CPO experiences

[HybridHerp]

Hey, so I have a 10 gallon that is in need of an overhaul. I'm thinking about the different plants and animals I can keep, and now I'm wondering about CPO.

How are they with plants, destructive at all or not caring? And how are they with other animals? Will they hunt after other fish or inverts or do they mind their own business? If they do attack fish, is there a certain size of fish that would be considered safe to mix in?

[somewhatshocked]

Safe with plants. Not always safe with other living things - or even other CPOs.

They can tear shrimp to shreds and have been known to catch small fish. Sometimes you get lucky an they're calm, though.

[mordalphus]

I have between 20 and 30 CPO in a 20 gallon, they living with amanos and cherries.

They are only aggressive if they have no where to hide.

Mine even come out to eat together with no aggression, but put it in a 10 gallon with no moss or just stem plants and it will try to kill everything it sees.

[somewhatshocked]

I've got a couple in a heavily planted 10gal with Endlers and Cherries and they're fine.

The two in my 75 that's heavily planted? Hoo boy, they are terrors. Constantly snatching fry, bullying shrimp, eating their own young.

Sometimes it's luck of the draw, I guess.

You can't beat their antics, though. Not by a long shot.

[ravensgate]

I put a female betta in with mine for 3 days. 10 gallon and twice as many caves than there are shrimp...she hunted them, scared them, but they got their licks in on her fins. I pulled her out because I enjoy watching them more than her and it took them about 3 days to come out of hiding.

[MABJ]

I've got a male and female in a 2.5 loonnnng tank with lots of hiding places, perches and lots of stuff to break up the line of sight.

They're with lots of snails and two beautiful PFR cherries.

They will fight a little from time to time, but they've already mated once. They don't hunt the cherries, but they will seek and destroy snails. They leave my nerites alone thankfully.


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[mordalphus]

This is what I mean about heavily planted with plenty of hiding places, haha:



20 gallon about 70% full of moss, under the moss is ceramic breeding tubes. This tank makes lots of babies. Makes cherry babies, breviata babies, and CPO babies especially.

[somewhatshocked]

Basically, you mean ONLY hiding spaces!

That looks great, though, and would be perfect for CPOs.

[thesawguy]

I had a CPO with a betta for a while until the CPO started grabbing onto the bettas fins and taking rides around the tank. Now I keep him with a dwarf puffer in a five gallon tank, they leave eachother alone except when they occaisionally have eyes on the same snail, but even then they only get a little annoyed with eachother. When I recently left town for 4 days I just through in about 10 snails for them to eat. I've tried a couple of different foods for the CPO and he really likes hikari crab cuisine.

[MABJ]

Originally Posted by thesawguy

I had a CPO with a betta for a while until the CPO started grabbing onto the bettas fins and taking rides around the tank. Now I keep him with a dwarf puffer in a five gallon tank, they leave eachother alone except when they occaisionally have eyes on the same snail, but even then they only get a little annoyed with eachother. When I recently left town for 4 days I just through in about 10 snails for them to eat. I've tried a couple of different foods for the CPO and he really likes hikari crab cuisine.

The pea puffer and the cray is an interesting idea. I'd consider that for my tank :p


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