# Getting a Cichlid....



## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

Please tell me the coolest (and not that expensive) cichlid to get....personality wise. Its for my girlfriend.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Imo, a jag, because they just look great!








Picture by Mojo (from predfish)

A little info: see *here*


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## unxchange (Mar 4, 2003)

Amphilophus citrenllus


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Jack Dempsey... although midas and RD's are reportedly great, too, but they dont look near as good as a Dempsey or Jag or GT.

Dempseys also grow a bit smaller than the others, if your concerned of tank space


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## SnowCichlid (Jan 10, 2003)

SEVERUM hands down


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## unxchange (Mar 4, 2003)

SA Cichlids are not as personable as most CA Cichlids.
Although SA cichlids has better color, the CA cichlids are more personable with their owner and not to mention, more agression.


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

oscar ..can't go wrong with one..they become dog like ...always begging


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Your girlfriend will love the Oscar as mine do, very very smart cichlid and not too difficult to care!

Best i can recommend!


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

I would say an oscar, but due to their size you may want another cichlid - other than that I would suggest a severum (not 2) or parrot cichlids or both of these options.

I know parrot fish are hybrids but the ones I have owned have been full of personality and some of my fave fish that I have ever owned!!!

also with them and the severum you can have other fish


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## Poseidon X (Jan 31, 2003)

You could find her a cheaper flowerhorn... they are extremely interactive with their owner, and she will be crazy for a girly colored one. She will think it is a darling... but you will secretly know its a hellraiser in a glass cage


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

salvinis are also nice, so are firemouths, rams, kribs and angelfish


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## spyderman (Feb 25, 2003)

What size tank does she have? Get her a pair of convicts. Really easy to take care of. And she'll probably like it when the convicts have babies.


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## Andrew (Mar 3, 2003)

Flowerhorns, Trimacs, Red devils, Striped Midas....all very personable.

Do you plan on getting a large tank ?... lol


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

spyderman said:


> What size tank does she have? Get her a pair of convicts. Really easy to take care of. And she'll probably like it when the convicts have babies.


 I can use the babies as feeders!









I was thinking a red devil or midas, they look awesome! What are the ones that require the smallest tank size?


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## mdemers883 (Jan 9, 2003)

devil or midas will require at least a 75g tank. if you have any questions you can always ask me over IM as well if need be mike. I'll try to snag some pics of my baby devil/midas for you to check out.

Mark


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

convicts....


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## Olson (Feb 15, 2003)

No way Xenon,if you want personality,great colors,and still a nasty fish go with a Fahaka puffer!I love the one I got.I will post some pics for yeah tomorrow and puffers are like puppies all girls love them


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

BDKing57 said:


> You could find her a cheaper flowerhorn... they are extremely interactive with their owner, and she will be crazy for a girly colored one. She will think it is a darling... but you will secretly know its a hellraiser in a glass cage


 I would go for a Flowerhorn also.. She would love it for the color and think that you'd put so much efforts in looking for a perfect one she'd like. (Remember.. girls like colorful and shiny things







)

Keep us posted on what you decide on, and what her reactions would be!! Good Luck Romantic Mike!!!!


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## thoroughbred (Mar 14, 2003)

what abotu butterkofri ? they are nasty byaaztches!!!!


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

i am going to have to go with Jag as well i like them i have one in my Piranha Tank.


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## Deeks (Apr 23, 2003)

I don't know much about cichlids, but I have heard that Red Devils have quite the personality. I've seen some vid clips on sites of them playing games with their owners.


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## SnowCichlid (Jan 10, 2003)

If you want a beast of a cichlid get something along the lines of a flowerhorn... or even a dovii if you have the room


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

hes not looking for a beast







He wants something thats cute and personable that swims up to the glass when u come by and might eat out of your hand if you try it.


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## SnowCichlid (Jan 10, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> hes not looking for a beast
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 well in tht case i present the great SEVERUM ... it eats outt my hand

and my female belly crawler pike goes crazy when it sees me in front of the tank


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Mike what is your choice?


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

You can try with Bettas too, not a cichlid but easier to care!


