# green texas cichlid...



## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

hey all, Im new to the forum but I've been lurking for a long time. So, hello to everyone. I've been keeping cichlids for a while now, more than 2 years. So here is the question I have, I purchased a green texas cichlid about 3 months ago from a local breeder, he is about 6 inches. When I say he thats what the guy told me it was a male. This morning I woke up and a saw it guarding eggs on a flat stone.....now I thought he was he, not a she...I didnt see the actual egg laying process but just that it was guarding eggs.

Being that I have no other green texas cichlids in the tank, was this just random? or did it inter-breed with another from the tank? that eggs look bland, so im not sure.

I have 75 gallon tank

3 silver dollars (about 3-4 inches in size)
1 pleco ( about 4 inches)
1 butercarfi ( about 7 inches)
2 tiger/mable ocscar ( 8 inches and 4 inches )
1 green texas cichlid ( 6 inches, the one in question)
1 flowerhorn ( 4 inches )
1 green terror ( 4 inches)
1 black ghost (6-7 inches)
1 geophagus ( 4 inches)

think thats about it. I know it sounds bit over-crowded after listing it, I was wowed too, but it works fine. I keep up with the maintenance. i have a tank with an overflow box in the corner, connected to a tide-pool filter and I also have a eheim 2028 running as a bio filter.


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

thats one of the most overstocked tanks I have heard of. Thats over 56inches of fish in a 75! and there big cichlids moslty!!! Poor Fish!!!


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

aaaaaah, its not that bad, it only looks that way......i have to get rid of one of the oscars though, i cant take them any more, too freakin' dirty, gots to clean like every 5 days..lol. I know its over stocked but I keep it generally clean. But still it amazes me that there is a spawning fish in the tank...which is weird...


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

Thats to much id say loose the flowerhorn or he will kill your others loose both oscars


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## westwood8183 (Jun 15, 2003)

I think soon you will only have either a flowerhorn or a butti.

As far as the breeding, it's very possible for a texas to breed with a flowerhorn.


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## skools717 (Mar 29, 2008)

can you post a pic of your tank?


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

i was going to post pictures, but for some reason, my iphone stopped taking pictures recently...i think i broke it..lol


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

westwood8183 said:


> I think soon you will only have either a flowerhorn or a butti.
> 
> As far as the breeding, it's very possible for a texas to breed with a flowerhorn.


flowerhorn is too small, i think its not mature enough to mate...its about 2-4 inches and is still looking like a juvenile but its going to be a weird mix if they did breed...flowerhorn and a green texas cichlid...what would the out come be? probably something that wont live long....


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## Nathan43 (Jul 9, 2007)

Flowerhorn probably has texas in it (pearls) But you seriously need to get rid of over half your tank before it implodes into a bloody nightmare of hostility and pain. half those fish almost require a 75 gallon themselves let alone the rest.


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## Paaw (May 20, 2008)

Just another question can i have Green Texas with Jaguar and V. Argentea??? in a 528 gallons tank

Paw


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## BigJagLover (Oct 25, 2006)

Yes to the last question. I thiink that would be grossly understocked, just to hit the other side of the spectrum. :lol:


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## westwood8183 (Jun 15, 2003)

> flowerhorn is too small, i think its not mature enough to mate...its about 2-4 inches and is still looking like a juvenile but its going to be a weird mix if they did breed...flowerhorn and a green texas cichlid...what would the out come be? probably something that wont live long....


Texas is a very commonly used fish for creating flowerhorns because of their pearling. They are capable of breeding at a young age, 4" would not be unheard of.

But if there's no other fish defending the eggs besides the texas then it is probably just a female that laid eggs alone.


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## xXGrEeNxTeRrOrXx (Jan 25, 2006)

I agree with Westy. 2-4 inches is early, but not unheard of. The FH is the only other fish that would produce viable fry...

And yes, you should definitely thin that stocklist out a bit. The butti will definitley make short work of the other fish, if not the FH.


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

ok guys and gal, I;m getting rid of my entire stock...lol . im starting over with an african tank. this huge fishes are getting on my nerves now. always fighting...cool to watch sometimes but they just get injured and stressed. mainly its the butti vs the oscar...oscar always losses...green texas vs. the oscar...oscar losses...before he dies..i wanna get rid of him first.


