# Vieja argentea keeping conditions?



## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

Hey there,

What are the ideal keeping conditions for Vieja Argentea?

Like what's a good size tank, are they okay alone? CA cichlid community?

I think that they're beautiful but don't know much except the profile info from this site.. Anyone keeping them?

If you could just write a couple sentences with suggestions etc that would be awesome.


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## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

Okay so what I read from a google search is that they are aggresive but have small mouths and can be housed with other hardy cichlids. Also that a single one is okay in a 75G and minimum tank length should be 4 feet.. they prefer to be kept in pairs... Easy to spawn and eat a mostly herbivore diet..

Do you think a pair of these could be kept with a pair of Sevs, and few thor. Meeki in a 5 ft 110?

With lots of hiding spaces etc?


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

A minimum for an adult male should be at least a 6ft. tank, not 4ft. These males can reach about 16" in size and are very aggressive.

A pair with any tank mates in a 5ft. tank likely will not go well. With tank mates as docile as severums are (in comparison), you'd have shredded severums. Meeki would probably be bite-sized, with a lot of hiding spaces they might have a shot but I'd expect they'd be picked off.

I would recommend a pair only in a 6ft. tank with no tank mates, personally.


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## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

Thanks sinister..

Too bad , they're gorgeous fish..


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## clgkag (Mar 22, 2008)

I have 4 in a 7ft 210. They get along pretty well, but no pairs have formed yet. I will probably either have to divide the tank or make it a single pair only when they do form a pair. I would definately put them with hardier cichlids in at least a 4ft tank. My dominant male definately has to have his way.


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

They are definitely gorgeous...they will be one of the first things I buy when we move out of this little basement suite and buy a full house, and I can fill it up with more tanks again


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## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

clgkag said:


> I would definately put them with hardier cichlids in at least a 4ft tank.


So you think it's okay to house em in a 4 foot tank?

Could you expand on that statement a little.. like you think I would need Hardier cichlids then what I proposed in a 4 foot tank?


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

Even without any other fish, a 4ft. tank isn't large enough for a 16" fish.


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## clgkag (Mar 22, 2008)

typo on my part, I meant 6ft read 4ft and screwed up.


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## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

cool.. so the 5 foot tank thing just isn't a good idea then eh? Too bad I'm setting one up within the next month or so for my sevs and meeki and thought a couple of them would be gorgeous in there.. There's a local guy selling some.

Wel it's a 'when I get the space' dream then..


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

You could probably do a solo adult in a 5ft. tank, with no other tank mates, as long as it's more than wide enough as well to accommodate it's size. Would be an absolutely minimum though, and definitely only for one solo fish.


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## Frameshift (Sep 12, 2003)

16"? Have you ever seen a 16" argentea? The largest I've seen on the net was 13", and that includes photos of wild caught fish. I've only seen a handful (4-5) near 12". Even Fishbase has them at 12", http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/species ... e=argentea

I currently have a male that is about 2 years old (I bought him May 25th 07 at 2") and he is just over 9". He was raised in a 100 gallon, then a 210, and then a 360 gallon. From others I've talked with about growth this seems to be normal.

If you get one you have several years before they're even pushing the 12" range, a 4 foot tank would be fine for a long while. Ideally the fish would end up in a larger tank, but will be fine for a good long time in a smaller tank.

Mine is quite peaceful, and is at the bottom of the hierarchy for male fish.

It seems they've had quite a bit of hype but they don't live up to their size or aggression touted on the web.

Here's my male


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## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

Wow, so pretty.. man I want one of these fish!

How long could it be kept in a well planted/decorated 5 foot 110 (60X18X24) and do you think it would be okay with Rotkeil Sevs Juvenies (maybe 2 or 3?) and Meeki Juveniles (same, maybe 2 or 3)..

Couple years?


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## Frameshift (Sep 12, 2003)

Every fish is different so I can't say anything with certainty. You won't know unless you try it. Though I can say I think all the large tank raised argentea I've seen on the net have been in community settings.

In regards to my fish, he's never been aggressive to larger fish and never shown any desire to eat fry from pairs that bred in his tanks.

I'd say one could be kept for life in that sized tank pretty easily. As for the stocking, I think it would be fine with the meeki for life as the argentea is a mid to upper swimmer and the meeki tend to lay low, but would watch the sevs once the argentea is 6"+, as they have a similar body shape which seems to be one point of aggression.

The plants also might get eaten, but I'm not sure as I've not kept mine with live plants. They are omnivorous.


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## Nathan43 (Jul 9, 2007)

I was very close to getting one of these but decided on the Vieja Bef. and I think both of these fish are beautiful! :thumb:


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Frameshift said:


> 16"? Have you ever seen a 16" argentea? The largest I've seen on the net was 13", and that includes photos of wild caught fish.


In person, no. On the net, yes. On another forum place, someone posted fishing pics from mexico and yes, there were 14"-16" argentea. (that's SL, ie not including the tail)

Though who knows if this is one of those fish that can get larger in tanks than in the wild, or one that stays smaller. Of course to test this, we'd need a huge tank. I volunteer *TFG*'s new tank once finished to grow out a bunch of argentea so we can know for sure!


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