The Cichlids That Inspire Us All

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Murrayt

Murrayt

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 3, 2014
180
2
18
California
Every American Cichlid owner has their story. Whether it was your first fish keeping experience, that particular species you knew you just 'had to have', or that mistake that you often look back upon and simply tell yourself "never again!". In this thread, I would really like to hear your story. Doesn't matter how short or how long. This is the time for some American Cichlid reflection. The story of the very first time you were able to get American Cichlids to breed. That moment you decided to take that next big step and upgrade your aquarium. Maybe it's a particular American Cichlid which lured you into purchase, only to find it was highly aggressive and destroyed the very essence of your tank. For the sake of story relation, lets keep it with American Cichlids. Feel free to post pictures!
 
i started with africans but there was too much going on for me.

if you wanna have a therapy session... i think i relate to new world cichlids a little more because they do totally fine if theyre alone. africans start to act super shy when theyre not in groups. personally, im not much of a people person. i get along just fine not being a social butterfly and i feel that africans are more social than new worlds are.
 
always wanted a dovii so when my lfs finally got a batch of one inchers I jumped right on it, keep in mind this is the first and last time any lfs in Windsor has had dovii. So I scoop up 3 at one inch long and put them in my 90 gallon. It took maybe a month for the largest one to decapitate its first sibling then a week later ate the stomach of its other one. I was shocked because never did I think that 3 2inch fish couldn't live together in a 90 gallon tank. So I was left with just one. He ended up being a male but was the most shiest fish I have ever owned to the point I traded him for a male festae at about 6 inches. The guy I traded him to kept him in a divided 125 gallon with an umbee on the other side. I regreted this trade immediately and missed my boy blue. To my surprise the guy I traded him too emailed me a couple weeks after saying that my dovii hopped over the divider and attacked his umbbe and he wanted to trade back so obviously said yes. got him back upgraded to a 180gallon bought him a female and do not plan on ever selling or trading him again!
 
Murrayt said:
Every American Cichlid owner has their story. Whether it was your first fish keeping experience, that particular species you knew you just 'had to have', or that mistake that you often look back upon and simply tell yourself "never again!". In this thread, I would really like to hear your story. Doesn't matter how short or how long. This is the time for some American Cichlid reflection. The story of the very first time you were able to get American Cichlids to breed. That moment you decided to take that next big step and upgrade your aquarium. Maybe it's a particular American Cichlid which lured you into purchase, only to find it was highly aggressive and destroyed the very essence of your tank. For the sake of story relation, lets keep it with American Cichlids. Feel free to post pictures!
Click to expand...
of course.. :) this is my oscar..
pyonsuke.jpg
everytime i am upset, stressed or have any issues.. i kinda go to my tank and play with him.. i would just like rub my fingers against him and he didnt mind.. he sometimes bite me, the bite tht makes me laugh.. he showed me tht fish can be a man's best friend.. i loved him.. he passed away on the 2nd of September 2013, 18 days bfore he becomes a yr old.. would nver had another cichlid like him.. he was a one-in-a-million.. RIP .. :)

pyonsuke.jpg
 
I had a fish tank for almost 2 years, my wife (girlfriend at the time) took care of it as it was her's and I actually wanted no part of it.

One day after a tank upgrade I got her for Valentine's day I decided while in petsmart that I wanted a cute little Oscar... Later the same day I got to text her some pics of some of her community fish hanging out of my new O's mouth, 20 some odd assorted fish were wiped out in a matter of hours. Soon after I experienced an algae bloom and was led to MFK for a solution, since the tank was now officially mine... Many years/tanks later we know how that turned out, lol.

"Swampthing" my female O hung around with us for 5 years and 3 tank upgrades, I was super upset when she died of an infection. She was a very personable and smart fish. Not only would she interact with anyone who came up to the tank; my wife actually noticed that she would hang out at the corner of the tank closest to the door around the time that I would come home every day, like a little water dog, lol.

I'm glad I ruined my wife's community tank and found out how much I like the attitude and personality of sa and now ca cichlids, they've cost me a bit of time, money and space but I do enjoy having the tanks that I have now and plan to have in the future, all because of that cute little O.
 
Haha that's a good story. Poor little fish though. Sucks you lost the oscar so soon :-/. My red devil tank is by the door to the wash room and anytime my gf goes in there he flies to that side of that tank and hangs out there until she comes out so he can flare up at her.


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ehh said:
Haha that's a good story. Poor little fish though. Sucks you lost the oscar so soon :-/. My red devil tank is by the door to the wash room and anytime my gf goes in there he flies to that side of that tank and hangs out there until she comes out so he can flare up at her.


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Click to expand...

Flare up? She must've been jealous:D

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