Large Aggressive CA/SA Cichlids

[catfishlover106]

:) Well I wanted to make this as a sticky so this could be a safe place for new Monsterfishkeepers to learn and share their visual thoughts in hand on experiences with many cichlids ranging from those lil aggressive convicts to those monstrous cichlids like the managuense,dovii,umbee,black nasty...anything like that.This could also be a haven for more experinced keepers of cichlids...For this thread...it must have NO DERAILING,SPAMMERS,BAD LANGUAGE,AND ANYTHING WITH SEXUAL EXCESSIVENESSS TOWARDS OTHERS of their learning.Anyone can join into the conversation and show pictures and videos of their hobby towards fishkeeping.This is a place for us experince keepers to teach our fellow new fishkeepers the lessons we all learned during these hardship we all had to go through to keep these magnificent fishes inhabitant in our tanks and ponds.I hope This becomes a Sticky...=):)

[catfishlover106]

Well i guess i'll start thing up around here....I currently own a 6" managuense which I have kept since he was a lil .25 " fry....i had all its siblings in a 180 gallon that had the mommy and daddy managuense in it with the other frys.Sold them before thinking I should had taken a video or picture of them before selling them away...but i still have that 1 managuense from the whole batch i had.Also I own a couple of lil baby umbee's that has been known to be VERY and EXTREMLY AGGRESSIVE towards anything in the tank...

[catfishlover106]

Here is a video of my fishes a while ago....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VX2kFtF1dM4

[catfishlover106]

Also I Forgot to add to the first posting...this can also be a place to find out Tank Requirements for certain species,Daily Diet,Compatibility,Water Conditions,Tank Setups...ETC..

[catfishlover106]

Would anyone like to start anything about their cichlids at home?

[catfishlover106]

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg222/christianflores08/Picture082.jpg

[catfishlover106]

Thats my managuense that I have been talking about from the batch

[king pacu]

well i currently have a 75g with two 11yr. old 12in. oscars. which are very aggressive for an oscar. even staring fights with a large mouth bass i used to have in the tank. i also have a 55g with a 6in. red oscar and a 12in. plec and a breeding pair of 3in. convicts. two 10gs. one with 2month old fry.other one with a 5in. convict for right now. then a 30g with a 4in.plec sharing the tank with two 3in. pacus that i am growing them in until big enough to hang with my red oscar.

[catfishlover106]

Wells....since no one is speaking just yet...ill just give out my opinion on the Umbee's...well that their to say about these monster aggressors....? All I can say about these guys are that at a small size when any gets them for themselves...they can still be aggressive towards one another of the same species and others in the tank with them at the same size.When more older juveniles are much bigger than when they were lil babies, they gain more colorations and have the tendency to be well aggressive at this stage.They don't technically need anything in their tank,as they can stay well with nothing in it.Especially adults with those large body like boulders and muscles,they dont need anything in the tank with them in it.They would at this size and age would need a 250 gallon,300 gallon,360 gallon,and what would much better than any of those are a 500 gallon tank or pond,as they are open swimming predators.I would feed them anything with a highly varied feeding daily,also I would not advise feeding these beauties any live goldfish feeders,but lil crayfish and crabs, and any other invertebrates are also good.Pellets should be highly up on the feeding list,raw market shrimp,some vegetable matter to the diet,and anything else carnivorous fishes would love like baby brine shrimp for the baby ones and live black worms or frozen bloodworms and beefheart are great for them.Dont get them stuck onto one type of food as that will be VERY difficult for them to get ryt off of it to new food.As for ph and stuff like that I'd just keep mines at 6.0-7.0 and temperatures at 78-84 degrees.As for compatibility...its going to be a high chance of having your new umbee(s) being with other fishes in a brawl.But if the slightest chance of fishes cohabitating together...it would be with a Dovii as this is basically the only thing to match up with this monster in sheer size,power in muscles,appetite and territorial behavior.

[catfishlover106]

well i currently have a 75g with two 11yr. old 12in. oscars. which are very aggressive for an oscar. even staring fights with a large mouth bass i used to have in the tank. i also have a 55g with a 6in. red oscar and a 12in. plec and a breeding pair of 3in. convicts. two 10gs. one with 2month old fry.other one with a 5in. convict for right now. then a 30g with a 4in.plec sharing the tank with two 3in. pacus that i am growing them in until big enough to hang with my red oscar.

Cool =) hope those lil frys grow to be adults....do you have any pics of them? if not its fine =)

[catfishlover106]

well i currently have a 75g with two 11yr. old 12in. oscars. which are very aggressive for an oscar. even staring fights with a large mouth bass i used to have in the tank. i also have a 55g with a 6in. red oscar and a 12in. plec and a breeding pair of 3in. convicts. two 10gs. one with 2month old fry.other one with a 5in. convict for right now. then a 30g with a 4in.plec sharing the tank with two 3in. pacus that i am growing them in until big enough to hang with my red oscar.

