Which is the most aggressive SA/CA cichlid in your experience/opinion?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Status
Not open for further replies.
Motaguense cichlid's are mean as Hell!! I had a pair for a while (mating pair) the male 12" would just beat the crap out of the female and when I would separate them and place the male in another tank so the female could heal, he'd beat the crap out of any other fish (including fish even bigger them him) if he could catch them...He'd even pick on and beat up the catfish on the bottom that didn't bother nobody... I ended up selling the pair on CL for cheap and glad their gone...
 
All I have owned is Oscar, Green Terror, Convicts, Jack Dempseys, Firemouths, and Jewel cichlids. I would have to say in this order the meanest.
Convicts- When protecting eggs otherwise they are fine.
Oscar- big bully picks on every fish in the tank
Firemouth
Green Terror
Jack Dempsey
Jewels
 
I have owned a bunch of cichlids. With 30 years of experience the top 5 most aggressive would be.

1.) Buttikoferi Tilapia. These guys are nothing but evil. Do not let his mouth fool you, they crush & rip the lips off of all their enemies. The pressure in their bite is ridiculous. Giving me 9 stitches on my hand and eating the stomach's off other fish. These guys should never be trusted, they are born mean. Remember these monsters get to 20''(20 inches), enough to take on any dovii at that size.

2.) Dovii Cichlid. The wolf cichlid, these guys are huge beasts. They have very large teeth, large mouths, and a muscular body. Not so aggressive when small, but once they reach 6 or more inches they dominate almost all their tank mates. Don't ever under estimate these guys, they are capable of doing a lot of damage to YOU and other FISH.

3.) Umbee Cichlid. Another big cichlid like the Dovii. They are easily the largest Central American cichlid you could own in the hobby. These guys are actually quite cute when young, but when they get older the tides turn. They get a large mouth, teeth, strength, and become ferocious. They are called the "Blue Freckled Monster" for a reason.

4.) Nandopsis Beani. A very rare guapote. These guys freak out when kept with other fish. At a foot long they can take a 200 gallon to themselves. These guys are hyper aggressive, but they are susceptible to bloat. Due to this, they usually get severely sick if they fight or have poor water conditions. There is no other cichlid at 12 inches like the beani and will take on a cichlid like the umbee that is 26 inches. No cichlid has the confidence like the beani.

5.) Red Devil Cichlid. The name says it all. These guys are nothing but killers. They are very common and are known to kill all the cichlids Above:uhoh:. Red Devil's are great cichlids though, full of personality. Remember these guys need close attention when mixed with other tank mates(fish). One tough Demon.

Thats my list...
 
I would have to agree with buttikoferi's as well.
Mine killed 3 inch convicts when he was 1.5''!!
Now he is by himself because he knocked the crap out of my dovii. I had to medicate him, all his scales were missing. Nasty little hornet.
 
I have owned a bunch of cichlids. With 30 years of experience the top 5 most aggressive would be.

1.) Buttikoferi Tilapia. These guys are nothing but evil. Do not let his mouth fool you, they crush & rip the lips off of all their enemies. The pressure in their bite is ridiculous. Giving me 9 stitches on my hand and eating the stomach's off other fish. These guys should never be trusted, they are born mean. Remember these monsters get to 20''(20 inches), enough to take on any dovii at that size.

2.) Dovii Cichlid. The wolf cichlid, these guys are huge beasts. They have very large teeth, large mouths, and a muscular body. Not so aggressive when small, but once they reach 6 or more inches they dominate almost all their tank mates. Don't ever under estimate these guys, they are capable of doing a lot of damage to YOU and other FISH.

3.) Umbee Cichlid. Another big cichlid like the Dovii. They are easily the largest Central American cichlid you could own in the hobby. These guys are actually quite cute when young, but when they get older the tides turn. They get a large mouth, teeth, strength, and become ferocious. They are called the "Blue Freckled Monster" for a reason.

4.) Nandopsis Beani. A very rare guapote. These guys freak out when kept with other fish. At a foot long they can take a 200 gallon to themselves. These guys are hyper aggressive, but they are susceptible to bloat. Due to this, they usually get severely sick if they fight or have poor water conditions. There is no other cichlid at 12 inches like the beani and will take on a cichlid like the umbee that is 26 inches. No cichlid has the confidence like the beani.

5.) Red Devil Cichlid. The name says it all. These guys are nothing but killers. They are very common and are known to kill all the cichlids Above:uhoh:. Red Devil's are great cichlids though, full of personality. Remember these guys need close attention when mixed with other tank mates(fish). One tough Demon.

Thats my list...

I didn't think buttikoferi's are that mean! I know they are next to the dovii but jeez, "ripping and crushing".
Do not forget that they are from Africa. Their natural diet is extremely tough algae and to rip it off they need STRONG mouths. This is why I don't own these guys anymore(painful bites).
 
I need to make a video of my butti.
Here is a picture of a huge 17 inch buttikoferi.
fish.jpg

Here is a video of a 20 incher! He is still growing!
[video=youtube;eQOXBKaShVc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQOXBKaShVc&feature=channel_video_title[/video]

fish.jpg
 
The meanest cichlid I have owned was definitely a Grammodes or Trimac.

The grammodes was a skittish and sneaky fish that would kill all his tank mates at night. He was also a very good fighter, he would only go for they eyes of the other fish.

The Trimac was a monster, never backed down. He would damage all my other fish pretty bad if they dared to fight him.

Buttikoferi's are mean, but I have kept a lot of them that were quite tame. Butti's love to push push push push and push to their enemy. They can't lip lock whatsoever.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
MonsterFishKeepers.com