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I have already have a 2 foot long (60cm) Liearius pictus and now a friend has asked me if i can take his 15 inch (40cm) specimin of the same species as it is being bullied in his aquarium and needs rehoming.

Tank size is not an issue as i have a very large aquarium being built on the 20th of this month which will easily be able to house two 2 foot long cats and more but has anyone ever seen or heard of anyone keeping two Liearius pictus in the same aquarium before and if so what was the outcome? My main worry is that if they start fighting once i put them into the new tank it will be very difficult to recapture one of them from the tank without actually having to get into the tank with them which would be very stressfull to all the fish which have just been moved.

Any thoughts or experiences are welcome.

Just a thought: considering the risks that may be involved, why don't you try to swap the new Leiarius against the Trachycorystes you want so badly?

The trouble is that the new Liearius has been badly beaten by its tankmates, namely an Asian arowana and has some damage to its fins which will probably not ever heal completely so it the fish is essentially worthless in trade in value, that and most shops wont touch a fish that can hit 2 feet in two years.

I have other large tanks which "could" house the fish if co habbiting doesnt work but the whole reason i have paid a fortune for the new larger tank to be built is because i felt that my own Liearius didnt have enough room.

I guess i'll just have to try it out and watch what happens, its incredibly doubtfull i know but wouldnt it be amazing if they actually bred.

How about some sort of temporary tank divider, such as a sheet of perspex with holes in to allow a through flow of water? You'll be able to tell if they are initially going to get on, then once they've spent some time in the same tank, but apart, remove it if all is going well. This has the advantage of being able to remove the new one without stressing the other residents too much if it doesn't work immediately.