View Full Version : largest size cichlids
jiggerpolebill
12-09-2002, 3:58 AM
i was wondering about a couple of species and how bid they can get in the wild. dovii and jaguars.
has anybody seen any records listed for these two species? ive really been taking a strong interest in jaguars in particular. they remind me of some black crappie genetic experiment gone bad with their coloring and appearance.
these will sound like strange questions, but are these fish considered sport fish in their native lands? i would imagine they would be excellent fighters. and i wonder if they would taste good? there's the black crappie thing coming out again. theyre one of my favorite panfish. just thinking out loud again....
anybody know of any other record size cichlids? hopefully one day ill have a set up large enough to accomodate a jag.
Peacock bass, which I believe is a cichlid is concidered one of the top sport fish in central america - I think that one and the dovii may well be the biggest. I have read some reports about 30"+ which should put them in 15-30lb class depending on how fat they are and if they are ready to spawn.(just my guess)
BigOh
12-09-2002, 12:16 PM
According the scientific community the largest cichlid is:
Boulengerochromis microlepis
http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~pverburg/29-5.jpg
It hails from no other than Lake Tanganyika. :D
Eat your hearts out SA/CA cichlid fans ;) :p
fishlips
12-09-2002, 7:10 PM
Whats the size of that?
What scientific community is this? I've heard that they max out at 30". Peacock bass can hit 36".
blee358
12-09-2002, 8:54 PM
Outa the two u said i think the dovii is definitly the bigger out of the two. i don't know the max size of a dovii, but i know it gets pretty big. jags get big. they max out at around 18in. making them a pretty good cichlid for a 75g tank. peacock bass and any other bass get huge. i think most max out at around 3ft.
tuthelimit
12-09-2002, 8:58 PM
I am pretty sure BigOh is right. MAN would I love to have a tank for a group of microlepis.
I have also heard of a 36" peacock bas but... never once seen a picture. Cichla temensis are the big boyz.
Boulengerochromis microlepis, is consistantly large in size. Cichla have a wider range of sizes.
Ad Konings himself deemed this the largest cichlid at 70cms and larger.
ttl
tuthelimit
12-09-2002, 9:08 PM
Originally posted by blee358
Outa the two u said i think the dovii is definitly the bigger out of the two. .... jags get big. they max out at around 18in. ... peacock bass and any other bass get huge. i think most max out at around 3ft.
Although dovii get big, they can breed at a smaller sizes. In other words, they don't need to be 2 feet long to mate. I have seen 20-21" dovii but nothing longer. I'm sure they can get 28", but they grow really slowly once they hit large sizes.
Peacock Bass need to be large in order to breed. Peacock bass, fly up in size. I mean they grow with Oscar like speed. 24" in the aquarium is a realistic size for Cichla. All though Fishbase.org has the C. temensis listed at 99cm. I feel its like stories of 30ft SA snakes. They just don't exsist.
You are right Jags get big. IMO bigger than alot of people give them credit for. I have seen 22" Jags. Give them time and the tank space and you will grow a monster. The particular fish I am refering to is at a local aquarium. Its really old.
Remember although Cichla look like bass (small mouth), bass themselves are not cichlids so they can't be considered. I would pay to see a 3 foot Cichla.
24" Boulengerochromis microlepis are caught all the time.
ttl
jiggerpolebill
12-10-2002, 3:23 AM
just found this picture online for those interested:
http://www.jef-b.com/Cichlids/Black.asp?FishName=Dovii&Pic=Photos/Dovii/Dovii09.JPG
it was part of the following link found on a google search:
http://www.jef-b.com/Cichlids/dovii.htm
The IGFA record for cichla t. appears to be 27lbs !! It didn't list the length , however the record largemouth(which I believe is much plumper and fatter is around 22lbs and over 24") and a 27lb striped bass (which I think seems more of the cichla shape, maybe slightly skinnier) usually runs around 40+ ". So 36" seem about right.
What size tank do you put that in?
tuthelimit
12-10-2002, 1:09 PM
27lbs is huge!
Still, It would be nice to know the length of the fish. Its hard to speculate comparing Cichla to Micropterus even by length or weight. Just can't be done.
Cichla Temensis to my knowledge have not been bred in the aquarium. A Man named Bob Hare fron NJ, is trying to breed them in a HUGE vat. I hope he is suceeding. Maybe like a 750g+ tank for a pair could work.
ttl
Any idea where this Bob Hare lives in NJ?
tuthelimit
12-10-2002, 4:09 PM
No clue. I don't personally know him. His email address is ottodobie@yahoo.com. He goes by the name Hareball. You could try a google search under that name. His pictures of Cichla temensis are all over the web. he is friends with a man who goes by Cichlidgeek. Together they pretty much know everything about Cichla.
Shoot him an email, I'm sure he would be happy to answer your questions.
ttl
Ah, he posts over on predatoryfish.net He's got some beautiful setups.
fishlips
12-10-2002, 6:27 PM
One world record striper is around 78 pounds. Lenth of the fish was 53" with a 34.5" girth. It was landed in New Jersey on twenty pound test and took two hours to reel in.
Tightdog1
12-10-2002, 8:45 PM
i have seen a dovii at about 36" (approx decause it was still alive and swimming and i didnt have a tape measure), it was in like a 1000g tank, it was crazy, it would always swim up to the front of the tank if you got too close ans ram its face into the glass.
Monglor
12-12-2002, 11:52 AM
Here is a little article I found about Boulengerochromis.
http://www.geocities.com/presa2001sg/B_Microlepis.html
esoxlucieus
12-12-2002, 3:28 PM
http://www.wheretofish.com/images/brazil3.jpg
Now that's a big one.
I find it interesting how big those fish can get .. yet still retain great color.
Ledslnger
12-12-2002, 4:07 PM
Probably has a lot to do with water quality...all those rain forest trees and plants. One huge filter basically, have to figure in the sand also.
quantim0
12-12-2002, 4:23 PM
i'm sure that if given the right tank conditions a Cichla could be grown that large with that color. it would take a tank on the scale of something in a national aquarium with maitnence centered around that fish. but it could be done i'm sure. some pretty amazing things have been done in the aquarium hobby so i don't know if many things are out of reach.
Mattimeo
12-13-2002, 12:45 AM
I believe that cichla temensis is the largest cichlid. B. microlepis gets 31 inches, whereas I've heard about cichla that were at LEAST 36 inches, some even approaching or hitting in hte low 40's.
Feed them with colour enhancers and they'll be easily as colourful if not more. New life spectrum is absolutely amazing.