Red Jewel cichlid

Hemichromis lifalili took over a 55 gal.

I got a group of 5 juvenile fish in a planted community tank. Not a wise move. No plants survived. Then a couple formed and it was no longer even a species tank, it was a breeding tank; everything else was bullied when not eaten torn in half. And it kind of happened in just a few minutes. Netting fish to save them made them easy targets and they were attacked in the net. My convicts used to always show respect for the net.

I was basically like the gory parts of Game of Thrones.

Plus the fry in tiny, really tiny. Way too tiny for crushed flakes.

I would slowly walk away. Only tears, emotional scars, loss of faith in the goodness of the universe, sadness and shame would come out of that venture.

Pick a fancy pelvicachromis instead.

Hemichromis are like the ship from Event Horizon.

Would love to see pics of lifalili..Will trade T. Molowie for true forest jewels. Or Turquiose jewels I have to trade for reds.

BigJohn said:

Hemichromis lifalili took over a 55 gal.

I got a group of 5 juvenile fish in a planted community tank. Not a wise move. No plants survived. Then a couple formed and it was no longer even a species tank, it was a breeding tank; everything else was bullied when not eaten torn in half. And it kind of happened in just a few minutes. Netting fish to save them made them easy targets and they were attacked in the net. My convicts used to always show respect for the net.

I was basically like the gory parts of Game of Thrones.

Plus the fry in tiny, really tiny. Way too tiny for crushed flakes.

I would slowly walk away. Only tears, emotional scars, loss of faith in the goodness of the universe, sadness and shame would come out of that venture.

Pick a fancy pelvicachromis instead.

Hemichromis are like the ship from Event Horizon.

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I have to agree with this. I've tried these fish numerous times over the years; once successfully. Nastiest little fish there are, IMO. They will keep some red coloration all the time. At breeding time the red intensifies.

Mark

Yes, very intolerant fish..really good parents, though. Interesting when kept in pairs,prolific,beautiful. Do well with 29 gallon tank until several years old when they get fairly large,..5-6 inches. Once they spawn first time,..stay pretty red most of the time.

I concur with the above. These guys are the bad *** on the block and stake territory by just murdering everyone. They whipped up on my JDs even though the JDs were over twice their size. No a bad project if one pair is to be kept and they do produce loads of feeder fry if that is your thing.

Almost as bad as my female auratus.....nasty fish.

Why not try German Blue Rams instead? or, if you can find some older juvvies or subadults, you could possibly do bolivian rams instead. IME, neither are the assassins jewel cichlids can be. in fact, my rams were always still quite peaceful while breeding (save for simply chasing away fish that got an inch or two too close)


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footballfan said:

Are bolivian rams or german blue rams available at most pet stores?If so how much do they normally cost?

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it really depends. i actually have had really good luck with both species I have bought from PetSmart. I know it might sound crazy, but both pairs of rams i bought from them (that was for sure were m/f) spawned within a week of introduction to my tank. at petsmart, i believe BRs are $6 and GBRs are $7. i have found that these fish are very seasonal or inconsistently stocked though. unfortunately, PetSmart (at least the one by me) keeps them with cons, JD's, etc that absolutely beat them up. as a result, they have a high die-off of them, and the only way they can consistently get more of them is through sales. i will say though that all of the rams i have gotten from them have been pretty hardy.

i know that other stores such as petland sell them, but I have had less luck with stores such as that. the rams also tend to be significantly more expensive. i've seen prices from $10 for a bolivian that was the same size at petsmart to $18 for a GBR that was also the same size as the petsmart GBR's. its really hit or miss to be honest. if you are willing to front the cash though, speciality shops are where you are going to find some beautiful adult rams that may have already formed breeding pairs. with GBR's, this isnt that big of a deal since it is easy to tell between males and females and also very easy to form a pair with only two rams. for bolivians, known breeding pairs can avoid a lot of headache since they can be much harder to sex even when adults.

overall, it's really up to you. if you can find GBR's at petsmart that are definitely male and female (overall should not be too hard if they are showing color), get them. if you are wanting to stick with bolivians since they are a bit hardier and an inch or two larger, i would suggest getting four or five and then separating them. if you want to check out specialty stores such as PetLand or other places with a larger selection of fish, go for it...but also be prepared to pay a little extra.

also don't rule out online ordering. since its getting to be warmer (but not too hot), online ordering can be a great resource. you'll pay a little more overall because of shipping, but I know for a fact that there are places online that specifically sell german blue ram proven breeding pairs for about $16 before shipping. depending on where you live, you'll probably pay about $30, but from the research i have done on the suppliers, they are a lot of the time literally a guy and his sons that breed rams in their homes and have for over a decade. i havent tried out those types of resources, but have been thinking about it lately since the only rams in my area are just as if not more expensive...and a breeding pair is not a surefire outcome because they are all so small.


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