Wow those are some really old and Aggressive Oscars you got their....the oldest i have kept mines up to 7 years...

[Gourami Swami]

USE THE EDIT BUTTON!

[king pacu]

no pics but will try to get some when ever i get a camara.

[catfishlover106]

no pics but will try to get some when ever i get a camara.

ok coolio ahahaha

[catfishlover106]

USE THE EDIT BUTTON!

huh?? who me? or him? lol im lost now...XD

[killerfish]

so do we post aggressive cichlids that we've had ?
i've had an aggressive green terror , mayan , midas

[bryan.olsen]

no love for the thread i guess....well i must say i think its an awesome topic.
so here goes
i have a 250G with an odd combination of fish some would say.
1 pair albino oscars about 14"
1 RD 12"
1 FH 6"
1 tri-mac 3.5"
1 unknown sa cichlid 8".. ill post a pic later
1 cory cat 1.5" .. i have no idea
1 rapheal cat 6"
1 african electric cat 9" was tempory but he actually doesnt bother anything.
1 large snail about the size of a baseball

i know eventually ill have to rehome some fish but i really dont have any serious aggression or really even much for torn fins. so when the time comes ill have to deal with it....
heres a couple of pics of the RD or RD/midas...whatev'... ive got more pics on my other PC that ill post later.

[catfishlover106]

so do we post aggressive cichlids that we've had ?
i've had an aggressive green terror , mayan , midas

Anything your cichlid heart tells you or have in mind =)

[catfishlover106]

no love for the thread i guess....well i must say i think its an awesome topic.
so here goes
i have a 250G with an odd combination of fish some would say.
1 pair albino oscars about 14"
1 RD 12"
1 FH 6"
1 tri-mac 3.5"
1 unknown sa cichlid 8".. ill post a pic later
1 cory cat 1.5" .. i have no idea
1 rapheal cat 6"
1 african electric cat 9" was tempory but he actually doesnt bother anything.
1 large snail about the size of a baseball

i know eventually ill have to rehome some fish but i really dont have any serious aggression or really even much for torn fins. so when the time comes ill have to deal with it....
heres a couple of pics of the RD or RD/midas...whatev'... ive got more pics on my other PC that ill post later.

Wow bryan thats a nice red devil you got their...i remember when i first got mines =) those were the days with him till he went to fishy heaven

[catfishlover106]

you guys can post anything your heart desires about aggressive cichlids that you have now,before or want...

[bryan.olsen]

hey thanks!
i also have a 55G set up with a green terror about 6" and a haggard lookin blood parot about 5 years old and only got to maybe 4"
its the tank i keep in my bedroom looks way cool cuz its just packed with drift wood and java fern all over the place....if i can get a camera tonight ill post a pic of that tank too.
when it comes to having aggressive cichlids i dont think its a matter of which species will tolerate eachother. i believe its more of a fish to fish trial and error deal. ive kept some weird fish together that normally should not be in the same tank but somehow it ends up working.
everything from piranha and pacu with cichlids to the electric cat sharing hiding places with the rapheal. its all trial and error and manipulating their environment till it works.. if it dont put it in the other tank...lol... the FH and the GT have problems from way back. ahhaha..
sooo theres my senseless ramble....

[catfishlover106]

hey thanks!
i also have a 55G set up with a green terror about 6" and a haggard lookin blood parot about 5 years old and only got to maybe 4"
its the tank i keep in my bedroom looks way cool cuz its just packed with drift wood and java fern all over the place....if i can get a camera tonight ill post a pic of that tank too.
when it comes to having aggressive cichlids i dont think its a matter of which species will tolerate eachother. i believe its more of a fish to fish trial and error deal. ive kept some weird fish together that normally should not be in the same tank but somehow it ends up working.
everything from piranha and pacu with cichlids to the electric cat sharing hiding places with the rapheal. its all trial and error and manipulating their environment till it works.. if it dont put it in the other tank...lol... the FH and the GT have problems from way back. ahhaha..
sooo theres my senseless ramble....

