# most interactive fish?



## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

curious as to what fish are interactive. i know that the red devil is and the oscar is somewhat. im not familar with many fish besides piranhas as i only have kept P's and still am fairly new to hobby.

i plan to see how people respond, then i'll look more into that specific species.
so ...

1. red devil
2. oscar


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

_ALL_ large central/south american cichlids are personable; devils and oscars just happen to be two of the more readily-available fish


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## Kory (Jun 5, 2003)

Oscars.

The Green Terror I used to have was almost as interactive.


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## mdemers883 (Jan 9, 2003)

p45 pretty much hit it right on the spot, most large CA cichlids are interactive. By interactive I mean pretty nasty towards the owner, I can't even put my hand in my midas tank, and if I dangle my hand above the water she jumps out trying to bite me. Here are some CA's that I would recommend.

Midas
Red Devil
Haitensis
Trimac

There are many more, but I like the looks of those the most.

Mark


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## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

i looked up midas and it looks the same as the red devil


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

i notice that oscar are more like dogs they beg and follow you around when you walk in front of the tank..while red devil as they are also like osacars, there more the rushing to attack when they see.... ..just imo


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

EMJAY said:


> i looked up midas and it looks the same as the red devil


 they are extremely similar, but if you closely compare the two a midas is stockier while a devil is more slender

both species are highly prone to inbreeding with each other though, so almost all specimens sold at lfses-- regardless of what they're labeled-- are a mix between the two. Doesnt really change much.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

The most interactive fish I own right now are my Tyre-track eel and my severums


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## accr (Nov 27, 2002)

There's an easier way to determine if one's Midas or RD.

If ya'r viewing from the top, 
a Midas's mouth would look like ->>> U
RD would look like ->>> v

All RD/Midas of diff sizes follow the rule.


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## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

such similar looking fish, are they similar or completly different? 
im assuming over time one species changes a bit. i mean how on earth can 2 species be so closely related?


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## Deeks (Apr 23, 2003)

I don't know if you're willing to look into salt water aquariums, but if you are porcupine puffers are really interactive. My buddies LFS has one that will follow my finger around the water(probably cause he wants to eat it) and will eat from my hand. Cool cool fish.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

EMJAY said:


> i mean how on earth can 2 species be so closely related?


 we do have a non-piranha science forum for these type of questions - if you really want to know


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

EMJAY said:


> such similar looking fish, are they similar or completly different?
> im assuming over time one species changes a bit. i mean how on earth can 2 species be so closely related?


*they are identical in all noteworthy respects*, except red devils are ever-so-slightly less prone to getting quite-as-enormous nuchal humps as midas

so if you want a mean 12" orange fish with a guaranteed-huge nuchal hump, regardless of sex, get a midas
if you want a mean 12" orange fish with only a _near_-guaranteed-huge nuchal hump, regardless of sex, get a devil

if you buy a red devil or midas at a lfs, you are guaranteed to have a mix of both specimens though; they only way to get a pure fish of either sex is via online sellers, and buying fish online costs an instant $30-$40 shipping fee on top of the fish's price


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## Tommy V (Jul 18, 2003)

My O follows you by the tank but hes a big puss. He's 10" and flies to the other side of the tank when I put my hand in their to fix something. He needs to grow some nuts like my JD. The JD doesn't budge when I touch his tail.


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## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

whats a JD?

and can i mix a red devil with some P's? i seen it on a site


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## Mr.P (Jul 14, 2003)

JD = Jack Dempsey, I also have one and he is not skittish and will greet you by swimming up to the glass. He has been stressed out lately though.


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## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

oscars are very interactive fish









go with an oscar


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

EMJAY said:


> and can i mix a red devil with some P's? i seen it on a site


 yeah a number of people have done that; frequently though the RD ends up killing some of the p's


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> EMJAY said:
> 
> 
> > and can i mix a red devil with some P's? i seen it on a site
> ...


 ask oh snap it eric....he put his red with his caribas...lets just say the red devil thought it could lock lips with a piranha..


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

heh i c.. id think that would happen more often but it apparently doesnt


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## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

ohhhh sh*t, he got his lips bit off?
ha! nevemind i'll just mix cichlids.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

EMJAY said:


> ohhhh sh*t, he got his lips bit off?
> ha! nevemind i'll just mix cichlids.


 OK I have to add I had my largest severum with my RBPs for a year, one day they bit part of its lip off - now it has fully recoverd and is no longer with them - I consider myself fortunate.

I do not reccomend any of these big/aggressive cichlids to newcomers to the hobby, and if you do decide to get these please learn all you can before buying.

I think it is a much better idea to start with community tanks









Piranhas are not good tankmates - and neither are Red Devils = I dont suggest you keep them together


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## TimmyTeam (Jun 20, 2003)

Puffer fish are like lil aquatic dogs whenever i come in the room the come up to the front to check me out and swin back and forth...and they beg like my real dog.


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

thePACK said:


> piranha45 said:
> 
> 
> > EMJAY said:
> ...


 Yups, my RD thought he was a badass since he ran my Geryis and RBs but when it came to the Caribe .......... Bam! Jacked up lip. =( Cichlids and Ps are not meant to be mixed.

On another note, cichlids are not the only interactive/active fish around. A puffer community is crazy. I had many different kinds and i cant stare at that tank any longer than 3 minutes before i get dizzy and want to barf. They are always swimming,bumping into things,begging for food. Very cute says my GF. A definite chick magnet.


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## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

yeah puffers. i totally forgot, maybe i should just make a little 10 Gallon puffer tank?


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

20g long tank can get you a very nice puffer tank. If you wish i can list what i had and what you shouldnt have.


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

I would say that almost all CA/Sa's are good and be classified as pets.

Oscars are up there tho.

It all depends on what you have in the tank with the ca/sa. Loner fish are always more responsive.

I've had every fish I've ever had eating from my hand within a month. That means almost 26 years of cichlids and 17 years of all kind of p's.

It's all in how you do it.

Actually, and I know pure cichlid lovers won't like this, but with smaller (5") fh I have now, he's the smartest fish I've ever known. He attacks anything in his tank. I go thru 2-3 nets a week because he takes them from me and I'm afraid of hurting him trying to get it back.

He attacks the python I use to clean the tank. So I thought I would distract him with a cichlid stick. It worked. I clean the tank twice a week, and after a couple times I would put the cichlid stick farther and farther away until now it's at the other end of the tank. 
He goes after the tube and bites it for a sec still, but it's like a half-hearted attempt . He then turns right around and swims to the other side of the tank and waits for his treat.

When I'm on "his" side of the tank, nothing works and he doesn't move, even if I prod him with the tube.
he won't budge, So I'm not sure if he's smart or what, but it's still cute all the same.

There are so many ways to condition your fish to do tricks. It all involves food. Fish are never actually "smart". They don't think. They act upon instinct and are "conditioned".

It's all about how much time you want to spend with your cichlids. If you have no life, like me, then you'll have a lot of smart cichlids, no matter what breed.


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## Black Piranha (Feb 1, 2003)

Oscars and Electric Catfish


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## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

great, go for it eric, im all ears as im really interested in a puffer tank, maybe even a 25 gallon.


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## pcrose (Mar 9, 2003)

red devils are more aggresive I have never really seen a midas and oscars kick ass because they eat out of your hands and latch on to your finger and they let you pet them so yeah they are like dogs.


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