What has Bags of Personality??

[Freakgecko91]

Personality comes with intelligence. A personable and intelligent, non-predatory fish is going to be rare, as the predatory behavior is what drives intelligence, the need to out-smart prey items, and figure out ways to capture and find those same prey items.

As for non-predatory cichlids, in my experience Uaru are quite personable. They are a larger cichlid that are mainly herbivorous, and my female recognized my dad, stepmom, and me. She would come to the front of the tank for feeding time and "talk" aka move her lips rapidly as she stared right at me or my dad. They are a great species.

Guianacara is a great genus as their behavior is really goofy. They're like a weird mix between an acara (aequidens, andinoacara, etc.) and an eartheater (geophagus, gymnogeophagus, etc.)

 

[swifty]

I've read a lot about "wet-pet" fish, which are fish just like you explained; finger chasers, glass bangers, chasing any who pass by its tank. I bought my jack dempsey in the hopes of that, but he's still just a baby at 4" so I think he needs more time to reach that stage, hopefully.

Anyway, from a lot of the owners this seems like the consensus:

1. Red Devil and Midas Cichlid (tied, extremely active fish)
2. Flowerhorn (you either love or hate the nuchual hump)
3. Almost any other Amphilophus species
4. Oscar
5. Green Terror (these are a great option, they stay small at 8-10" max size and are beautiful; I may trade my Jack for one)
6. Texas (red and green)
7. Jaguar (very large)
8. Dovii (larger)
9. Cuban
10. Trimac

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Oscars and angelfish have personalities!

So do terrors (green/red) so I've heard - but never personally had one

 

[Demonknight]

angels hands down

 

[Freakgecko91]

I've read a lot about "wet-pet" fish, which are fish just like you explained; finger chasers, glass bangers, chasing any who pass by its tank. I bought my jack dempsey in the hopes of that, but he's still just a baby at 4" so I think he needs more time to reach that stage, hopefully.

Anyway, from a lot of the owners this seems like the consensus:

1. Red Devil and Midas Cichlid (tied, extremely active fish)
2. Flowerhorn (you either love or hate the nuchual hump)
3. Almost any other Amphilophus species
4. Oscar
5. Green Terror (these are a great option, they stay small at 8-10" max size and are beautiful; I may trade my Jack for one)
6. Texas (red and green)
7. Jaguar (very large)
8. Dovii (larger)
9. Cuban
10. Trimac

I do not recognize flowerhorns nor red Texas as cichlids, so you can take them off the list lol

 

[Oscar98]

I do not recognize flowerhorns nor red Texas as cichlids, so you can take them off the list lol

X2...hybrids.

 

[garfy]

X3 No Hybrids

 

[Mogurako]

No. Im basing that list on how long i have had them. And i forgot red devils. And i agree that oscars are drama queens haha. But why bag on me?? I made that list on my only 2 years of keeping cichlids. Im no big experienced keeper. Im just going by my current experience, wake up on the wrong side of the bed??

My guess is because you only talk about and recommend the same couple of fish over and over again.

 

[Oscar98]

My guess is because you only talk about and recommend the same couple of fish over and over again.

Ok? Thats because ive only been the hobby for so long. Ive only had a couple different species.

 

[Mogurako]

I've never own one but my first "Wet pet" will be a Nandopsis haitiensis aka 'Odo' cichlid or Black nasty. They get big, mean and are suppose to be a good candidate for a single fish set up. They say 75 is minimum but I think a 120 stout would fit the bill quite well.

 

[Oscar98]

I've never own one but my first "Wet pet" will be a Nandopsis haitiensis aka 'Odo' cichlid or Black nasty. They get big, mean and are suppose to be a good candidate for a single fish set up. They say 75 is minimum but I think a 120 stout would fit the bill quite well.

That would be awesome!! They had a couple of those at the fish store i was at two days ago. Like 1.5" haha.

 

[swifty]

Then you're missing out...

Red Texas ( Cichlid ) - YouTube

 

[Freakgecko91]

Then you're missing out...

I will never own a cichlid hybrid. My tiger endler's are even too much of a hybrid for my taste! But we won't derail this topic with another debate on hybrids....

And the pic didn't load

 

[slayer72]

I will never own a cichlid hybrid. My tiger endler's are even too much of a hybrid for my taste! But we won't derail this topic with another debate on hybrids....

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Those are neat looking little fish.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Yeah, I'm not interested in hybrids. When I got my first 6'x2'x2' it came stocked with-
A jaguar
A polleni
A green terror
A red devil x flowerhorn
A medium gold spot pleco
A medium common pleco
2 adult blue crays.

I only wanted the tank- not a tank full of aggressive fish, so I gave them all away (apart from the plecos)

In the two weeks I had them (waiting to get them to a (I now to to be a terrible) lfs, the hybrid kept the other fish cowering in the corners. It even bullied the plecos and would have a go at the crays if they got too bold.

Consequently I never got to see the personalities of the other fish. The polleni seemed the quieter of the lot and was certainly a good looker.

It's so interesting researching cichlids, but its also so time consuming! There are so many of them!!

This is a pic of the jag and the polleni in a corner.