Afer Knife Fish Aggression

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Ash_water

Ash_water

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Apr 8, 2018
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Colombo Sri Lanka
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Hi guyz.

I have a pair of Afer Knives. The seller told me they have paired out. They are about 6 inches at the moment. They always stay together, eat together, move together, almost do everything together.

The thing is, these two.are extremely aggressive to other fish. They even shredded my red tail catfish of similar size, drove my bichirs nuts etc. They attack almost anything relentlessly including other Afers. I tried to introduce 2 more Afers and they were dealt with force.
(Is this because my pair is actually a pair or is it just a coincidence?)

I always wanted to do a community with these fish. I want to know what my options are.

Im thinking about other aggressive SA cichlids such as Red Devils, Oscars etc. Is it a good idea?
Tank size is a 8ft long tank.

Also how aggressive are these fish? Whom do they compare to in terms of aggression? And what kind of damage can a full grown Afer inflict on a similar size fish?

P.S I went through almost all Afer posts here. Couldn't find a similar post. So I created a new one.

Your valuable feedback will be highly appreciated.
 
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I had one a while back .. they are really really aggressive .. they seem to like to fight and are really good fighters... I have an Aba right now and I have to say the afer was more aggressive.. Really don't know if there is anything they won't fight with.. I'm surprised the red tail cat is taking **** from him .. I've seen them defend themselves.. just make sure you get a fish that will fight back maybe it will deter the knife from fighting .. but I doubt it
 
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Red Devils are aggressive. The one I had got to ten inches and would kill anything. Killed at least one other cichlid, cant remember what species. Here is a list of things I tried to keep with it that eventually had to be moved: 24 inch pacu (beat the crap out it, had to be moved), Oscars, a number of other aggressive SA cichlids. Anything I put in would be instantky attacked.
 
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blackwolf911 said:
I had one a while back .. they are really really aggressive .. they seem to like to fight and are really good fighters... I have an Aba right now and I have to say the afer was more aggressive.. Really don't know if there is anything they won't fight with.. I'm surprised the red tail cat is taking **** from him .. I've seen them defend themselves.. just make sure you get a fish that will fight back maybe it will deter the knife from fighting .. but I doubt it
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Mine has mellowed with age and since the two in question are said to be an actual pair that could mean they exhibit more agrression than usual.It should be interesting to see how they turn out.
I have never had one but I've always heard that Aba aba are very agrressive.I wonder how an afer would fare with an aba....
 
krichardson said:
Mine has mellowed with age and since the two in question are said to be an actual pair that could mean they exhibit more agrression than usual.It should be interesting to see how they turn out.
I have never had one but I've always heard that Aba aba are very agrressive.I wonder how an afer would fare with an aba....
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I wouldn't want to even see that.. it would be hell.. my Aba is fighting with my perch and starting to look at my goliath a little bit
 
My afer's name is Jacka$$ for a reason. It has only been less than 36 hours since it killed a 4 line pim. However it knows not to mess with my bichirs, eels, or plecos or he is in for a fight
 
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blackwolf911 said:
I had one a while back .. they are really really aggressive .. they seem to like to fight and are really good fighters... I have an Aba right now and I have to say the afer was more aggressive.. Really don't know if there is anything they won't fight with.. I'm surprised the red tail cat is taking **** from him .. I've seen them defend themselves.. just make sure you get a fish that will fight back maybe it will deter the knife from fighting .. but I doubt it
Click to expand...

Hmmmm. My Afer pair made the RTC hide after shredding all the fins and harassing endlessly.
Do you have any suggestions for a good match for an Afer? Is Red Devil a good match?
 
CichlidKeeper01 said:
Red Devils are aggressive. The one I had got to ten inches and would kill anything. Killed at least one other cichlid, cant remember what species. Here is a list of things I tried to keep with it that eventually had to be moved: 24 inch pacu (beat the crap out it, had to be moved), Oscars, a number of other aggressive SA cichlids. Anything I put in would be instantky attacked.
Click to expand...

Yes Red Devils are really aggressive and they have the tools to back it up. Do you think a Red Devil Male will be a good match for a Afer Knife pair?
 
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