Cichlid ID

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savalvey

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Sep 19, 2020
Messages
9
Location
Indiana
So I was visiting my LFS and saw this guy floating at the top of the tank not moving very much and gasping for air so I picked him up to bring him home. All they told me was that it was an African cichlid. After bringing him home and acclimating him, he’s sat on the bottom. I have a young Oscar in my tank that I can put him with after he’s quarantined and healthy but I would like to know what kind of cichlid he is and how big he might get. Thanks in advance! IMG_2104.jpg
 
So I was visiting my LFS and saw this guy floating at the top of the tank not moving very much and gasping for air so I picked him up to bring him home. All they told me was that it was an African cichlid. After bringing him home and acclimating him, he’s sat on the bottom. I have a young Oscar in my tank that I can put him with after he’s quarantined and healthy but I would like to know what kind of cichlid he is and how big he might get. Thanks in advance! View attachment 318136
Hello, was thinking of getting some african cichlids but found that they are very aggressive & wanted more of community tank instead. I believe this is what you have. Hope this helps!!!!! Screenshot_20200919-213015.jpeg
 
Hello, was thinking of getting some african cichlids but found that they are very aggressive & wanted more of community tank instead. I believe this is what you have. Hope this helps!!!!! View attachment 318141



Awesome thank you so much! Someone in my town had said it looked like a young red devil and I was hoping it wasn’t so I could put him in my oscars tank! I started out with a 30 gallon community tank the middle of last year but decided I wanted to have one or two bigger, more personable fish. I just couldn’t pass this guy up when I saw him there at the fish store! Hope everything’s going well with your tank!
 
I personally wouldn't put the African cichlid in the same aquarium with a Oscar because some Lake Malawi African cichlids can be very aggressive.
 
So I was visiting my LFS and saw this guy floating at the top of the tank not moving very much and gasping for air so I picked him up to bring him home. All they told me was that it was an African cichlid. After bringing him home and acclimating him, he’s sat on the bottom. I have a young Oscar in my tank that I can put him with after he’s quarantined and healthy but I would like to know what kind of cichlid he is and how big he might get. Thanks in advance! View attachment 318136



Speaking from experience, mixing African Cichlids with South American Cichlids isn’t a good idea. It may be fine for a time, but eventually that situation is going to turn out very bad for them, and they’ll be incredibly stressed, which makes them subject to illness, and one might just kill the other.

If you want to do African Cichlids, i’d re-home the oscar.

If you want to keep the oscar, there’s some great gorgeous Cichlids that can make great tank mates for an Oscar.

Jack Dempsey, Geophagus altifroms, and Green Terrors, are some great ones to look at.

Depending on the size of your tank.

If you’re 55g or less, you’re probably best-off re-homing the Oscar, unless you just want to just have an Oscar, and not much else. Which isn’t a bad choice, Oscars are like water puppies, very smart, personable, and personality for days.
 
Speaking from experience, mixing African Cichlids with South American Cichlids isn’t a good idea. It may be fine for a time, but eventually that situation is going to turn out very bad for them, and they’ll be incredibly stressed, which makes them subject to illness, and one might just kill the other.

If you want to do African Cichlids, i’d re-home the oscar.

If you want to keep the oscar, there’s some great gorgeous Cichlids that can make great tank mates for an Oscar.

Jack Dempsey, Geophagus altifroms, and Green Terrors, are some great ones to look at.

Depending on the size of your tank.

If you’re 55g or less, you’re probably best-off re-homing the Oscar, unless you just want to just have an Oscar, and not much else. Which isn’t a bad choice, Oscars are like water puppies, very smart, personable, and personality for days.



Okay so I have a 75 gallon tank that homes my oscar who is about 3.5 inches right now. At the time I got both of them and this one was very aggressive towards the other so I rehomed the other one. Would any of the fish mentioned above be able to live in this same tank with my oscar? I know I’ll rehome the African cichlid now as the oscar has always been the fish I wanted! I just couldn’t leave the African cichlid at the pet store in the state he was in :( I appreciate the advice because like I said the guy at the LFS really didn’t elaborate as to what kind of cichlid he was or anything just asked if I had another cichlid! Right now, he’s in the 40 gallon quarantine tank while he gets better so he’s in there alone
 
Okay so I have a 75 gallon tank that homes my oscar who is about 3.5 inches right now. At the time I got both of them and this one was very aggressive towards the other so I rehomed the other one. Would any of the fish mentioned above be able to live in this same tank with my oscar? I know I’ll rehome the African cichlid now as the oscar has always been the fish I wanted! I just couldn’t leave the African cichlid at the pet store in the state he was in [emoji20] I appreciate the advice because like I said the guy at the LFS really didn’t elaborate as to what kind of cichlid he was or anything just asked if I had another cichlid! Right now, he’s in the 40 gallon quarantine tank while he gets better so he’s in there alone



Yes, Geophagus species are beautiful, Jack Dempsey are also great, but can have an attitude, and also Green Terrors go well with Oscars.

