AGGRESSIVE CICHLID TANK WITH NO AGGRESSION

[Judge Holden]

No one has mentioned how these fish would NEVER live like this in the wild. They're being forced to endure something intrinsically unnatural in order to override their instincts, their true nature, which is to be territorial and grouchy. Keeping CA/SA cichlids in a school is a gimmick, a jerry-rigged trick to cram more fish into a tank.

Keeping nitrates consistently low in that tank will require divine intervention.

 

[4D3]

No one has mentioned how these fish would NEVER live like this in the wild. They're being forced to endure something intrinsically unnatural in order to override their instincts, their true nature, which is to be territorial and grouchy.

Is this not true for any fish kept in a tank?

 

[Tojo09]

Is this not true for any fish kept in a tank?

Exactly, in that case the true fish lover dosent keep fish cause 1. Tanking a fish from the wild is wrong and 2. Buying a fish that's captive breed encourages the hobby of doing the first point and keeping fish in tanks "to small for them".

And keeping the nitrates low takes a lot of attention, which I give no matter what the tank situation.

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[Tojo09]

Also just a note but some of the bigger more successful breeders like Dan from COA is doing a lot with breeding large cichlids in groups. I know he has breed many of the larger meaner guys like black nastys in large schools of 3 full grow males and many females. He sticks 3 cement blocks in different corners. Each mail claims a territory and the females swim about and breed with everything. Because the few spots and equal power the vat becomes at rest. Kind of a side tract but its similar to the ops fish keeping ideas and the one that the guy above said was a joke.

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[Judge Holden]

The point of the hobby is to simulate nature. Saying it's either 100% natural or not at all is silly. Some arrangements are less natural than others, less worthy of emulation, no?

 

[4D3]

Also just a note but some of the bigger more successful breeders like Dan from COA is doing a lot with breeding large cichlids in groups. I know he has breed many of the larger meaner guys like black nastys in large schools of 3 full grow males and many females. He sticks 3 cement blocks in different corners. Each mail claims a territory and the females swim about and breed with everything. Because the few spots and equal power the vat becomes at rest. Kind of a side tract but its similar to the ops fish keeping ideas and the one that the guy above said was a joke.

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when u say cement blocks, are you making actual cement or something else? Also 3 blocks so that each male has a territory and sticks to his own?

 

[4D3]

The point of the hobby is to simulate nature. Saying it's either 100% natural or not at all is silly. Some arrangements are less natural than others, less worthy of emulation, no?

I get what your saying, but I genuinely don't think I can emulate a river in my tank,I couldn't put plants in they would get pulled out or eaten, and the plastic ones look terrible!

I used to keep discus in a natural looking tank and it was a pain with all the drift wood and rocks everywhere.

At least I now have sand...

 

[4D3]

The point of the hobby is to simulate nature. Saying it's either 100% natural or not at all is silly. Some arrangements are less natural than others, less worthy of emulation, no?

I have to say also at least 50% of the tanks of this site do nothing to emulate nature and put more emphasis of the fish which is what I want to do...

I like seeing my fish, and they interact very well with me and my wife! It's very funny seeing the reaction is different from each fish dependant on the person, some fish respond different to my wife than to me

 

[Jc1119]

No one has mentioned how these fish would NEVER live like this in the wild. They're being forced to endure something intrinsically unnatural in order to override their instincts, their true nature, which is to be territorial and grouchy. Keeping CA/SA cichlids in a school is a gimmick, a jerry-rigged trick to cram more fish into a tank.

Keeping nitrates consistently low in that tank will require divine intervention.

I agree. Even when I kept mbuna, the whole principal of overstocking seemed unnatural to me. These fish do not occupy such tight quarters in the wild and most of what you see in tanks is done only to help curb aggression. It's a tactic solely used to house fish. Glass boxes are not natural, but you can make them alot less "unnatural".

Its not possible to recreate nature in a glass box, but you can certainly get close. Natural, at least to me, is something pleasing to look at but also encourages natural behavior as well. Such as spawning. Nothing quite like seeing a cichlid pair parade their fry up and down an 8' tank. Right in the main hallway of your house.

I have a "holding" tank in our garage. Its a 120 with no decor and about 12-15 medium to large cichlids at any given time. Some are grow outs, some are being sold and a few just get in the way of spawning in my main displays, so they go here for a break. These fish don't fight in here either because there is nothing to defend. No split fins, bites, lip locking. Nothing at all. They also never stop swimming and their colors are totally different then when they where in the displays. Our 12" jag is currently in there because she was giving our Festae pair fits. She never fully colors up and is always on high alert in this tank. Totally different behavior.

No nitrates in this tank either. It's on a constant drip changing half the water daily.


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[Tojo09]

The point of the hobby is to simulate nature. Saying it's either 100% natural or not at all is silly. Some arrangements are less natural than others, less worthy of emulation, no?

Maybe for you the point is to simulate nature but not for everyone always. I've done many different style tanks and methods of stocking and enjoyed it all and had very many healthy fish. The OPs tank is pretty cool, he gets to enjoy many fish and its relaxing to watch I'm sure.

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