Most agressive central and south american cichlid?

[eon aquatics]

Scientific names/ pics of cichlids that are most aggressive?

 

[eon aquatics]

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Here is a list of them, but in your opinion, what is the most aggressive?

 

[eon aquatics]

Im also curious what kind of most aggressive cichlid can be kept in a 55 gallon?

 

[Deadeye]

This is dependent on a lot of factors: tank size, stocking, scaping, breeding, wild or captive, age, the individual fish, etc.
Put a full grown convict in a 20 gallon with a juvenile amph and you will get a much different story than the reverse.
That said, dovii is generally going to be agreed upon as the meanest just due to its size and weaponry - it’s hard for anything to compete with a full grown male.
Leaving out hybrids (like fh) and Africans (like butti), some of the others are:
Jag
Festae
Trimac
RTM
Haitian/black nasty
Umbee
And more

I have not kept any of these, so all of this is going to be based on what I’ve read or observed briefly in stores. As an example, I’ve seen a dovii being pinned by a festae at the lfs, but read dozens of accounts of the opposite.

Im also curious what kind of most aggressive cichlid can be kept in a 55 gallon?

Frankly - a convict. Don’t underestimate these guys - they hold their own against much worse, and don’t get very large. Most else will get too large for a 55 eventually.
That said, rather than going for the “biggest meanest” cichlid, it winds up being much more enjoyable to go for a community approach - you get to see many more unique behaviors than you do out of a solo cichlid that will shred anything that goes with it. A pair of convicts + dithers will always be more entertaining than just a solo.
If you are set for the meanest fish for a 55, I’d sooner look at the red wolf fish - they are as interactive as a cichlid, very undemanding, and far more vicious than any cichlid their size.

 

[duanes]

To me the most aggressive Central American is Neetroplus nematopus.
It makes the others on the list a bunch of pussy cats.

 

[PhishMon84]

To me the most aggressive Central American is Neetroplus nematopus.
It makes the others on the list a bunch of pussy cats.

especially if you read up about their relationship with nics and dovii

 

[Wharf]

I always wanted to keep a pair of Neets used to be quite addicted to Tropheus...can they be kept in colonies in in a large enough tank?

 

[duanes]

A friend had a colony of Neets in a 6 ft tank (don't remember gals)
It was an amazing looking display, and as you suggested, it looked very much like a Tropheus colony, especially when in steel blue spawning dress.
He had lots of cave like structures, but of course, no other species of cichlids were allowed to exist by the Neets.

 

[dogofwar]

Neets are quite social. I've only ever had luck keeping them with each other. Start with a group of 4-6 in a tank with a bunch of rocks and caves and they'll produce multiple generations in a few months. I had a 40B full of them.

I always wanted to keep a pair of Neets used to be quite addicted to Tropheus...can they be kept in colonies in in a large enough tank?

 

[Hybridfish7]

Central America:
Kronoheros umbriferum
Parachromis dovii
Parachromis managuensis
Parachromis motaguensis
Nandopsis haitiensis
Trichromis salvini
"Amphilophus" trimaculatum
Pretty much all of amphilophus is aggressive
Vieja breidohri
Amatitlania septemfasciata

South America:
More kronoheros
Crenicichla
Cichla
Andinoacara