View Full Version : MY neons are living with cichlids
deathspike63
07-07-2003, 6:19 PM
i originaly had a tropic tank with wimpy little tropics, my friend introduced me to cichlids and i had to get some. my plan was to buy them as babys and when they grow up they'll have a live meal i got 2 firemouths, 1 yellow lab, 1 lemon, and i had a livinstoni (god rest his soul) my plan work... sorta. these neons are still living my cichlids are almost full grown. i mean the fire mouth eats bigger fish then these neons, and the neons has been alive for almost 3 years. and ive been to lazy to take em back to the store.
CAN ANY ONE TELL ME WHY THEY WONT DIE
deathspike63
07-07-2003, 6:33 PM
U guys really dont like to talk do you... i guess if my cichlids wont do it i will ( now i need a intersting way hmmm)
DarthV
07-07-2003, 6:47 PM
My friend and next door neighbor has had a single tetra in with her 9" red belly piranha for over 2 years. Sometimes fish just won't go for some other fish.
My friedn has a tank full of convicts and 1 cherry barb. He made a deal with someone is our best guess.
chevyII
07-07-2003, 7:40 PM
It doesn't surprise me. If they grew up together the cichlids probably just don't look at them like food but more as a peer. Why kill them? If there living together peacefully why not just keep them? I think thats cool lol. If I could tetras in with my fish I would.
Plus now you can tell all the people that say tetras won't live with cichlids that you have proof :)
BTW if you could post a pic that would rock hehe.
Maybe because the cichlids grew up with the tetras they see the tetras as a parental figure! My Nicaragunses won't eat the guppies they grew up with, either!
dave76
07-07-2003, 9:13 PM
I bet they eat the babies though.........
paradigmcubed
07-07-2003, 10:01 PM
I'd keep the neon's. I'll try that out next time I've got some baby Cichlids.
dave76
07-07-2003, 10:07 PM
good point, I would rather keep neons than danios if I could.
Dragon_Lord_Tia
07-08-2003, 12:23 AM
first waht happened to the livingstoni???
well if they grew up togeather maybe they dont see them as food but as a friend you never know it could be happening
optix
07-08-2003, 12:22 PM
You just don't have the right cichlids man ;). What size tank do you have. I would take those old worlds back and get me some salvinis to keep with the firemouths.
dbcb314
07-08-2003, 1:58 PM
how big is your tank? maybe if you have room, you could buy another cichlid and he would probably wipe them out
Firemouths are not very aggressive cichlids. My inch and a half festae have already chased a giant danio to death, forced him to jump out of the tank. But why would you want the tetra's to die? I think they are a beautiful fish.
dbcb314
07-08-2003, 2:14 PM
maybe he wants the tetras to die bc they are boring fish with no personality whatsoever that are just taking up space
Thank you for the constructive input.
scotts right actually, I would almost call firemouths peaceful, its not that they aren't "that aggressive" its that they are hardly at all. Oscars are far more territorial than a firemouth and I don't look at oscars as being aggressive really at all. Just territorial. You will never find an oscar or firemouth chasing a fish just to be chasing it. Its either running it out of its claimed area or chasing a food item.
dbcb314
07-08-2003, 2:38 PM
Originally posted by scott
Thank you for the constructive input.
no problem
optix
07-08-2003, 10:12 PM
Originally posted by scott
Thank you for the constructive input.
haha, sarcasm is awesome especially like this, Thumbs up scott, im with ya.
pinballqueen
07-14-2003, 1:58 PM
If you don't want the fish anymore, here's a couple of ideas for you.
Idea #1: See if your LFS will let you return the neons for credit, or if they will buy them from you. This is what I do.
Idea #2: If you really don't want to keep the fish, why not give back to your community? There are plenty of schoolrooms that would benefit from having a tank. It would teach children to love and care for fish, and thereby perpetuate to the hobby. Buy a 10-gallon tank, donate it, the fish, and your time to a local school or aftercare center, like Boys and Girls Club. Your conscience with thank you.
Idea #3: Get a new tank for yourself, and move the neons to it.
Tightdog1
07-14-2003, 8:04 PM
many times if fish are brought up together from a small size they will be "friends" and/or not atack each other, this is probably the case with your neons. (the neons were in the tank b4 the cichlids right?)