[roadmaster]

We can read and hear it all over, in books, on the internet and from lots of people. Cichlids are territorial, they dig, they kill each other and all those stories. But is it true or does it just make a good story?

How about a small case study that indicates not all cichlids are the same.
Can we call it "Grandfather visits" ?

A 75 gallon tank with lots of wood and rocks for cover where 6 rainbow cichlids live and breed. A young pair have laid eggs and now have wigglers when the largest male approachs.

Does he dash in, beat up the small fish and eat the fry?


Or does he approach them slowly and let them know he means no harm?

Maybe he even greets them and checks on the grandkids?

After he leaves the small female still guards the little black pile of wigglers down in the corner.

But that can't happen. All the books say cichlids are killers!

NO! Not all cichlids do that! Some are just plain sweet but you are not likely to see that written in most books.

So just don't believe all you read. I find some of the "experts" who write books may not be that good on the subject. Some of the information you read is correct. Some is totally wrong.
Pick your information carefully and you may find cichlids are not all the same.

No,,not all cichlid's are bad.
Have kept and bred the herotilapia multispinosa pictured,and these along with Keyhole cichlid's are quite mild compared to some other's.
Sometimes however thing's change as the fish become older, or when protecting fry.
I found the rainbow's to be excellent cleaner's of algae from wood,rock's, But they mowed down my hair grass like duck's on a june bug, and dug spawning pit's all over the tank preventing some stem plant's from ever getting root's down.
Larger leafed plant's did well.

 

[roadmaster]

Fish are incapable of perceiving emotions like humans. There's only food, make babies, food, make babies. I know as a passionate member of the community I often find myself thinking if a change I made to my aquarium will make my fish "happy" or do they like their new tank. I don't feel fish are capable of these kinds of feeling, but I often find myself projecting my own feelings onto them.

But if you look in the third photo both the parent fish are in aggressive postures, so the intruder fish probably left because out of fear.

Also let me say congrats on the fish babies!! I've never had much luck getting my cichlids to spawn, but I am going to set up a 30 gallon to try and breed some electric German blue rams.

+one

 

[roadmaster]

I wouldnt say the information out there is inaccurate, or that they get a bad rap. They are aggressive by nature and keeping them together is an art. Mulit-species tanks can be quite a challenge, so can a single species for that matter. One of the biggest problems I think is a lot of people decide they want cichlids and just go out and buy a bunch of the prettiest colors. Then one or two gets beat to death they go out and by a couple more. Rinse and repeat.

Given the right environment they can be extremely rewarding. One of the key ingredients is to have TONS of cover and hidey-holes. Rich's tank is a perfect example. Ive had a breeding pair of Brichardi and a breeding pair of Julie in the same 75 gallon tank with half a dozen other cichlids before.

I agree..
Am also impressed with your keeping spawning brichardi and other fishes in same tank.
I too have bred the Brichardi and have seen them send much larger cichlid's to upper corner's of the tank when protecting fry.
Hell,the whole family of brichardi once fry get some size,,will protect other younger family /fry from all interloper's no matter their size or temperment.

 

[roadmaster]

Like everything in the hobby, YMMV.

I built a 240 gallon, 8x2x2 ft. I put in central and south American cichlids, oscars, Salvini, jaguars, dovii, red devils, red terrors, as well as arrowana and tiger shovel nose.

Guess what happened. Nary a death, jaguars, oscars, Salvini all had spawns plus raised some to well beyond fry size. Arrowana met its usual death, jumping out.

In my current 140, leleupi and brichardi are breeding, with juvenile fish present now, with peacocks, brevia and others all in tank.


Cichlids can be housed in a variety of tanks, planted or not, but be prepared that it might not work. My experience has been raise a bunch from juveniles and it MIGHT work out. Adding more mature fish to an established set up is much more problematic

Having kept many of the species you mention,, I doubt there were no losses .
Fry would have been non exisistent,if they ever existed in such a tank due to natural instinct's of these fishes.
I don't however doubt that the Arrowana jumped out.

 

[roadmaster]

Doubt if you will, but I did not lose a single fish to aggression. Lots of fry were eaten, but with enough rock work, some did survive. As I said to start, YMMV. I have also had other tanks where fish died due to aggression, some cichlids, some just oddballs, some community fish.

May I ask how many fish you had to remove before they were killed outright?
I ask this due to the difficulty I had (most folk's) of getting spawning pair's without placing numerous fishes in my tank's of each species mentioned.
Some were rejected and I managed to remove them before they were killed outright, other's were set upon by more aggressive fishes during times when I was not around to save them.
Can't sex Oscar's (reliably ) or some of the other's mentioned,, so placing them in group's were needed to achieve any hope of spawning.
Red devil's knocked hell out of everything including sibling's that were raised together so they were left in their own tank once a pair formed.
the whole expierience required several large tank's with secure lid's,large stock tank's to hold other's. (Jaguar's,Dovi)
In the end,,I settled for a 90 gal tank with one Severum,one Firemouth,one Blue Acara,one convict,and one Oscar.
Much more enjoyable,less work,way less food's needed.