I recently, while doing some research about lake nicaragua, found some intresting info on the behavior of three cichlids from this lake. Neets, nicaraguensis, and dovii. Evidentlly the dovii prey upon neets, Neets prey upon nicaraguensis fry, and nicaraguensis parents help protect dovii fry (in an effort to maximize dovii populations, wich in turn will decline the neet population). Intresting right? Now I'm sure I'm going to get an array of answers to the question, how large of an aquarium would one need to observe this behavior (minus the dovii fry)? I would say a stock list something like 12 neets 8 nicaraguensis and a male dovii. Obviously decorated with a very large rock area a sand bed and plenty of open swimming space. Obviously this would have to be a really big tank. But what's a good guess as to how big? This isent something I am planning to do or anything, just a thought that crossed my mind.
curious????
- Thread starter fish_n_vw
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you dont need much room because you dont need those fish to observe that type of behavior. alot of members on here will take there fry from bad parents and put them with mated convicts because the cons usually are good parents and take care of the the other fishes fry.
Yeah.... I have done that, not the same, we are interfearing..... the idea is to watch the fish do this because its there instinct, its a behavior only performed to benifit them.
Its not so much the taking care of another fishs fry, its the process. Any seasoned cichlid keeper knows about fostering fry to better parents. But for fish to do this knowing, or unknowing (like mulitplunctatis) it would be amazing to watch.
If you're trying to replicate the habits of these fish in the wild, then I think its not gonna happen... unless you got for 100% replication, including wild fish.
I want to say it was a guy called borstien or something like that. He had obseeved this behavior in the wild. I read about, dident know there was a video of it in action..... geez so awesome..... ok so givin I had f0 fish from lake nicaragua, I wonder what size tank I would need (of course this is all hypothetical) to observe this behavior. Man I watched that video like 6 times..... I am just amzed to see it in action. What really gets me is the triangle of hate/love exhibited by these 3 cichlids... its like wathing a cichlid take care of there young for the first time, it really gives you an insight to the complexity of the family of fish.... I have been keeping cichlids for a long time now and I still learn something new all the time... although I have never kept neets (never been intrested) or dovii ( my biggest tank up untill a month ago was a 125, so dident have a large enough tank) I am a really big fan of nics and have kept them off and on for about 7ish years now.... I'm truely in awe at this behavior... I want to go to nicaragua now.