Short body green terror?

[duanes]

Just as there are always a percentage of deformed fish in any spawn, if 2 deformed fish spawn, there will (hopefully) be a small percentage of normal ones.
Buphy may have got one of the most normal of the bunch.
I would however suggest, since it has come from a deformed batch though, breeding should not be in its future.
Bit hard to tell for me at the angle of the photo, but I concede to those with more GT experience.
Whenever I get even the slightest bit of mutation in fry of any of the fish that spawn for me, the mutants are used as feeders.

 

[Buphy]

No intent to breed. I simply don't have the tanks/space for it. Back to the original question though, will the overall growth size make it harder/impossible to mix I with my other fish?

 

[duanes]

This is a difficult question to speculate on because there are so many variables.
Each fish you have chosen is territorial to one degree or another.
Anytime you add cichlids incrementally, territoriality comes into play, size of tank comes into play, and because color patterns can determine whether 1 cichlid sees the other as competition, color and shape come into play.
Whether or not dither fish are involved, and the availability of hiding places for each individual.
And because unlike schooling fish with a group personality, cichlids are all unique, so trial and error is more the rule than the exception.
I usually try to add all fish to a tank at once, and if it happens I add a new individual, I'm surprised when its "not" dead by the next morning.

 

[Buphy]

I'm actually completely re-doing the tank when I add him so that immediate "this is my spot" shouldn't occurr too badly (I hope). Planning either a 125 or 180 in the next few years so that's their next home. My consern is if he ends up only being 5 inches because he's "short bodied" is he absolutely not going to be happy/ok with full grown Jack Dempsey like fish?

 

[Buphy]

Well I got everyone together finally... Mine is now very clearly short bodied and getting picked on pretty bad, though everyone has some scrapes from the coral. Figure they'll take some time to get used to it and respect that it can hurt them. Here's some pics.

 

[gutted]

1128364[/ATTACH]

Ooh a grown EBJD. Nice! It's almost as nice as your polleni creeping in the pic. Lol

I'd say your shortbody GT could work out. Just because it's smaller doesn't necessarily mean it'll get picked on. Once it matures, it may gain that confidence attitude that I've seen with older green terrors. I had an 8" one that ruled my 125 and a 6" that didn't back down for anyone. Wish I never sold those 2.

 

[Benno87]

I'd be removing the coral ASAP if the fish are already cutting & scraping themselves on it. I have only ever used driftwood and smooth rocks with my Americans due to they're size to prevent injury and unsightly scars. I have never rated coral in freshwater tanks from a looks point of view either just don't look right to me lol. But that's entirely my opinion & everyone is different. Love your ebjd btw.

 

[Buphy]

Thanks for the complements on my EBJD ^.^ he's actually the "meanest" in the tank. Will flare his gills at the normal JD and makes him leave to the other side of the tank. He'll run if the bleekeri (Polleni) catches him off guard from the side or behind but if he squares up, the bleekeri changes his mind. As for the coral, no new damage but I've had a spike in my tank lvls since adding it so I may be removing soon. GT actually got moved back to my other tank, he was stressing me out getting beat up so much by the JD and bleekeri.