What is the most BELLIGERENT fish you've every owned?

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jagarundi

Bonafide, 100% Cichlid Lover!!
Oct 6, 2004
259
0
16
I ask this question because I recently had to donate my full grown Buttikoferi back to the store I purchased him from as a small fry about a year ago. This fish killed the longest tenured fish in the tank, which was the Red Tiger Oscar that you see in my avatar photo. He harrassed the other fish into submission and would charge at the glass whenever ANYONE came near it! At the fish store, he charges the glass and the owner says that he's a big attraction there and that the sale of his Buttikoferi fry is off the charts now. I don't know what species are compatible with this breed. What was the most belligerent YOU have ever had?
 

joel.uejio

AC Members
Jun 1, 2009
909
0
16
Real Name
Joel
Haven't had too much belligerence so far...
A male salvini who's *super* tough, but actually not very aggro
A juvie polleni who I think will grow into being a bruiser

Worst for me so far though has been a juvie firemouth actually -- when I had him with 3 other fm's in a 75g he pinned them in the corners and flared so much I thought his gills would pop. When I added some rainbowfish as target fish he began systematically separating them from their eyeballs!
 

ScottoMacD

Charlie and Amanda's Daddy
Dec 21, 2001
676
0
0
52
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada
My 6" Buttikoferi (butt-kicker) ate the egg crate that I had splitting the tank to get at and kill my 7" Mayan Cichlid (urophthalmus)

He was one belligerent SOB.

Right now though my crenicichla cincta (about 12-14") is easily the master of his domain. He rules the 220 gallon and doesn't take any guff from any of the other fish. He took a swipe at me once and left a mark on my arm.
 

andyjs

AC Members
Jun 6, 2009
555
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35
Ohio
I haven't really kept any of the big, notoriously aggressive cichlids. The meanest I've had were probably my Elliot's (very similar to FMs) pair and a "Geo." brasiliensis that I tried once. I put the Geo. with my severum and he harassed the severum so bad, I had to separate them. I put them back together about a month later and the harassing started up again. I left them alone for a while to see if it would calm down, and surprisingly the severum got fed up and fought back, killing the brasiliensis. I also currently have a male Geo. 'Bahia Red' (very similar to brasiliensis) that's pretty mean too. He killed off his mate, but since then hasn't caused much trouble in my 150 with my oscar and sev.
 

jagarundi

Bonafide, 100% Cichlid Lover!!
Oct 6, 2004
259
0
16
My 6" Buttikoferi (butt-kicker) ate the egg crate that I had splitting the tank to get at and kill my 7" Mayan Cichlid (urophthalmus)

He was one belligerent SOB.

Right now though my crenicichla cincta (about 12-14") is easily the master of his domain. He rules the 220 gallon and doesn't take any guff from any of the other fish. He took a swipe at me once and left a mark on my arm.
I know what you mean! I like the breed but the aggressiveness is just too much.
 

MySpace Mike

MySpace Mike Creative Media Founder
Jul 8, 2007
938
0
0
44
Denver, CO.
www.myspace.com
A 8" Female Jaguar Cichlid, bought her at 2" when she hit 6" she killed everything in my tank, 8" EBJD, 2 massive 12" Oscars, 8" Salvini, and a 10" Pleco.

She only calmed down after I got a 12" Male Jag for her. But sold the pair off for a nice profit.
 

Sounguru

Guru at being an expert
In all my years it has to be the Severums I have now. They will tear up any plastic plants I put in the tank and love to beat the snot out of each other. Even my largest Dempsey or any other cichlid I have kept has as much "This is my tank attitude" as these do.
 

ksane

aka TwistedPenguin
Mar 1, 2008
468
0
16
Oklahoma, USA
Definitely my Flowerhorn. He'll bite your nose off and cuss at you while he's chewing it lol Hates other fish, too. The Texas in his tank spends most his time hiding. I don't feel too sorry for the Texas though because he tries to kill every other fish in any other tank.
 
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