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## RAZORTEETH (Feb 6, 2003)

xenon get u some labeotropheus trewavasae african cichlids there just like an oscar at feeding time they will come up to the top and wait and if u want throw a small feeder in once in awhile








but honestly they are great fish males are blue and the females are a bright yellow.


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

get here betta...a fancy one...less clean up for you..cause you know you 'll be the one doing the clean-up


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

bettas are freaking lame. You might as well get tetras instead of bettas, if your gonna go for something small and pretty and utterly useless.


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## Corona (May 9, 2003)

Alot of the fish posted here get rather large, You said you want a small tank fish? How small is small? That would help in decideing what fish would best fit. theres some really kool dwarf cichlids, and some pretty good medium sized cichlids to choose from.


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## BUICKBOY (May 9, 2003)

Oscar likely the best bet. You think she'll keep it alive long?


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## pcrose (Mar 9, 2003)

I am not sure if a diskiss is a chiclid or not but they are very beautiful, I would take her to the lfs and let her pick some out. The dempseys are cool I loved my oscars they can eat out of your hand, the parrotfish were really cool but kev didn't like them. I would most defintly go with the diskisses or the oscars. Convicts are pretty too.









Oscars are one of the toughest chiclids you can own and they can last through a lot of beginner mistakes, but of course mike is there to help her.


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## bgshortys (Apr 7, 2003)

Discuss are chiclids as well as fw angels.

Xenon- You should get a red devil. When the lights are off or when it's dark by the tank, then red devil will turn white. when you turn the lights on, it will take about 30 min to turn red again. it's a cool fish!


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

green terrors are also really cool.


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## mdemers883 (Jan 9, 2003)

red devils are awesome, I"m on my second one.

Mark


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

good thread xenon, if u havent chosen a fish already, this'll give you a little insight on some cichlids' behavior:

http://forums.aquatiqterrors.com/index.php...=0&#entry144338


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

So its been a week since this thread started. Have you figured out what you've decided to get??? I might follow your foot step in what cichlid to get since my gf wants me to get a nice one too..


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## plikplak (May 1, 2003)

I would say an oscar, but they are very messy and require a lot of upkeep to stay healthy. If you want an interesting fish that is peaceable, severum or a pair of port cichlids are nice. I have lots of different kinds, but I like my oscars and ports the best. Also, a mayan (false red terror) is a nice looking fish, jd, as well as a true red terror (festae). Not terribly aggressive, good personality. The ports are not brightly colored, but are very pretty (my avatar is a port), they only get about 6-8" so a 55 would be more than sufficient IMO. Blue acara or rivlulatus (green terror) are cool, but they don't care much for others in the tank. Convicts are good looking and hardy, would live OK in a smaller tank like a 29. I wouldn't go for too many of any SA or CA cichlids in one tank since they tend to make each other miserable. Oscars BTW get ich and hole in the head very easily if the water is not kept clean and fresh, and it is a miserable death. Ports can be kept in pairs and will breed, and are smart fish that will follow you around the tank and can be hand fed. Cute faces too, lots of jaw wrestling when they spawn. If you can find them, they are not terribly common anymore from what I have seen. "Aequidens" Portalegrensis, or Cichlasoma Portalegresis, you will see them called both. Severum is cool too, but are more aggressive. If you want semi-aggressive, get a texas. They are beautiful fish, black with white spots all over them. I personally don't care for mutis or crossbreeds like parrots and flowerhorns, the latter are way too expensive in MHO. Good luck! Remember, as with all fish, cichlids are unique, so don't be suprised if you get a real terror of a fish in a "peaceful" species. I have many times!


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## plikplak (May 1, 2003)

Also, steer clear of the discus or angels, unless you want to keep just 1 or 2 in a large tank. They (discus especially, some angels as well) require VERY clean water with low PH and hardness since they are from the blackwaters of SA, which have a great deal of tannins from decaying vegetable matter (rainforests). This is not the type of fish to keep unless you are willing to invest a great deal of time and effort, so unless that is what you want I would steer away. Beautiful fish without a doubt, no kidding.