Ok thas cool i'll wait till ya get that picc posted later

[catfishlover106]

so anyone else would like to share their aggressive cichlids please share what you have instored for us all =D

[catfishlover106]

Does anyone out their have any type of questions about their aggressive cichlids? or anything...we can possibly help you guys out

[terd ferguson]

I currently have a 190 Us Gallon tank with a 50 US Gallon wet/dry sump. The footprint is 60" wide x 24" deep x 30" tall. I have a bunch of aggro CA/SA's in there. Here's the breakdown:

1 Parachromis managuense (Jaguar) male, about 12"
1 Parachromis managuense (Jaguar) male, about 9"
1 Parachromis managuense (Jaguar) male, about 3 1/2"
1 Parachromis friedrichsthalii (Freddy) male, about 12"
1 Parachromis loiselli (Loiselli) female, about 7"
1 Amphilophus festae (True Red Terror) female, about 7"
1 Aequidens rivulatus (Gold Saum or False Green Terror) male, about 7"
1 Astronotus ocellatus (Tiger Oscar) about 9"
1 Astronotus ocellatus (Tiger Oscar) about 4 1/2"
1 Synodontis eupterus (Featherfin Catfish) about 6"
1 Synodontis longirostrus (No common name I know of) about 5 1/2"

I keep the tank at 80 to 82 degrees. I feed 3 to 4 times a day. Their main staples are Hikari Cichlid BioGold, Tetra Cichlid Sticks, Freeze Dried Shrimps, and Shrimp Pellets. I also offer San Francisco Bay Frozen Blood Worms, Frozen Jumbo Shrimp from the grocery store, and live Comets and Rosey Reds from time to time.

Aggression hasn't been a problem so far. Half of these fishes have been together for at least six months now (3 of those months in a 55 while I was readying my big tank).

The main point I'd like to make with this post is that this may not be for the average hobbyist. It takes a ton of work to make this work. But the rewards gained from all the hard work are worth it. The above is not to be considered advice, I am merely relating my personal experiences.

Here's a couple of photos...

Big Jag, Tiny...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/tiny/SANY0092.jpg

Lois, the loiselli...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1366.jpg

Big freddy, Captain Awesome...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1363.jpg

Red, the festae...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1362.jpg

Teeny, medium jag...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1365.jpg

Tank shot...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1359.jpg

Enjoy, I look forward to seeing others' setups.:D

[Aquamojo]

Does anyone out their have any type of questions about their aggressive cichlids? or anything...we can possibly help you guys out

I do. What to you think of the potential taxonomical reclassification of Pearsei from Ex-Cichlasoma Pearsei to Vieja Pearsei? Do you think it will eventually be changed? And a follow up question...since ex-Cichlasoma Bocourti is similar, do you think they will follow suit with Vieja?

TF...good looking fish...especially the Managuense.

[catfishlover106]

I do. What to you think of the potential taxonomical reclassification of Pearsei from Ex-Cichlasoma Pearsei to Vieja Pearsei? Do you think it will eventually be changed? And a follow up question...since ex-Cichlasoma Bocourti is similar, do you think they will follow suit with Vieja?

TF...good looking fish...especially the Managuense.

Im not quite positive of the taxonomical reclassification of the persei from the ex-persei...but I think things should change up soon....and I do believe that the excichlasoma bocourti will have the same following suit as the vieja later on its growth...but it might not get their as it may be the genes of the species or specimen you have their

[catfishlover106]

Im not quite positive of the taxonomical reclassification of the persei from the ex-persei...but I think things should change up soon....and I do believe that the excichlasoma bocourti will have the same following suit as the vieja later on its growth...but it might not get their as it may be the genes of the species or specimen you have their

but this is what i think i dnt trully know for a 100% fact of it changing up

[catfishlover106]

I currently have a 190 Us Gallon tank with a 50 US Gallon wet/dry sump. The footprint is 60" wide x 24" deep x 30" tall. I have a bunch of aggro CA/SA's in there. Here's the breakdown:

1 Parachromis managuense (Jaguar) male, about 12"
1 Parachromis managuense (Jaguar) male, about 9"
1 Parachromis managuense (Jaguar) male, about 3 1/2"
1 Parachromis friedrichsthalii (Freddy) male, about 12"
1 Parachromis loiselli (Loiselli) female, about 7"
1 Amphilophus festae (True Red Terror) female, about 7"
1 Aequidens rivulatus (Gold Saum or False Green Terror) male, about 7"
1 Astronotus ocellatus (Tiger Oscar) about 9"
1 Astronotus ocellatus (Tiger Oscar) about 4 1/2"
1 Synodontis eupterus (Featherfin Catfish) about 6"
1 Synodontis longirostrus (No common name I know of) about 5 1/2"

I keep the tank at 80 to 82 degrees. I feed 3 to 4 times a day. Their main staples are Hikari Cichlid BioGold, Tetra Cichlid Sticks, Freeze Dried Shrimps, and Shrimp Pellets. I also offer San Francisco Bay Frozen Blood Worms, Frozen Jumbo Shrimp from the grocery store, and live Comets and Rosey Reds from time to time.

Aggression hasn't been a problem so far. Half of these fishes have been together for at least six months now (3 of those months in a 55 while I was readying my big tank).