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## Big Vine (Feb 26, 2007)

This doesn't surprise me one bit considering how grossly overstocked your tank is/was.
Did you ever follow-up on any of the recommendations you were given as far as thinning out your stock?



chris350 said:


> I;m getting rid of my entire stock...lol . im starting over with an african tank


I highly recommend getting advice over in the African cichlid sections of the forum before you do anything else.

Oh...and be sure to hold onto your biggest fish that you currently have and get rid of that one right before you start stocking the African cichlids---that way your tank will stay cycled and you won't starve the beneficial bacteria colonies on your filter media by emptying out the stock completely.

Good luck!
BV


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## nothing else matter (Oct 2, 2007)

i think you will over stock now your planned african tank, just like your CA tank    it is really very tempting to add and add fish that you fancy. just hope you'll be wiser this time. take BV advice to check first with the african section of the forum. good luck :thumb: :thumb:


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## urbaninja (Sep 10, 2008)

It probably bred with your flowerhorn. Flowerhorn x texas are a great looking hybrid IMO.


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

thanks for the advice guys.. yeah I have been thinning down the tanks slowly as to not upset the tank too much. I got rid of the black ghost fish, the pleco, and the small oscar.

I did read all the african set up readings. I think I know what I want. I also talked with my LFS peoples about it. They are willing to take my stock but with no credit for anything...blah...I'll keep searching for someone or some place to take them for a least a few dollars...

also...I do have a gravel substrate and switching to sand. The LFS dude told me about the eco complete african cichlid sand that I would like to use on a Malawi set up.

I was pondering the best way to get it out while I have a few fish in the tank. I do have a sump filter and a ehim 2028 as a bio filter only....
so I was thinking of removing about a 1/4 of the gravel a day. until all is gone. then add the sand.

does that sounds good? I think it does...


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

UPDATE: well i got rid of the butti and the texas cichlid...so the tank is now a peaceful place.

so now the stock is

1 oscar 
1 geophagus
1 small green terror
1 Parachromis loisellei ( thought it was a flowerhorn)
3 silver dollars for anger management


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## Big Vine (Feb 26, 2007)

Good job on thinning things down...keep at it!



chris350 said:


> so now the stock is
> 
> 1 oscar
> 1 geophagus
> ...


I'm almost certain that you'll find you are only able to keep one of the fish ^^^ highlighted in red in that 75 gallon tank of yours. Could be fine for a while as long as the oscar keeps playing 'referee' in there, but ultimately there's just not much space for the big guys as they continue to grow with such limited territories.

But again, good job so far with reducing your stocklist. Just a little ways to go now...
BV


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

nothing else matter said:


> i think you will over stock now your planned african tank, just like your CA tank    it is really very tempting to add and add fish that you fancy. just hope you'll be wiser this time. take BV advice to check first with the african section of the forum. good luck :thumb: :thumb:


thanks for your concern, but I think I will try to be a little more cautious this time around.
I will be following the cookie cutter set up for the 75 gallon tank in the library.


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

Big Vine said:


> Good job on thinning things down...keep at it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


yeah I'm working on it. A lot of my local stores are not willing to take big fishes so I will keep trying to get rid of them fast. The butti and the texas i gave away for free. The store will probably sell them back for a few dollars. The texas gots to worth about $40-50 and the butti probably about 60-70. its a store in manhatten so they will get a good price.

I was thinking of making a mix of Pseudotropheus saulosi, Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei", and Labidochromis caeruleus. Do you think its a good mix? and whats are the numbers I can have of each. the cookie cutter reciepe says like 8 acei and 10 labs, but I want to add about 4-5 saulsoi's. So to offset I would have to change up the numbers like 6 acei 8 labs abd 4 saulsoi's? would that work? any help would be appreicated.


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## Big Vine (Feb 26, 2007)

chris350 said:


> I was thinking of making a mix of Pseudotropheus saulosi, Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei", and Labidochromis caeruleus. Do you think its a good mix? and whats are the numbers I can have of each. the cookie cutter reciepe says like 8 acei and 10 labs, but I want to add about 4-5 saulsoi's. So to offset I would have to change up the numbers like 6 acei 8 labs abd 4 saulsoi's? would that work? any help would be appreicated.


Chris...if you haven't already, please post this ^^^ in the appropriate African cichlid section of the forum (Lake Malawi Mbuna) where you will get more help. 
BV


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## chris350 (Jul 9, 2008)

oh yeah, thanks....


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