Do you agree

dan518

Potamotrygon
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Sep 20, 2014
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Just been reading an artical saying that farmed Cichlids are not as aggressive as they were 15 years ago,
This is the bit about firemouths

Firemouths
You probably wouldn’t think the Firemouths are that tough a fish, but by jove they used to be. This is the species that would happily flare its throat at an aquarist as much as a rival male, and then back it up with a hefty nip when you tried to do some tank maintenance.

But nowadays, they’re more Ghandi than Ghengis Khan, happy to stay out of trouble’s way, grubbing about for food, and getting roughed up by a passing Kribensis.

In the wild these tough Central Americans are used to holding their own against other fish, and clearing the way when they spawn. But it seems that farming has reduced these once ferocious bulls to the aggression levels of a kitten. After all, when was the last time you saw a wild Firemouth? It’ll be a while, I’ll wager, with almost all the fish we see being raised in the Far East, or Eastern Europe.

All I can guess is that the mass-rearing conditions, combined with a reduced incentive to display traditional behaviours are having a cumulative effect. After all, it’s well understood that many fish learn their behaviours from others.

It seems a sad, self-fulfilling prophecy that we eventually put the ‘meek’ into Thorichthys meeki.
 

ragin_cajun

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No, I don't agree.
 

ehh

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When I worked at our lfs we had to keep the fire mouths in their own tank. Others wise they would always get their asses whooped.
 

FriedFlowerHornFillet

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Aug 26, 2014
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It depends where you're at. If your LFS is buying in bulk from some guy with overstocked converted kiddie pools yeah it's safe to say that there will be a decline in quality over time. I'm sure eventually you'll start seeing short body balloon firemouths. The real deal is still out there though and as long as there are still people looking for them they'll be around. Don't buy fish from wallmart.
 

pops

Alligator Gar
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Nov 24, 2013
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I think it is highly dependent how you keep your fish, and what you expose them to. while my jags can be aggressive. for the most part they are pussy cats around me, they hate the water change tube but will not mess with my hand, perhaps thats due to the nose thumps when they where younger. I can put a pleco in to clean the glass, they will try to mess with him, but give up after a bit as the pleco really not care. Can I put another cichlid in? no, it would be dead in a hurry. so if you asking about aggression as whole to you or anything near the tank? I would say its got allot to do to what the fish is conditioned to. if against other fish? namely cichlids, no conditioning that.

My jags are wild caught,
 

dan518

Potamotrygon
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I know when i first started fish keeping they seemed more aggressive than now, but since then i have owned jags and midas and dont know if its just my perspective or there more chilled now days. farmed ones anyway
 

pops

Alligator Gar
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I have no dowt if I kept my jags in a fish room, where they had limited to no exposure to me and the house hold day in day out they would be allot more aggressive to any one coming near the tank, as it stands they in the living room. they ignore us for the most part and go about there day to days lives digging, tearing things up, and making little jaggies.
 

Blue Bear

Jack Dempsey
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Oct 15, 2014
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In theory, I see how that can work. I have limited experience with them, so other than theory that's as far as I can go.
 

FriedFlowerHornFillet

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Aug 26, 2014
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Toledo Ohio
I know when i first started fish keeping they seemed more aggressive than now, but since then i have owned jags and midas and dont know if its just my perspective or there more chilled now days. farmed ones anyway
Depends where they're farmed from and who's farming/transporting them
-seriously don't buy your fish from wallmart
Jack Dempsey's, convicts, firemouths, oscars are usually pretty low quality in my area unless I go to a privately owned establishment. If all I've ever seen was the JD's at PetSuppliedPlus I would assume they were all hunch backed with droopy fins.
 
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