I don't have a ton of Central American cichlid experience. Would black belt cichlids coexist with sailfin mollies in a 220?
Black Belt with Mollies
- Thread starter spitz006
- Start date
If you don’t mind the Mollies becoming feeders as the BB grow to adult size
hmm yeah I do mind. Maybe pike livebearers? or maybe go brackish and try to do atlantic stingrays or even sgt major damsels.
The problem with livebearers and bigger cichlids is the limited space. A lot of them share habitats in nature, but do not work when kept in the limited space of an aquarium. There is simply not enough distance to cover and and cichlids are very good in cornering prey. Normally it's just a matter of time until the cichlids find out that they can eat the livebearers or other small fish.
I agree with Milingu,
although a pair of Vieja maculacauda might naturally spend most of their time grazing on algae and eating fallen fruit, in the confines of a 6 ft tank, the temptation of an easy to capture high protein meal would be hard to pass up, even though Vieja are not designed as piscine predatores.
In the cenotes (like in my previos video) when Rocio attempt to strike at live bearers, they miss 9 out ot 10 times because of escape in the average space of cenotes space alone.
But in the confine of a tank under 6 ft, escape space is severly limited and most standard size livebearers don´t stand a chance at not becoming a high proten snack.
Even though an average Vieja is not designed as an obligate predator,(body shape,(streamined torpedo shape) and jaw structure), commpare to a true predatory species.
Predatory cichlids species on all continents are built for the chase, with grasping teeth and powerful jaws to match.
compared to vegatarians or even most omnivores, there is little need for stealth to get their natural food supply.
Compare the body shape of a predatory species above, with a vegetarian body shape in the video below.
although a pair of Vieja maculacauda might naturally spend most of their time grazing on algae and eating fallen fruit, in the confines of a 6 ft tank, the temptation of an easy to capture high protein meal would be hard to pass up, even though Vieja are not designed as piscine predatores.
In the cenotes (like in my previos video) when Rocio attempt to strike at live bearers, they miss 9 out ot 10 times because of escape in the average space of cenotes space alone.
But in the confine of a tank under 6 ft, escape space is severly limited and most standard size livebearers don´t stand a chance at not becoming a high proten snack.
Even though an average Vieja is not designed as an obligate predator,(body shape,(streamined torpedo shape) and jaw structure), commpare to a true predatory species.
Predatory cichlids species on all continents are built for the chase, with grasping teeth and powerful jaws to match.
compared to vegatarians or even most omnivores, there is little need for stealth to get their natural food supply.
Compare the body shape of a predatory species above, with a vegetarian body shape in the video below.
Its always interesting (for me at least) to try and mimic the trophic (feeding) stratagies of the cichlids natural behavours I keep, with how they act in nature., even though most of us feed prepared commercial products.
The primarily Vegetarian
with the powerful jaws of snail crushinng molluscavores
or the piscavores abilty to capture and hold prey.
And then there are those sand sifters that even though they have large mouths, prefer to process smaller morsals.
But not only cichlids, other species such as Mojaras, and Awaous gobies sift sand in these shallow, sand, and gravel mixed substrate rivers.
This ^ exactly. The living-together-in-nature thing does not always, or even usually, work out in our tiny tanks.
I can find all kinds of pics showing lions on the African veldt surrounded by herds of zebras and wildebeest. I wonder why they aren't kept together in zoos?
