Nic compatability?

[firemouthdude]

Any reason why 2 or 3 nics wouldn't work with a group of 5 leucos and 1 chocolate cichlid. Tank is 180g and filtrated with 3 good sized canisters and some large sponge filters, 50% waterchange 2 times a week, river sand with driftwood and fed sinking cichlid gold and excel mini while choc eats larger floating cichlid gold. The leucos are between 5 and 7" and around 2-3 years old with 2 males and 3 females only squabble between themselves, have bred before but fry always getting eaten. choc is about 7" and ignores everything except for food and other chocs(got another in a different tank which is more aggro, both are less than a year old I think). Non cichlid tankmates are 5 silver dollars about 5"(only in this tank temporarily), 7 spotted metynnis about 4", around 15 black widows about 2"(yes I know choc will might eat them eventually, they are all over 2 years old- didn't expect them to live this long) and 1 striped raphael cat(6").

I know if they start breeding I would have some trouble but I have a few other tanks I could move them to if needed. Thinking about getting 4 or 5 about 2" and growing them out in a separate tank till around 4" and keeping maybe just two females as they would be smaller in the long run.

 

[jonclark96]

I have found nics to be bullies with less aggressive fish. I wouldn't keep them with sensitive south americans (assuming the leucos you refer to are satanopercas). I think the nics would stress them out.

 

[firemouthdude]

Yea the leucos are satanopercas, do you find that trait to be common with all nics or just each individual personality? or males more aggressive?

 

[jonclark96]

I've heard of others keeping them In community settings but all the ones I have kept were about them se temperament wise. The last big male I had would push around a chocolate that was a few inches bigger than him.

You could give it a shot, but I still don't thing the Leucos would be happy.


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[moneysink]

I have had a number of nics over the years and they are amongst my favorite cichlids, I am lucky enough to have a pair right now who keep mostly to themselves and are pretty mild mannered but they seem to be the exception, like previously mentioned above most male nics tend to be pretty pushy if they can get away with it. I would give it a try because you never know untill you try but be prepared to seperate them. They always get listed as peaceful cichlids in all the fish descriptions on the web but that is not my experience at all, the first one I had was a little buzzsaw with fins, she got returned with the quickness. Then I had a big male for probably close to 5 years and he was a great fish, loads of personality. He was a beast but wouldn't back off of fighting with my much bigger synspilum. One day I came home to my nic dead and my synspilum in tatters. The synspilum eventually recovered but still has some scars, so like i said, its a gamble. But they are colorful friendly cichlids and its worth a shot.