View Full Version : 7 aggressive south american cichilds that get along fine in a crowded tank.
KingCobra22
04-12-2004, 12:07 AM
I currently have a 6in red devil,5in texas cichild,2 convicts,2
7 in pacus,and a 6 in jack Dempsey all in a 55 gallon tank.They all get along fine,no chasing,no battles,not territoral or any thing.Now I have only seen a few fights that went on for about a day about 2 months ago between my texas and my red devil and my red devil just destroyed my texas.My texas had his whole top lip ripped off,scars all over the body, and not a single mark on my devil.The funny part was that my texas would alwasy start the fights with the red devil even when he was injured. He always got his but beat bad.Everything on my texas heeled up now and all the fish get along fine.They were more agressive when they were 2-3 inches then they are now.They were all raised together in the 55 gallon tank.Now my question is:Is it normal for them to not be aggressive to each other and to get along in such a crowded tank?Arn't they supposed to be considered aggressive fish?
Just so you know I'm planning on getting a 95 gallon tank in the summer.
MonoSebaelover
04-12-2004, 12:12 AM
Welcome to Aquaria Central! They are not being aggressive because there is not enough room for anyone to establish a territory and there is such a high stress level that no one cares to set up a territory. I would look into a larger tank than a 95, I would look more into the 125+ range. Once fish (in the larger tank) start establishing territories you may have some real problems on your hands. Hope this helps.
ninerfan
04-12-2004, 4:07 PM
first off it is not funny to see a fish get beaten up in a tank. I think that that is a reflection of your maturity, and leads me to believe you have little to no repect for your own fish.
Secondly you are going to need a small pond for those fish, as you are dealing with 2 pacus that get extremely large, a red devil that will get to be a very robust 12 inches, a texas that will be in the range of 10-12 inches, and others.
My first advice to you would be to get rid of the pacus as fast as possible, you are most likely not going to have the room to ever house a fish of that size, then after that I would by a 90-125 gallon tank, for your devil, and possibly the convicts. and then leave your texas in the 55. Try to learn about the fish you want to buy before getting them... it is only fair for the fish.:(
KingCobra22
04-12-2004, 4:22 PM
Originally posted by ninerfan
first off it is not funny to see a fish get beaten up in a tank. I think that that is a reflection of your maturity, and leads me to believe you have little to no repect for your own fish.
Secondly you are going to need a small pond for those fish, as you are dealing with 2 pacus that get extremely large, a red devil that will get to be a very robust 12 inches, a texas that will be in the range of 10-12 inches, and others.
My first advice to you would be to get rid of the pacus as fast as possible, you are most likely not going to have the room to ever house a fish of that size, then after that I would by a 90-125 gallon tank, for your devil, and possibly the convicts. and then leave your texas in the 55. Try to learn about the fish you want to buy before getting them... it is only fair for the fish.:(
Fisrt off,I never said it was funny that my texas got beat up by my devil I said "The funny part was that my texas would alwasy start the fights with the red devil even when he was injured".bascically meaning he is a fish with alot of balls and is not afariad of no fish even when injured.(seems pretty stupid fighting a fish that almost killed you when you can't even fight back due to the injuries)That shows your misunderstanding of what I wrote.
Secondly,no way I gonna get a pond for my fish.I am getting rid of the pacus then moving my fish into a 95 or 125 gallon tank.
And as far as knowing about the fish before I buy them,I did my research and do know how big the pacus get and how the red devil can be pretty aggressive and how Cichilds are very territoral fish and so on...
Aggression will be the least of your worries. With Cichlids that size the bioload...even on the bigger tank you are ging to purchase...will be enormous.
By all means ditch the Pacu. I have a twenty pound, 28" monster that I am just about ready to Bar-B-Que. I firmly believe that that is one fish that should NOT be sold to aquarists. Few have the means to take care of the adult version.
Harry Tolen
04-13-2004, 11:28 AM
Not to be picky, but the fish listed are all Central American cichlids, not South Americans. Big difference.
Also, good luck trying to get rid of your pacus. Mojo is right that they should never be sold...when they get large, very few people can keep them. You need an indoor pond or a 240g tank at a minimum, and all the people with such facilities have probably already adopted their personal limit (I know that the four I have are more than enough for me). So they just get abandoned in lakes or other outdoor bodies of water, where they die when it gets cold. Not very responsible to breed fish 99% of which come to such a miserable end.
BBQ your pacu? YUM!
In India I heard that they have huge man made resivors that they stock with pacus for a food source. Since pacus grow so large and fast. Just more useless info. :D
KingCobra22
04-13-2004, 2:37 PM
Well if I do have trouble getting rid of my pacus when they get big then I'll just invite some friends over and have a BBQ.Plenty of food for everyone :hi: :D
Originally posted by Dean
In India I heard that they have huge man made resivors that they stock with pacus for a food source. Since pacus grow so large and fast. Just more useless info. :D
Not useless at all. If you can feed a town with that huge fish...I'm for it :D
Harry Tolen
04-13-2004, 4:42 PM
Perhaps everyone is just kidding, but I'm going to cover myself just in case. Pacus (or in fact any fish) that have been kept in aquaria should not be eaten, ever. Many medications used to treat common fish illnesses are known carcinogens. Many are also specifically dangerous to pregnant women and their unborn children. This is also a really good reason to be very careful when handling these medications, even if you are not planning on ingesting your piscine patients later.
Word. Mine was tongue in cheek as well.
I imagine this is all low on fighting due to the comparatively small size of the RD and others, and the crowded nature of the tank. I would fear that if you move up to a 95 and remove the pacus the improved water conditions will allow a growth spurt in the RD and bang - aggro time
I wouldn't call these conditions normal, though they can be explained, but it's not really sustainable.