Most SA cichlids appeciate softer water, but mine do fine in PH 7.4 with a hardness of around 80-120 ppm.

look at www.cichlid-forums.com they can offer advice.


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

plikplak said:


> Also, steer clear of the discus or angels, unless you want to keep just 1 or 2 in a large tank. They (discus especially, some angels as well) require VERY clean water with low PH and hardness since they are from the blackwaters of SA, which have a great deal of tannins from decaying vegetable matter (rainforests). This is not the type of fish to keep unless you are willing to invest a great deal of time and effort, so unless that is what you want I would steer away. Beautiful fish without a doubt, no kidding.
> 
> Most SA cichlids appeciate softer water, but mine do fine in PH 7.4 with a hardness of around 80-120 ppm.
> 
> look at www.cichlid-forums.com they can offer advice.










well put...nad just get an oscar best bet...dog like..folows you and and begs..and is not that mean as other cichlids...


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

Someone in this thread mentioned "dwarf cichlids"....what are these? Pics?


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Xenon said:


> Someone in this thread mentioned "dwarf cichlids"....what are these? Pics?


 as far as I am aware this is a term that is loosely used by to describe small species of cichlids which they cant identify


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

I got some really small convict this weeked and they are tough. They all got their asses bitten off by my Spilo CF tho.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

are you suprised?


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## plikplak (May 1, 2003)

Common SA dwarfs are Blue Rams (Microgeophagus Ramerezi), Gold Rams and Bolivian Rams (not sure) and the various apistogramma. Common African dwarfs are Kribensis (pelvicacromis pulcher), and the shell dwellers (occelotus, not necessarily called dwarfs but are very small if you mean size).

Rams (especially blue) are not something you want as a first cichlid, they require softer water (blackwater fish) but mine do OK at 7.2/80 ppm. They are shy fish, and only grow to about 2.5 inches. Very easily killed if the water is not kept very stable. Very beautiful though. Can be kept with cardinal tetras, farlowella cats, cory cats, other peaceful fish. Mine are in a 20L with tankmates. The apistos are easier I hear, and are longer bodied.

Kribs are a different case. As with many african cichlids, they are beautifuly colored and fairly aggressive(towards each other). I have not had much luck with mine so far. If you can get a good pair (M/F) they may breed, and since they do mouth brood that would be cool to watch. They could do well in a 20L (one pair), I have mine in a 10 and it is tough going for the female at times! Unlike many african species who need hard almost brackish water, they can do well in various water conditions as long as it is stable. They are peaceful but like most cichlids if they breed watch out! They can kill fish many times their size, and will team up to protect their offspring. Males do not like other males, females do not like other females (trust me). The shell dwellers are really cool fish, but I have no idea about their care since I have never been able to get any where I live.









Some people call convicts dwarfs, I have never kept them.

As Innes pointed out, a lot of species are called dwarfs, and many of them are as yet unclassified.

Be warned, I am no expert!


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

You sound like an expert to me!


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

k you want a fish thats personable, very hardy, very pretty, and dirt-cheap, get a jack dempsey. They hit about 7-8 inches, and can live to maturity in a 30 gallon quite nicely. Or you could stick it in a 55 gallon tank and give it a few smaller tankmates/dithers. You wont be disappointed.


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## plikplak (May 1, 2003)

Dempsys are very cool fish, texas as well. They aren't terribly mean, and are very attractive. Your woman may not want a fish that has that mean-ass look, but even an oscar looks like a serial killer at times. Mine will pop up from behind his driftwood and all his face says is "if it moves, I kills it and I eats it"

Hmmm....
CA cichlids tend to have a more "stupid" or "happy" look to them (my opinion only!), but they are very intelligent fish. Google for festae cichlids, check out a fully colored adult. Beautiful. Watch out for the tail spot, if it covers the entire tail (before the fin) it is not a festae but a mayan (false red terror), the festae's spot is in the top half of the tail. Both are cool fish to me. Firemouth (meeki) are really cool too, and don't grow very large. I would recommend them as they are very inexpensive and sort of peaceful (if you have a large enough tank). Maybe get one SA and one CA, since they don't always consider each other threatening (their profiles are vastly different).


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