African glass bangers?

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Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 5, 2008
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So I have this friend who loves central american cichlids and keeps quite a few. I have always had more of a liking to africans. He always talks about my fish and calls them "wimpy". Now I love my fish and I could care less what he calls them but I have always believed pound for pound, nothing beats an african. But I don't really see this. So I want to ask. Do you know of any african glass bangers? Fish that would but a same size red devil to shame. I know there's some out there I just don't know where.

So in other words... What's the baddest african you know or have kept?

Is there such thing as an AFRICAN glass banger?
 
Champsochromis Careleus, Buccochromis Rhodesii, Buccochromis Heterotania, Tyrannochromis Nigriventor, Tyrannochromis Macrostoma, Tyrannochromis Maculiceps, Boulengerochromis Microlepsis, Nimbochromis Fuscotaniatus, Nimbochromis Venustus, Fossorochromis Rostratus, Paratilapia Bleekeri, Paratilapia sp. Polleni, Rhampsochromis cf. esox, Rhampsochromis Longiceps, Aristochromis Chrystii, Champs. Spilorhynchus, Chilotilapia Rhodesii (these fish pound for pound will take on ANYTHING!!), and Buccochromis cf. Spectabilis if he has some females...

I am sure there are more but these are probably the big dogs that will pound for pound give and receive damage. The best one I would choose would be a paratilapia bleekeri or a buccochromis rhodesii.. These 2 are very very cool and are docile until someone starts picking on them. Hope this helps.
 
yep, I agree. Any of the big Haps are pretty impressive. But I'm not sure if I would call them glassbangers.
 
Try out the emperor cichlid. I saw a video on you tube of a pair of these fighting with a big turtle. They also get enormous quite possibly the largest cichlid in the world.
 
Ive always heard the Madagascan cichlids were mean africans. Paratilapia polleni and bleekeri are pretty mean. I have a polleni that holds his own against everything. Fish freak gave the latin name for bream(Chilotilapia Rhodesi) and those things will fight any and everything. I don't own any, but my buddy does and I've seen it first hand.


Btw, is that an Argentine or a Columbian in your avatar? Looks like a Argentine black and white, but its to small for me to tell.
 
I would do venustus but the biggest tank I could get is a 90 and I think they need a 6ft tank to really be happy.

Yeah the tegu is an argentine he is only like a foot long and he is hibernating right now. Hopefully he will come out soon.
 
My glassbangers - Maingano, Auratus, Johannii - these fish could easily destroy a 4" Red Devil.

IMO- As for a full grown Male Red Devil I'm not sure theres any africans @ 10-12" that could take one down. The listed African Haps above maybe if they were larger than the Devil but a mature Devil has more mass, commands a larger territory, and is way less tolerant of other fish. I've actually raised a Male Red devil w/ Haps,Mbunas,Peacocks - everything was fine til' the Devil hit 6" then the Africans had to showhorn in less than 2ft in length of tank. The Devil took 4ft+. This was 3-4 years ago, my friend still has the male Devil and he is an absolute beast. I still have all the Africans in that same tank.
 
In my experience of keeping both big africans and big central/south americans. Most of the big africans will not actually "glass bang" the tank like the new world cichlids. Now they both get big and impressive but if you wanted a very out going "my territory extends 3 feet beyond this glass type of cichlid" better chance of that getting a new world
 
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