unknown max. size- he is an L-087, a very exotic species (http://www.jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquarium/hypostomus_species_l087.htm). although he has healed wll and is quite active and getting larger.
as for the festivum, he was bought a while back as a baby. hes getting bigger though. ill trade him in if he gets too large or nasty.
anyway, no recommendations?
Lupin
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Mozambique mouthbrooders are far bigger than the 5 inches info. That fish is definitely not for the 20.
No more recommendations there.
No more recommendations there.
your tank will last about 2 more months, if you have a tilapia buttikoferi, it will kill pretty much anything you keep with it over it's lifetime. It will need a 55gallon MINIMUM all to itself. No suitable tankmates as they will be killed.
i agree with you all. the tilapia will soon be given back to the pet store and the red tail shark will be grownout and then given back as well. the pleco is just a janitor type- expendable and will eb given back if he gets too large. thanks for the advice on the stocking problem rbishop- sometimes even the most obvious to others never dawns on me!
alas, the tilapia is a not a buttikoferi- he is a pink tilpaia that i was mislead into buying thinking he would top off at 5". no regrest though as he is a pretty cool fish.
alas, the tilapia is a not a buttikoferi- he is a pink tilpaia that i was mislead into buying thinking he would top off at 5". no regrest though as he is a pretty cool fish.
Well, from what I've read over at MFK, the Butti is probably one of if not the most aggressive fish you can have, so that's actually luck. I'm just a bit concerned over the attitude of, well, I can take this fish back when it gets too big, and then this one, etc. LFS aren't generally set up to repurchase larger fish on a "grand" scale. Any store's bottom line is financial, making a profit. So research your fish before you buy them--if you see one you really like but don't know anything about it, see if you can put down a refundable deposit for a day or so, then find out ALL you can about the fish. Other aquatic sites may provide you with more realistic sizes. When it comes to big fish, I check at MFK first, and find out the range the fish will grow to make sure I can house it. Thus, I did not impulse-buy the baby silver aro, as I knew my housing limitations. It just helps everyone all the way around (including the fish) to check out needs beforehand, thus saving heartache, frustrations, and the possible death of the fish. 
Well, from what I've read over at MFK, the Butti is probably one of if not the most aggressive fish you can have, so that's actually luck. I'm just a bit concerned over the attitude of, well, I can take this fish back when it gets too big, and then this one, etc. LFS aren't generally set up to repurchase larger fish on a "grand" scale. Any store's bottom line is financial, making a profit. So research your fish before you buy them--if you see one you really like but don't know anything about it, see if you can put down a refundable deposit for a day or so, then find out ALL you can about the fish. Other aquatic sites may provide you with more realistic sizes. When it comes to big fish, I check at MFK first, and find out the range the fish will grow to make sure I can house it. Thus, I did not impulse-buy the baby silver aro, as I knew my housing limitations. It just helps everyone all the way around (including the fish) to check out needs beforehand, thus saving heartache, frustrations, and the possible death of the fish.
no offense, but perhaps you should read my responses before you type a response.
"the tilapia was bought under the mistaken assumption he would top off at 5" http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10cichlid_redtilapia.htm
WRONG info there though- the fish gets bigger depending on the sex. its a pink tilapia fyi."
that was typed by me on an earlier post- scroll up and its there. i did do research and the research was wrong on a site that normally is very correct and on the mark.
second, for the last time on this thread it is NOT A BUTTIKOFERI. it is a pink tilapia cichlid. here is a link on the little bugger: http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Cichlid,%20Pink%20Tilapia.htm
i can sell the fish and others listed back quite easily as the lfs gives 50% of the price he will sell it for, no questions asked. he is a good man on that token. plus, his store just plain rocks. why does he do it? cause he knows that the fish will sell! ive asked him before about fish (keyholes, some plecos, and a blood parrot i grew out) i have traded in and he says they are sold sometimes later that day!
here's a pic of the fish i have ( named him pharaoh as he rules the tank)
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didn't we give you advise a month ago and you wouldn't budge
what are those barbs any way filament? is that the same as drape fin?
then you said the pleco was an exotic now its a through away?
what are those barbs any way filament? is that the same as drape fin?
then you said the pleco was an exotic now its a through away?