There’s definetely some other South American Cichlids that go well with Oscars, Midas comes to mind. But the ones I just listed are my favorite.

Just remember if it will fit in the Oscars mouth, he’ll eat it.

75g is perfect for an Oscar and some Geophagus.
 
Yes, Geophagus species are beautiful, Jack Dempsey are also great, but can have an attitude, and also Green Terrors go well with Oscars.

There’s definetely some other South American Cichlids that go well with Oscars, Midas comes to mind. But the ones I just listed are my favorite.

Just remember if it will fit in the Oscars mouth, he’ll eat it.

75g is perfect for an Oscar and some Geophagus.



Okay so I found someone that will take the African cichlid after its quarantined. Now my question is this: my oscar(Dwight) has a pretty big attitude problem so I’m thinking I will go with a Jack Dempsey. I want something that will be able to hold their own against Dwight. I just want to make sure you think that would be okay, as I’m new to cichlids. And I’d like to know your input before I order one from Live Aquaria! Thank you for all your help!
 
Okay so I found someone that will take the African cichlid after its quarantined. Now my question is this: my oscar(Dwight) has a pretty big attitude problem so I’m thinking I will go with a Jack Dempsey. I want something that will be able to hold their own against Dwight. I just want to make sure you think that would be okay, as I’m new to cichlids. And I’d like to know your input before I order one from Live Aquaria! Thank you for all your help!



Jack Dempseys are great mates for Oscars, of course when it comes to big personality fish, there’s no guarantee, but fish with similar size and aggression will work better than not.

Some other ones to look at would be a Salvini, a Red Tiger, Green Terror, and Convicts,

JD’s are really awesome though. I used to have a big one named Sully
 
Zebra species mbuna will get up to 5 inches. I have 2, one is in a tank alone, one is with a red devil. Both males, and both were too aggressive even in a tank of lake malawi cichlids. Then they were too aggressive to be together. The one wound up with the red devil in a 75g because I had no other home for it. They actually do great together. Both are mean, and the devil can't catch the zebra. Been in there for months. I think it'll eventually bully your oscar
 
Jack Dempseys are great mates for Oscars, of course when it comes to big personality fish, there’s no guarantee, but fish with similar size and aggression will work better than not.

Some other ones to look at would be a Salvini, a Red Tiger, Green Terror, and Convicts,

JD’s are really awesome though. I used to have a big one named Sully
I actually have all of these fish. Ime some of these are not good mates for an Oscar. While you think your oscar has an attitude, it's a poor fighter, easily bullied, and prone to getting beat up. The red tiger and salvini will make him miserable and maybe dead. The jd and terror/saum will too if they are bigger than him. Convicts, fire mouth, blood parrots are good tank mates. Like i said, that's my experience
 
I actually have all of these fish. Ime some of these are not good mates for an Oscar. While you think your oscar has an attitude, it's a poor fighter, easily bullied, and prone to getting beat up. The red tiger and salvini will make him miserable and maybe dead. The jd and terror/saum will too if they are bigger than him. Convicts, fire mouth, blood parrots are good tank mates. Like i said, that's my experience



I was just about to make an update as I just got my JD order yesterday and is in quarantine now...I’m about to start building a tank here in a month or two to eventually put them in but I don’t want my oscar getting hurt! So maybe I’ll just move him to the new tank alone until I find a good tankmate for him. Thanks for the advice!
 
I have a jd in with oscars, but he's alot smaller. Try it. It might be fine. With cichlids it's a roll of the dice sometimes. You might find a good combo that works. They all have different personalities. I've learned it's good to always have a backup plan, lol
 
I have a 215g with 2 oscars, a gold saum, 1 blood parrot, 1 fm, 1 jd, 1 convict, and a black belt. The saum runs the tank cuz he's bigger. But one day it might be the black belt, he's only about 4.5" now. If it doesn't work out I'll move the bb to a 90g I have they were all in
 
I have a red devil in a 75g. And a red tiger in another 75g. I won't chance them with other fish, they don't even like me looking at them, haha!
 
I have a 215g with 2 oscars, a gold saum, 1 blood parrot, 1 fm, 1 jd, 1 convict, and a black belt. The saum runs the tank cuz he's bigger. But one day it might be the black belt, he's only about 4.5" now. If it doesn't work out I'll move the bb to a 90g I have they were all in



That’s awesome! I’m planning on building a 200 gallon out in our garage here soon! So the JD will be going with the Oscar for now atleast! Maybe if I moved them both into the 200g it would work out better? Hopefully all goes well when he’s moved out of the quarantine tank! I was more worried about the Oscar bullying the new fish because of how much he bullied my angelfish when he was only 2 inches long! really anything he’s been in the tank with he’s shown who’s boss so he could just be a loner fish
 
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