so last Friday I went to the local Petco and wouldn’t you know it? I had mentioned interest in getting more chocolate cichlids and they got some in. I ended up picking up 3 dirty brown splotchy chocolates all about an inch in length. Once I added them to the tank I noticed some strange cichlid behavior. 2 of these babies immediately locked lips out of the bag, the third eager to head by a filter intake. They are all doing fine, but I find it hilarious that these cichlids whom are known to be very mildly aggressive for cichlids were showing some very adult behavior unbecoming of the cichlid I have gotten to know. I have a larger chocolate (I suspect female, since she is like 6-7 inches and I am seeing no hint of a hump) and while she is currently the boss of her tank, she is far from homicidal. She chases a jewel cichlid that has no mate, and there is a small 1.5 inch salvini in there with no hint of damage. Then there are the 3 little stooges. 3 days later they seem to be calming down, though when I show up 2 of them immediately flash stress bars, the third one seems oblivious to danger and I have not seen a hint of bars since I introduced him. Has a flat brownish coat with the signature black spot, and just eats and swims without a care in the world. There are also 2 similar sized peacock bass in there that show no aggression, and seemingly enjoy each others presence. There is a small ghost knife in there that seems to be holding its own, and the rest of the tank is 7 small skunk Loaches that hot anything that falls to the floor, when the larger vampire pleco isn’t ramming them away in his crazed hunger dashes.
This tank is definitely getting interesting, watching all these children interacting, but these chocolates, they have me laughing a bit.
This tank is definitely getting interesting, watching all these children interacting, but these chocolates, they have me laughing a bit.