The main point I'd like to make with this post is that this may not be for the average hobbyist. It takes a ton of work to make this work. But the rewards gained from all the hard work are worth it. The above is not to be considered advice, I am merely relating my personal experiences.

Here's a couple of photos...

Big Jag, Tiny...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/tiny/SANY0092.jpg

Lois, the loiselli...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1366.jpg

Big freddy, Captain Awesome...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1363.jpg

Red, the festae...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1362.jpg

Teeny, medium jag...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1365.jpg

Tank shot...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/1313terdferguson1313/stone%20cold%20killers/DSCF1359.jpg

Enjoy, I look forward to seeing others' setups.:D

WOW you have some very nice managuense!! =) and loving all your other fishes...like the festae...and the freddy and lois

[catfishlover106]

I do. What to you think of the potential taxonomical reclassification of Pearsei from Ex-Cichlasoma Pearsei to Vieja Pearsei? Do you think it will eventually be changed? And a follow up question...since ex-Cichlasoma Bocourti is similar, do you think they will follow suit with Vieja?

TF...good looking fish...especially the Managuense.

And Thanks for the Compliment =) Aquamojo

[terd ferguson]

WOW you have some very nice managuense!! =) and loving all your other fishes...like the festae...and the freddy and lois


Thanks. All of the efforts put into this setup are very rewarding. It is hard work though. That's the main reason I say "don't take this as advice". I don't want some new guys to think they can just throw all these fishes together and everything will be great. As most of you know, it takes careful planning and you have to be on top of every issue dealing with your tank and fishes to make this kind of setup successful.

I would be glad to answer any questions (if I can). What I can tell you is what I have done to ease aggression problems (my main health concern for this tank), this however, might not be what the person asking the question should do though. Regardless of reputation, each fish has their own personality. I've been lucky.:D

[terd ferguson]

I do. What to you think of the potential taxonomical reclassification of Pearsei from Ex-Cichlasoma Pearsei to Vieja Pearsei? Do you think it will eventually be changed? And a follow up question...since ex-Cichlasoma Bocourti is similar, do you think they will follow suit with Vieja?

TF...good looking fish...especially the Managuense.

Thanks. He's not half as nice as yours, lol. I wish I had the photo skills to really show him off. He looks so much better in person than the sucky photos I am able to take.:D

[catfishlover106]

I do. What to you think of the potential taxonomical reclassification of Pearsei from Ex-Cichlasoma Pearsei to Vieja Pearsei? Do you think it will eventually be changed? And a follow up question...since ex-Cichlasoma Bocourti is similar, do you think they will follow suit with Vieja?

TF...good looking fish...especially the Managuense.

Thats is indeed a very appreciated compliment you gave to TF =) Also I heard your like the Peacock Bass Guy around here =) Thats seems like you got really high stakes on you with Bass keeping with catfishes and stuff.Great Job!

[catfishlover106]

To-Aquamojo....or is the peacock bass guy Dieselmack? by the way your fishes are exceptionally impressive...your cichlids are all magnificent in colorations and body form!!=)

[terd ferguson]

I was looking forward to seeing more tanks.:headbang2

[catfishlover106]

Yup me too...=/ seems like no one would want to show their aggressive CA/SA cichlid tanks....

[Bderick67]

When you use white font, it makes it hard to read for those members using the light blue version of MFK, the same for MFK dark is the use of font color "dark gray" or "black"

If you use no font color it is easily read in both formats

[bryan.olsen]

so heres a couple of pics.. i am the worlds worst photographer... ive posted this pic before and never got a for sure answer. lately hes been getting a light blue speck on the tips of his scales looks awesome. his colors are faint but its a really cool looking fish. but this is by far the most aggressive fish in my tank. he doesnt really mess with the RD or the O's but i think its jsut cuz this fish is about 7 or inches and the RD is almost 2X that...but its the antagonistic personality that makes this one the badass... i could forsee problems in the future beeing that this guys only about 6months old...we'll see/

[straitjacketstar]

USE THE EDIT BUTTON!huh?? who me? or him? lol im lost now...XD

You. Because 7 posts on one thread in less than one hour is a bit much.

[pdbrady]

:iagree:

[catfishlover106]

You. Because 7 posts on one thread in less than one hour is a bit much.

Oh...i was only bored since no one was looking lol XD

[catfishlover106]

so heres a couple of pics.. i am the worlds worst photographer... ive posted this pic before and never got a for sure answer. lately hes been getting a light blue speck on the tips of his scales looks awesome. his colors are faint but its a really cool looking fish. but this is by far the most aggressive fish in my tank. he doesnt really mess with the RD or the O's but i think its jsut cuz this fish is about 7 or inches and the RD is almost 2X that...but its the antagonistic personality that makes this one the badass... i could forsee problems in the future beeing that this guys only about 6months old...we'll see/

Cool cichlid!! =)