Tankmates with JARDINI (READ!!!)

[Hasi]

I have tried a few combinations with my Jardini that is about 7 inches and this is what i have come up with:

Jar with Clown Knife, clown being about 4 inches - Didn't touch the CK
Jar with Oscar, oscar about 8 inches - intimidated BY the oscar!
Jar with Pbass, bout the same size although the Pbass is 8 inches - Jar was getting pretty nasty with it as it realised the Pbass is gentle. I think if i left them together longer the Pbass would of eventually got killed.

 

[Anythingfish]

This 18” Red Spot Jardini was a gift from a friend who said he did not have enough room to keep the fish any longer. The Jardini is the fish at the top center of the 180 gallon aquarium just above the two 24" Clown Knife Fishes.

“Nice looking fish, sure I’ll take him.” Wow was I ever suckered. The fish has been a constant menace to every tank mate except the 16” Plecostomus and Darwin my 30” African Lung Fish, present in the aquarium but not visible.

The only fish the Jardini ever caused to die was a 10” male Red Flowerhorn, visible on the right side of my 180 gallon community aquarium. The fish was also a gift and was rearing a batch of young after mating with a red devil. The fish fought the Jardini daily for weeks, locking jaws and going at it for 30 seconds at a time. Finally I siphoned out the fry which had been free swimming for about 2 weeks. It was then that the Jardini injured the Flowerhorn which by now showed no interest in fighting as there was nothing to defend. The Flowerhorn’s entire jaw structure was dismantled to the point where the fish could no longer fight nor eat and died quietly in a dark corner of the 180 about one month layer.

All the community fish in my 180 gallon tank are bunched together on the left hand side trying to keep out of the reach of the Jardini. At feeding time all fish eat properly and the Jardini appears to have no interest in bothering any tank mates, just eats till he is full. Sometime later in the day, but usually not during the night when the lights are off, the aggressive Jardini will select a victim to harass it ceaselessly.

I keep the fish because it is such a beauty. Recently I moved the 18” Jardini to a 600 gallon aquarium filled with lots of really big fish. For the past month I have not observed any aggression on the part of the Jardini; is it because he is the new kid on the block or because there is so much room in the tank? I don’t know as yet, I have my fingers crossed.

 

[Tyler]

i have a 4" jardini and hes starting to become kinda aggressive towards some fish is there somethin you can do to prevent this maybe bite his ear like people do dogs idk im open for suggestions..

 

[Anythingfish]

i have a 4" jardini and hes starting to become kinda aggressive towards some fish is there somethin you can do to prevent this maybe bite his ear like people do dogs idk im open for suggestions..

I do not know of any tricks to modify the behavior of a fish especially a Jardini. Just be sure all the fish in the tank with the Jardini are much larger or keep this genetically aggressive fish by its self. The larger the aquarium for maintaining these very aggressive fishes the better. They are a beautiful fish and it is easy to understand why people want to keep them. Some might classify the Jardini in the same category as a Pit Bull Terrier. Good Luck.

 

[Steve_89]

I do not know of any tricks to modify the behavior of a fish especially a Jardini. Just be sure all the fish in the tank with the Jardini are much larger or keep this genetically aggressive fish by its self. The larger the aquarium for maintaining these very aggressive fishes the better. They are a beautiful fish and it is easy to understand why people want to keep them. Some might classify the Jardini in the same category as a Pit Bull Terrier. Good Luck.

I have to agree.

There is nothing you can really do to prevent this behaviour. It either happens or it doesn't...

 

[drdpc]

Do you think that silver and black aros are less agressive? What kind of tankmates do you keep together?

 

[kriztu]

i observed that feeding live food to any aros make them more agressive

 

[Reefstalker]

I keep my 10" Jardini with 4 bala sharks (6"), 9 tiger barbs (3"), 1 african knife (8"), 2 bristlenose plecos (4"), and 2 emerald corydoras (3"). The tank is heavily planted (with CO2 injection) with plenty of large driftwood. Hence, the other fishes have plenty of hiding places in case my Jardini decides he wants to go medieval on someone. In the past 12 months, he's only killed 1 bala shark.

I do keep him VERY well fed with giant mealworms and Hikari carnivore pellets. He also loves snacking on the tubifex and bloodworms that I feed the other fishes. He normally doesn't even give the fishes another glance. Just ignores everyone and goes about his business. When he sees me approaching the tank, he knows he's going to get a treat so he just stays right in front of the tank like a puppy dog. Maybe I'm just lucky...but never had any behavorial problems.

 

[Timpon]

Introduced a 20 inch Jardini into my 240 gallon tank a year ago, and it went on to destroy and kill most of the other fishes in there. Along the way, it killed a giant gouramy the same length as him but much larger overall, and my much loved pair of breeding dovii. I had grown out the male dovii to 18 inches from when he was 2 inches In the end, the only tankmate left alive was a torn and beaten pleco and 10 inch leporinus. The leporinus was found dead on the floor later on (possibly trying to get away from the jar?).

Also noticed that the Jar grew more selective in his diet as time went on, going off pellets and all other food except live ones. In the end he had to go as i didn't want my 240 gal to house a single fish. So yeah, their rep as a killer is more than deserved. The only other fish that I can compare him to in viciousness would of been my 14 inche butti. It also killed a dovii which i had grown to 14 inches. No more doviis for me.

In my experience, leich. tend to be alot less vicious than Jars. I have kept 4, and they all got along with their tankmates except other aros. In saying that though, the biggest one I've owned was only 12 inches.

 

[johnnylaw1984]

After reading all these posts, i was wondring if anyone had stories,(good or bad) regarding jardinis and clown knives.