Temperment comparison?

J

JackDempsey8083

New Member
So, I know there are many factors that effect how different fish interact with each other, including but not limited to: tank size, décor and obstructions within the tank, species that are being mixed, individual temperament and so on. But the general question I have is, from people who have experience with any these species:
 
Thorichthys meeki (Firemouth)
Cichlamosa salvini (Salvini)
Aequidens rivulatus (Green Terror)
Rocio octofasciata (Jack Dempsey)
 
Which of these, generally speaking, would be the LEAST and MOST aggressive? Assuming all conditions were met to give all their own ample space. Im strictly speaking of antagonistic behavior, not breeding aggression or a territorial quarrel. Ive owned all except the Salvini, and my personal opinion would be that the Firemouth would be the most "passive" of the bunch. My old Green Terror lived up to its name destructively, and so did my JD's, so their tied. But Salvinis, I have heard, can be downright NASTY to everyone and anything in the tank. Any opinions? Thanks guys  :D
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
As for your list I would agree to a point. I have JD in my tanks and they are very docile, take these same JD and put them in your tank and they may tear everything up.

With that said if you had a tank with just those 4 species in it, I would say:
1) Rivilatus (its actually not a green terror, the true green terror is an Andinoacara Stalsbergi)
2) Dempsey
3) Salvini
4) Firemouth

I am basing that purely off of size. Yes the Salvini is a mean little fish, but it is territorial, it will defend its area from all fish, but it is IMO a nice community fish to have in a cichlid tank. Once territories are established the fish know and respect it. To a point. lol

Firemouths get more aggressive in numbers, a solo FM is also a nice comm. fish.

As for the other 2, its all in the own personal temperament, they could be nasty as heck or guppy cats. But on average from my experience the dempsey is a notch below.
 
J

JackDempsey8083

New Member
Thanks for the pointer on rivulatus, until I looked it up I didn't realize they were two distinct species! But then again, not surprised since I can often confuse a young blue acara with a green terror too  :roll:  Guess that general look is common.
 
Have you had personal experience with salvinis? How large do they tend to get? Where would you place a festae in that list?
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Festae are in the top 10 of must aggressive fish out there.

Salvini in captivity rarely reach 7+" most of the time 5-7".

And almost everyone refers to the Rivulatus as a green terror because that is what they have been called for many years. All of the local fish stores call them that, and most publications call them that. Why? Thats a mystery, but they are not, so I try to point it out as often as possible. Then people can do what they want the information. :)
 
J

JackDempsey8083

New Member
So would you suggest festae being able to be compatible in a tank with any of these guys? Ive never had a genuine interest in firemouths, so they can be put aside for now. But Jacks and Terrors and two of my all time favorites- would they be able to handle a festae?
 
Oh, and Ill go ahead and continue the Jag question from my other thread onto here:
 
Generally I was wondering about a general setup that work best for them. Ive heard many conflicting stories about them, from aggression to size and everything in between. Would they work, in a large enough tank of course, with other cichlids? Ive heard that they can be absolutely relentless in their aggression, and either need a HUGE tank to be able to stay out of others hair, or be by themselves/breeding pair.
 
I ask because their color and attitude have completely blown me away any time Ive watched videos of them, and the few times Ive managed to see one face-to-face. Are they any different from raising than a JD or Terror?

Thanks again  :D 
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
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Contributing Member Level III
What size tank are we thinking of trying this in? A 6ft long tank opens up more possibilities than a shorter one....
 
J

JackDempsey8083

New Member
Weeeeell... going off of the 45g I had before, a 6 ft tank sounds huge!  :lol: 

I was probably thinking about a 4 ft, between 50g and 75g, around that. Again, all speculation at this point.
 
DMD123

DMD123

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Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
A festae in a 4ft tank will likely decimate less aggressive fish like the others you are thinking of.
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
JackDempsey8083 said:
So would you suggest festae being able to be compatible in a tank with any of these guys? Ive never had a genuine interest in firemouths, so they can be put aside for now. But Jacks and Terrors and two of my all time favorites- would they be able to handle a festae?
Click to expand...
I have Festae in all of my tanks (most all). They will coexist to a point, once they hit a certain size they will want the tank, unless the tank is a good sized tanks. (as all of mine are) which is probably why I dont see that aggression as much. Plus all of the fish that I want to be in a community, I purchase small say like 1.5"-2.5", and I put them together. Let them grow up, if some get to the point where they are not playing nice then I remove them and decide what i do with it. Festae with JD and Rivulatus can happen but that highly depends on the tank size. Festae can reach 14+"
 
JackDempsey8083 said:
Oh, and Ill go ahead and continue the Jag question from my other thread onto here:
 
Generally I was wondering about a general setup that work best for them. Ive heard many conflicting stories about them, from aggression to size and everything in between. Would they work, in a large enough tank of course, with other cichlids? Ive heard that they can be absolutely relentless in their aggression, and either need a HUGE tank to be able to stay out of others hair, or be by themselves/breeding pair.
 
I ask because their color and attitude have completely blown me away any time Ive watched videos of them, and the few times Ive managed to see one face-to-face. Are they any different from raising than a JD or Terror?

Thanks again  :D 
Click to expand...
My experience with Jags is that they are an overgrown JD. What I mean by that is, back when the only cichlids available were you typical cichlids JD, GT (at the time), FM, Cons, RD, the JD was named that after the boxer, because JD were a mean fish. Today with the thousands of different species available JD is, what we thought as really aggressive, is now way down the list. When it comes to Jags they are a larger version of the JD, I have never owned a Jag that would tear up another fish. They get huge and use their size very well. I have a friend that put an Amphilophus Xiloaensis 10-11" in his tank with his 13" Jag, along with other tank mates. The Jag came out flaring at the Xilo, and once the Xilo got tired of it, it grabbed that Jag and shoved it straight into the corner of the tank. Jag never messed with the Xilo again. I have also had several Jag pairs breed in my community tanks, they mind their business and guard their territory.

But these are my experiences with Jags, and again mind you I have large tanks. Mixing Jags in a community may not work in a 120 gal, but in a 300 gal it is doable.
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Yes indeed, to be honest, Jags, Festae single pet only maybe a pair for a short time in a 4' tank
 
J

JackDempsey8083

New Member
I guess I didn't truly take in how big they got! My male JD got to around 9 inches, the female around 7ish, and they are the largest Ive ever owned... maaaay have to rethink this alittle  :lol:
 
DMD123

DMD123

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Contributing Member Level III
Sounds like maybe the best choice would be a standard 75 gallon with a single wet pet like a red devil.
 
J

JackDempsey8083

New Member
Well, if they truly get that big, and are that territorial, I may just stick with what I know! I love aquascaping, building the ideal tank for the right fish. I love the personality of the large CA cichlids, but I think I want the challenge of trying to build a working habitat with multiple different species. Festae are damn beautiful, but whew!
 
DMD123

DMD123

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Contributing Member Level III
I love having my large community tank. It takes the right combination of fish and personalities to get a tank where everyone gets along but it is worth it when you do.
 
J

JackDempsey8083

New Member
Same theme as above, how is their temperament? Ive heard and researched that they are naturally very mellow (for cichlid standards). Would any of them be able to be compatible with a JD or a Jag, assuming of course territory and tank size are adequate?
 
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