Most aggressive cichlid.

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sumthin fishy

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Aug 22, 2005
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Looking at how you stock your tanks, and how you offer poor advice, I dont think you deserve an answer. Why do you want to know anyways? So you can get one to add to the already poorly stocked 55?
 

liv2padl

cichlidophile
Oct 30, 2005
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i agree with sumthin fishy. fish are living creatures. when you adopt them, it becomes your responsibility to maintain them in the best possible manner. they should 'thrive' in your tank, not just 'survive'. keeping incompatible fish in the same tank makes little sense. keeping fish that grow too large for your tank makes little sense. getting 'the most aggressive fish' just so you can watch it shred the other fish makes no sense.

the number and size of the fish you keep in your tank should be based on several factors. it should not be based solely on the chemistry of your water nor on the magic of the inch per gallon myth. it's more than simply a matter of successfully keeping the ammonia and nitrites at zero or the fact that you may have "great filtration". certainly these are important issues, but one of the most important factors is almost always overlooked. the number and size of fish that one maintains in a tank should be predicated on the "biology" and behaviour of those fish.
this means that the interraction of a mixed community tank and/or the behaviour of a single species is the single most important factor to consider. you want the fish you're keeping to have the ability to exhibit "normal" and functional behaviour. normal behaviour is important. abnormal behaviour results in stress. stress leads to disease. disease can lead to death. for example:

1. if species (A) does not get along with species (B), then these fish don't belong in the same tank no matter how few fish you have or how large the tank. "getting along" is based on the visual and behavioural Q's that each fish species is genetically programmed with.

2. if species (A) has specific food or water chemistry requirements which are completely different from species (B), then these fish don't belong in the same tank no matter how large it is.

3. if species (A) is aggressive and defends a territory of 2 square feet, then you cannot expect to successfully keep more than one of these fish in a tank which is smaller than 2 square feet. convict cichlids are an excellent example of this ... this little fish aggressively defends territories of about two square feet give or take. if you have a tank which allows only that much room and no more, the convict will defend the entire tank to the detriment of any other fish (no matter how large it is) in that tank.

4. if a fish grows to 14 inches in its native environment, stunting it in a 29 gallon tank is poor husbandry. fish maintained in tanks which are too small or in conditions which are too crowded, develop severe stress syndrome. these fish do not exhibit proper color, do not develop proper fin form, do not exhibit proper metabolic development, do not exhibit normal behaviour, do not develop proper musculature, do not develop properly functioning organ systems and as a result, slowly lose their inherant resistance to disease. this results in a significantly shortened lifespan and along the way, lots of diseases for which the poorly conditioned fish is a good target. some will tell you they've "successfully" kept big fish in small tanks ... their definition of "success" probably differs from mine. if a fish is supposed to live for 15 years, then having it survive for 5 years and calling that 'successful' is bunk.

fish need room to swim without having the rest of the tanks inhabitants "in their face" continuously. when crowded, fish exhibit stress syndromes that result in poor color, improper fin form, insufficient metabolic development, do not exhibit proper musculature, do not develop properly functioning organ systems and most importantly slowly lose their inherant resistance to disease. this results in a significantly shortened lifespan and along the way, lots of diseases for which the poorly conditioned fish is a good target..

think about your local lake or river --- the fish are free to inhabit whatever space suits them biologically. if it gets crowded by their standards, some will disperse and move to other areas where they again have the space they need to exhibit functional behaviour.

it's difficult to allow for that "space" in your tank -- the fish have no escape within the confines of your tank so it's up to you to insure that the fish have that space in the first place.
 

benvardag

AC Members
May 18, 2006
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liv2padl, i do agree with your philosophy but fish will adapt to a new environment. eventhough they may not be given the "textbook" amount of space within their confines that doesnt mean that they will not be able to develop, mature, and live a successfull life without being plagued by disease or death. but of course, if there are too many fish in a tank then i agree. i am a culprit of overstocking for the moment, but only because i know that by the time my cichlids are ready to mate they will have at least a 90g tank. but for the time being, all my fish are juvenile so i really am not too worried about it. if most of your fish are docile then that is also a different story, but i agree fish are animals and do not deserve to be treated unfairly.
 

sumthin fishy

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Aug 22, 2005
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benvardag said:
......... but fish will adapt to a new environment. eventhough they may not be given the "textbook" amount of space within their confines that doesnt mean that they will not be able to develop, mature, and live a successfull life without being plagued by disease or death.
Umm, do some research there. Your keeping a fish in a too small tank pending an upgrade won't have much of an impact on a fish. This is fine for the short term. However, fish do not adapt to improper conditions. Mabey I should re-phrase that, they do adapt to thier conditions with a great toll taken on thier health and lifespan. For example, goldfish will grow to the size of thier tank. You can keep them alive in a 1 gallon bowl for 2 years or MORE! Isnt that cool? Too bad they would have lived to 20 years old in a nicely filtered and maintained 55 gallon.
 

bunlet

AC Members
Mar 4, 2006
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I would like to get the dovii or the wolf cichlid but no monies or space :( need like a 180 g tank.
 

liv2padl

cichlidophile
Oct 30, 2005
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north carolina
I dont have anymore tanks to put the other fish in
one might suppose that without the needed additional tanks, you perhaps should not have acquired the fish in first place?
 
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