Looking for some help with a new member of the family

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lilfishie

New Member
Okay, so I am adopting a new guy this week.
Was wondering if anyone can tell me more about it.
Right now hes going into a planted tank. What is the best set up for them. Whould it be possible at this point to introduce a mate? Any idea where to get one?

It is a Herichthys carpintis.

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A

Anonymous

Guest
:afro: . o O I've never housed one but wanted to take a second and say, WOW- look at that color! Very nice looking fish you have there.
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
They can be very aggressive, and very beautiful. Looks male to me, (does it have a black dorsal?). Your plants may not survive long. :) They like to dig and redecorate. As for a mate, do you know what he is? I know its a Carpintis, but is he Escondido, or Vontahillo. It looks Vontahillo to me. Not sure where to find a female of adequate size.
 
lloyd378

lloyd378

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
he is stunning! I had a female and she was a wholly terror, I also had a male a few years ago that successfully lived with a dovii...... I second what madness said, mine dug up and messed with everything in the tank.... good luck.
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
Dont know if its a Escondido or Vontahillo. I will see if I can find any info on these.
I did read that they are very aggressive. As long as he doesn't bite me, I'm fine!
So they do fine with the plecos, so I am assuming they are aggressive towards others of the same species. Or do you think they are agressive to smaller fish. Oh, they would probably eat small fish, wouldnt they. So no mixing it with tetras huh!
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
lloyd378 said:
he is stunning! I had a female and she was a wholly terror...... I second what madness said, mine dug up and messed with everything in the tank.... good luck.
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HAHAHA...thanks

oh god, what have I gotten myself into!
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
theChad said:
:afro: . o O I've never housed one but wanted to take a second and say, WOW- look at that color! Very nice looking fish you have there.
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Thanks. I haven't really been a fan of cichlids, but I really like this guy. For some reason, I dont know why, but I do. Hopefully he has some personality.
 
lloyd378

lloyd378

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
You will love it! only word of caution is that they will breed with anything. my first one(male) bred with a dovii once, and my last one(female) bred with a creamsicle red devil.


as for food, my ate whatever I had. they were not picky at all. Though they absolutely loved frozen bloodworms, and hikari pellets.
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
Well he will be the only one in the tank until I can find a female of the same species.
I dont want to mix breed him. Maybe I will start breeding them.
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
I used to feed my gouramis and bosemani rainbows the same food as my saltwater fish, which was shrimp and scallops soaked in vitamins and garlic extract. They had great color. Bright and shinny. That and algae pellets is what he will probably get fed. I have hikari pellets too, but those only get fed once a month at most.
 
lloyd378

lloyd378

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Great idea! I didn't want hybrids either (just happened ). I sold my female about three weeks ago because she wasn't playing nice with some of my other fish...... wish i could get it back to give to you. she was beautiful, just like your male!


i am sure that shrimp and scallops will be great!
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
Okay, the previous owner says he is a pure Carpintis from Escondido.
He has tried introducing a female, but they were much smaller than him and he killed them. So, when and if I can find a large female, I will put a screen in the tank to separate them and let them get used to each other for a while before removing the screen. I'm kinda excited about keeping this guy.
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
Nobettername said:
Carpintis are super cool looking . I'll jump in line for fry no if you don't mind....
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dont mind at all. You might be waiting a while. I think it might take time to find the right female.
If anyone has a lead on one, pm me.
 
L

lilfishie

New Member
madness said:
They can be very aggressive, and very beautiful. Looks male to me, (does it have a black dorsal?). Your plants may not survive long. :) They like to dig and redecorate. As for a mate, do you know what he is? I know its a Carpintis, but is he Escondido, or Vontahillo. It looks Vontahillo to me. Not sure where to find a female of adequate size.
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You asked if it had a black dorsal fin. I dont see any black.

Is there an easy way to tell if it is a male or female? Is there a definitive body shape or fin size/shape that can help sex it?

I took more pics last night. I will post them tonight. See if we can determine for sure the sex.

I am new to these guys. Thanks for all the help.
 
D

Drd62

New Member
madness said:
black dorsal = female
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Hard to tell but it looks like an Escondido. Vontahillo's has the larger pearls on the body, but the side view of your carpinte makes it harder to discern.
Nice looking fish. As madness said, Carpinte can be very nasty as far as temperment, but their coloring can be very attractive..
 
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