What are the MOST TRAINABLE CICHLIDS!? Oscars are a given.

[Dylan Miller]

Hello all, I have a Jack Dempsey Cichlid that I'm working on acclimating to his new environment, a 55 gallon aquarium. He's shy now, but I'm hoping to get him to eat from my fingers! Is this feasible in your experience? What is YOUR favorite Cichlid you have trained?

Thanks!
-Dylan_

 

[ehh]

my midevil, betta, convict and tiger barbs all eat from my fingers. when i had various african cichlids they would too.

 

[Ihsnshaik]

Every fish will lol if you want one you can pet and act like a dog get a Flowerhorn

 

[LogiBear]

Yeah. But it would be a dog that bites.

My Convicts used to be very playful until i quit trying. The male would swim in cicles around my hand and the female would go after my fingers. Then i would wave my hand and the current would swoosh them away, and they would try to stalk my hand by going through little tunnels in the rocks and driftwood... Idk if it was just territorial or if they actually got some sort of fishy entertainment, but they got into it lol.

All my cichlids will eat from hand. Not always, sometimes they are mad at me for moving too much around, but usually they do.

 

[DDM4v5]

Flowerhorn or almost any Amphilophus.

 

[pops]

pretty much any fish can be conditioned to eat from your hand, my jags would eat from hand, or just try to eat the hand. not sure which for them,

 

[pops]

I put my hand in the oscar tank last week to move something, they thought it was feeding time, both oscar and the jag got a chomp in all at once, competing for my fingers, thinking pellets.

 

[LogiBear]

I put my hand in the oscar tank last week to move something, they thought it was feeding time, both oscar and the jag got a chomp in all at once, competing for my fingers, thinking pellets.

Ouch. When they get big the bite feels like a door on your finger... When mine junps for the shrimp that i hold he usually gets me at least once, and it leaves bruises often...

 

[BMac91]

My experience with JDs has been hit or miss. First one I had stayed in his cave ALL day, wouldn't eat unless something passed by his cave opening. Never came higher than 1/3 of the way up when he did come out of his cave.

Now on the other hand, I have a JD that is a complete jerk to other fish, but is very energetic and ready for anything, has a tank with places to hide but never goes anywhere near them. Follows me around the room begging for food instead.

As you said also Oscars, they are just water puppies.

 

[MonsterFishCreeper]

I have a wild GT that's extremely personable. It took him a while to get used to tank life and he was very shy for about a month but now he will eat from my fingers every day. He follows me around the room and watches what's going on outside of the tank. He also knows I keep his food downstairs so when I come from that direction he goes nuts with the begging and swimming into the tank.