Central American Cichlids • toughest central american cichlids (4-7 inch) & (8-12 i

[Polarbear69]

Just wondering to my fellow central american cichlid enthusiasts what would be your top two cichlids in each size category for overall toughness or tank territory superiority?

[mmolitor87]

4-7? Convicts.

8-12? Red Devils.

Hands down.

[bernie comeau]

4-7" --Salvini, though males do get 8". Never owned anything it's own size or smaller that it could not dominate. IME, they will STOP convicts from breeding, at least eventually. And they are fairly capable as well, of using there smaller size as an advantage against larger openents, though I must say I think convicts have an even greater ability in this respect. Never owned neets so I couldn't say anything about them.

8-12". RD/midas and Trimac. Both of these can exceed 12" a little bit, sometimes. I think you more often see these fish dominate a CA tank, though just about any of the large CA are capable of becoming 'top dog'.

[hauntingurcoma]

4-7" salvini while spawning(convict close 2nd)


8-12" dempsey always run my tanks(i've never had rd/midas)

[bzartler86]

4-7 texas

8-12 jaguar doesn't back down from my red devils

[Chubbs the Jellybean]

4-7" - bellycrawler pike or male con

8-12" - male Texas, flowerhorn (but it's a hybrid)

[Polarbear69]

Although my "JD" a half inch bigger the quicker "Salvini" has marked his territory by a small rock in my 75 gallon tank. Interesting development as i wonder if my smaller jack dempsey will eventually become more aggressive as he matures. Smaller salvini not a bully yet either. A pair of my convicts are courting and taking over the castle rock in my tank but too small too breed yet. Next few months will be interesting to see who maintains top dog title.

[blkmjk]

4-7 " cons for sure

8-12" anything Nadopsis so Beani, Cubans, Black Nasty. Hands down my Cubans are the meanest fish I own.

[aggriffin3]

My money is on the Salvini...

Art

[CiChLiD LoVeR128]

4-7 Neetroplus nematopus (So, I have heard.) and Salvini can be tough.

8-12 Texas cichlids, Bartoni,

[Astronotus Labiatus]

4-7: BLACK CONVICTS. I've had a male in my 225 gallon who was not afraid of my jaguar or any other bigger fish in the aquarium, he had his territory well stablished despite his size;

8-12: FLOWERHORNS with no doubt. My flowerhorn is so aggressive that i had to remove my red devil from the 225 gallon tank. Both were the same size when i added the flowerhorn, after 1 week the devil was hidding all the time and i had to remove it or it would get killed;

[CaCichilds]

My Trimac (F) is pushed an Oscar, Mayan, and Mota out of her tank. I have a larger 7-8" True Texas on order in hoping that a bigger mate will make her calm down a bit. She doesn't attack the Oxydoras Niger who's a gentile giant, (ironically a slow grower.) She doesnt even claim any spots. Just the whole tank. The only thing she allows is smaller cichilds that just scurry off too quickly.


And 4-7 inch range. HANDS DOWN... (Hemichromis elongatus) 5 star general cichilds are the baddest darn fish. if you think I'm kidding watch it kill your tank off * I know technically its a west African like jewels but it's water requirements are that of a CA fish. These fish are not to be underestimated. I didn't believe my supplier and it destroyed 1 of my growouts. It was 2" and endless picked at 2 FH, a texas, pink cons. all a little bigger than him. He soon got his own little tank till i returned him. I would only suggest to house the 5 stars with bigger fish like grown RD's ect. It's like napoleon syndrome with these fish.

[Chromedome52]

I once had the demented thought of putting salvini and Neets in a tank together just to see who rules the tank, but it was just a thought. A quick note about Five Spot Jewels, all three species will exceed 10 inches.

Trimacs also exceed 12 inches. I've seen them close to 18 inches in the Detroit Zoo Reptile House, in a tank with juvenile Caiman, back in the late '70s. They were big enough and bad enough to steal feeder mice from 3-4 foot long caiman. Most of the fish listed here as in the 8-12 group will exceed 12 inches, but there really aren't that many fish that fit into that size range from CA.

[kaphil]

4-7 = Neets IME, and I've kept all the commmon stuff - salvini, cons, banded jewels (what I think in US is called 5 star general) etc etc.. I'd be surprised if anyone who has kept neets with the other fish mentioned would disagree (that's asking for it......!)
8-12 = Probably RD / Midas. And a breeding pair of neets would probably batter pretty much any of the big boys.....!

[mattmean]

im pretty sure diamond/red/and 5 spot jewels never break 6-7 "