Festivum Acting Strange -- 07/23/07 Hi Robert, I found your article/info at: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/festivums.htm I've had one Festivum for about 4 years now and it has been a very hearty fish (it's had more lives than a cat)! I have it in a 35 gallon tank with 3 other fish. I know it's not doing well when it starts to lose all color and hide towards the bottom (water/filter change alarm!). However, for the past month or so, it has been hanging out in one corner of the tank with it's head pointed straight down, usually with it's body against a flat rock. It has full color, eats when fed, and swims away when I tap the corner of the tank ...but I've never seen it behave this way before. I'm wondering if old age has finally set in, or if it's really sick. I researched the web looking for more info but couldn't find much else. Can you offer any insight or other resources? Thanks in advance! :-) Giued <You are going to have to do a little detective work here to see if anything is really wrong. In nature festivums are rather shy fish that don't like lots of movement or activity. As far as Festivums go they are rather docile compared to the cichlids. If the fish looks and acts normal I would keep the tank lights on and observe the tank from afar in the dark. I bet one of the other fish has moved up on the pecking order and has now started to push the other fish around including the festivum.-Chuck>

Festivums 7/21/05 I was just wondering how well Festivums do with Discus. They look very interesting and I have plenty of room in my aquarium. Amanda <Have seen them together in displays... quite striking. Have you read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/festivums.htm and the Related FAQs linked above? Bob Fenner> Festivum with issues I have 2 festivums. I believe one is male and one is female. The issue is they swim around the tank at times and then sink to the bottom like a ton of bricks and just lay there....literally...on their side. Then they swim again. They have done this for 4-5 weeks now. Why? Is something wrong? <Maybe...> Also, the vertical stripes become darker at times. Is this indicating a problem? <Not necessarily... but good observation... this species does "communicate" in this way... and "may be telling you something"... like they don't like their water quality... or food/feeding... Have you read here? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/severums.htm  and the linked files (above)? Bob Fenner> Any help is appreciated!! Thank you!! 

Festivum decision Hi! I recently bought 2 festivum,1 is quite small and one is a large adult. I have them in a 40 gal with some firemouths, convicts (non breeding) blue acaras and a juvie Severum. the smaller one is getting sort of picked on, not a lot, but the fish are sort of biting at her but not doing any serious harm. so I was wondering if the smaller female would be okay in a 25 gal with neon tetras (wouldn't she eat those?) some harlequin rasboras, some glow light tetras,2 male Bolivian rams and a gold ram. it might be stocked now but I had to move the Neons and glow lights from a 12 gallon to make way or my new born jewel fry. so could I put her in there temporarily? < Festivums are not really tough enough to go with convicts and firemouths. They are better suited to go with angelfish, discus and dwarf cichlids. They will eat smaller tetra types like Neons.-Chuck> Ben Schneider