Grammodes or Istlanum?

[PYRU]

One more commentary from me, and I'll get off my soapbox.
When we think of a 300+ gal tank, in aquarium terms, it seems large.
But when comparing it to the river system istlantum dominates, and has pushed every other similarly competitive cichlid out of, that system is millions if not billions of gallons. A 300 gal aquarium is a puddle in comparison
Being aggressive may not be the only factor for its dominance, because it is an omnivore may have made it most adaptable and helped push others out.
But this is a similar scenario to beanii, it is also the sole cichlid of its habitat, and in most cases, trying to house more species in a tank with it, is also a bloodbath.
And look at haitiensus, there are no other endemic cichlids on the entire island.
In most cases if it can't kill other species housed with it, it tends to bloat and die of stress.
These natural indicators should be taken into consideration whenever trying to house any cichlids together.

Great info

 

[Aquamojo]

QUOTE="Freshwaterpredators, post: 7551266, member: 54232"]

My wc istlanum I used to have hit 13" for the record.. Straight beast mode

Not to derail the thread, but I would love to see a pic/vid of a 13" istlanum.[/QUOTE]

Really old photo of an Istlanum that basically grew up in my pond and them moved to a tank. Photo perspective is a bit off, but I put a dollar bill on the front to give some idea on size. Te fish was easily 11" nose to tail. A beauty that won best of show in a handful of contests.

 

[Aquamojo]

As I go through a bunch of these threads I read with some amusment and not a little bit of head shaking at the conversations about Meanest and nastiest and fish ruling or dominating like it was a badge of honor. I just don't get it. Cichlids by nature are aggressive. Why anyone would strive to have them "dominate" chase or beat up on any other fish is beyond me. I've had some of my cichlids for 17 years. I think the goal ultimately is to keep it healthy, safe and stress free. That said...it's your fish. Have fun.


Duanes....nailed it pal.

 

[PYRU]

It doesn't get much better than that. I actually prefer the green variant, but could never find any.

 

[Aquamojo]

It doesn't get much better than that. I actually prefer the green variant, but could never find any.

And I would have loved the red. This fish was a surprise. A friend gave it to me...and I just tossed it into the pond. I rarely saw it until one day during a water change. I pulled it out and was pleasantly surprised.

 

[PYRU]

I probably stir the pot more than I should on these aggro discussions. Admittedly for my own amusement. However I either keep solo males or try for a pair of a single species. Each has its own unique behavior thats enjoyable to watch. All that goes down the tube when you start mixing a bunch of different locales and will just create a chaotic cluster **** of a tank.

I would research the fish you want and check out their natural behavior then pick what interests you.

You really can't go wrong with istlanums. They look good, they're bold, and have big attitude in a very manageable size.

Grammodes really appeal to me due to them looking like a parachromis. However the slow growth rate and habit of reclusiveness is a deal breaker for me.

If you want a hyper aggressive baddest of the bad cichlid for a 360 then just grab a dovii or Umbee then call it a day.

 

[MonitorSpiderCichlid]

I've kept both and although grammodes are tough, they don't hold a candle to istlanums. Istlanums have a mouthful of teeth that a grammode can't handle. The istlanum is also much more sure of themselves and I would put money on istlanum making quick work of any grammode. And beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I also think that istlanum are much nicer looking than the grammodes at any size.

My wc istlanum I used to have hit 13" for the record.. Straight beast mode

Have you actually housed your istlanums with other cichlids though?

 

[Cyberman]

I think you'll know what my answer is to this... A monster Istlanum would destroy a Grammodes of similiar size but neither are any match for a big breeding male Neet

 

[cichlidfish]

As I go through a bunch of these threads I read with some amusment and not a little bit of head shaking at the conversations about Meanest and nastiest and fish ruling or dominating like it was a badge of honor. I just don't get it. Cichlids by nature are aggressive. Why anyone would strive to have them "dominate" chase or beat up on any other fish is beyond me. I've had some of my cichlids for 17 years. I think the goal ultimately is to keep it healthy, safe and stress free. That said...it's your fish. Have fun.


Duanes....nailed it pal.

People who want fish that can beat up others are immature. That's something my toddler would like lol.

 

[JoeBoxer]

As I go through a bunch of these threads I read with some amusment and not a little bit of head shaking at the conversations about Meanest and nastiest and fish ruling or dominating like it was a badge of honor. I just don't get it. Cichlids by nature are aggressive. Why anyone would strive to have them "dominate" chase or beat up on any other fish is beyond me. I've had some of my cichlids for 17 years. I think the goal ultimately is to keep it healthy, safe and stress free. That said...it's your fish. Have fun.


Duanes....nailed it pal.

You beat me to it. I used to get it when I was like 14....but I really don't understand the obsession. Put your neets or grammodes in with a big rhom, or a giant snakehead or whatever....they'll get destroyed....who the heck cares? I don't own fish because they're badass. I do because they're interesting. That's why I don't own a rhom right now because I'd have to have like ten tanks before I can justify a tank for a rhom or other Serra that must be solitary and will probably be very boring. Cichlids have awesome personalities and that's why I like them.

That's just me though. Maybe I'm the minority here.