I love cichlids lets see all types of em!!

[Jesselav1233]

I LOVE your discus fish! I've got another 150 gallon that I'm in the middle of resealing and have been pondering what to put in it. I think your pics have pushed me right into discus world.

You definitely should! 150 gal discus tank would be amazing!!!!

 

[m013y]

So many chiclids ive got...
...
Fish arnt exactly photo friendly wish i could get good pix of em all. No point posting crappy photos lol

 

[Jesselav1233]

So many chiclids ive got...
...
Fish arnt exactly photo friendly wish i could get good pix of em all. No point posting crappy photos lol

What kind of cichlid is the red guy he's awesome looking is he from lake Malawi?

 

[m013y]

Ye hes from malawi. Tbh im not exactly sure what he is, he was a gift from a friend. I bielive hes some sort of blotch chiclid but i never quite seen such a red one they normal more orange. But hes my new favourite lol

 

[Jesselav1233]

Ye hes from malawi. Tbh im not exactly sure what he is, he was a gift from a friend. I bielive hes some sort of blotch chiclid but i never quite seen such a red one they normal more orange. But hes my new favourite lol

Yeah I've been wanting a red guy for my Malawi tank but haven't found one yet yours is really cool. They must be pretty rare.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

It is some sort of Aulonocara but not sure witch it kinda looks like a dragon blood bit the face isn't blue hmmmmmm...

 

[Jesselav1233]

Whatever it is I want one!!! Lol wishful thinking most likely but if I see one it's mine.

 

[m013y]

Pet-packs in hardwick... google it. if yur local or dont mind traveling they're bout 8quid each i think. Its a pet shop with a good selection of fish.

 

[justjames76]

Have you thought about getting a fire jewel?

 

[Jesselav1233]

Have you thought about getting a fire jewel?

Is that another red Malawi cichlid? No I haven't but I would like to add some red fish to my Malawi tank.

 

[Jesselav1233]

Pet-packs in hardwick... google it. if yur local or dont mind traveling they're bout 8quid each i think. Its a pet shop with a good selection of fish.

Quid is English currency right? Lol I'm in new jersey so it might be a bit of a hike from here! Thanks though

 

[m013y]

Oh sorry... if i manage to breed em maybe i can ship some over. Lol

 

[justjames76]

It's an African Cichlid, but from the West African rivers instead of the rift lakes. I'll try to post a pic of mine this weekend (although they are still quite small). Mine have the "jewels" covering their bodies (think of the reflective spots on a jack dempsey) with a deep red background color. They will stand up for themselves against cichlids twice their size, but won't always win.. so make sure your fish have plenty of hiding spots, things to break line of sight, and are well fed. You should google fire jewel cichlid. I'm including a link to a stock photo below.

http://www.allfishemporium.com/wp-content/gallery/fresh-fish/jewel-cichlid.jpg

 

[m013y]

It isnt a jewel i have two of those. Its quite simular to that picture yu post but the only 'jewel' scales are on his jaw line and he dont seem to have them potant black dots like them others.

Ive tried to capture them both in this pic with the jewel hiding in the background.

 

[aaronjohn20]

 

[justjames76]

It isnt a jewel i have two of those. Its quite simular to that picture yu post but the only 'jewel' scales are on his jaw line and he dont seem to have them potant black dots like them others.

Ive tried to capture them both in this pic with the jewel hiding in the background.

Yeah, I'm not sure what your cichlid is. It's beautiful though. I was just recommending fire jewels as a possibility for him to add some red to his tank.

 

[justjames76]

Red Cichlids

I have a few red possibilities for you from my tank. I finally got some of my other pics off the cam.

1) My fire jewels. It's not the best pic. These guys are growing FAST and are great to watch. If they're left alone.. they leave everyone alone. If a fish hits them.. they will attack back and then proceed to smack him every time he comes into view for a good half hour or so.

2) a baby peacock (unfortunately, only the males usually have good color and most do not show any until they are older). Note the firehap baby behind him. This baby peacock should develop a good bit of red if it's a male as it grows... or stay blah if it's a female (similar to the peacocks).

3 & 4) My Haplochromis .. "Red Fin Obliquidens" . Sorry for the poop shot but his color was great in the pic.

 

[Jesselav1233]

I really like those fire jewels will they get along with my mbunas? What length will they grow to?

 

[justjames76]

Fire cichlids and Mbunas

I did read somewhere that Mbunas will skin them alive. However, I have some Mbunas in my tank and haven't noticed unusual aggression towards the fire jewels. What I have noticed that is different is that the fire jewels seem to hold a grudge for a while.

I have one male Mbuna who is nipping every fish that comes near him because he's "in the mood" and doesn't want any other fish near his lady. Most of my cichlids get popped and dart off to another area. My larger fire jewel will stand his ground and go rounds with him (even though the Mbuna is twice his size right now).

Then last night, one of my red fin obliq males was chasing the other male back and forth across the tank. The one that was fleeing bleached his colors out and ran to the other side of the tank where the fire jewels are... and they all got along fine for a while (the aggressive male obliq was leaving the weaker male obliq alone for a bit). The fire jewels didn't care that he was there in the least. About 5 minutes later, the fleeing obliq (that had just been sitting there) got an attitude, darkened his colors, and bit the fire jewel... once! The fire jewel commenced to kicking the crap out of the obliq (even though the obliq is much bigger than he is) and ran him off. The problem is he that he ran to other side of the tank.. where the aggressive obliq attacked him again and chased him back to the left side of the tank. This time, as soon as he was in view, the fire jewel jumped him... and repeated to jump him every time he came into view for the better part of an hour (although he did not hit the other male obliq). You could tell he just had it out for the one fish that bit him for no reason.

With all of that said, mine are still juveniles and I can't accurately say how it will be when they reach adulthood. I'm hoping they continue to grow together and are ok or I'll have to re-home them.

 

[justjames76]

(Disclaimer, all of the following is from what I've read) The max possible size is reportedly 5 to 6 inches. I should also point out that I've read no tank mates are possible if you have an adult breeding pair. A single adult may very well do fine, but a mated pair will relentlessly attack any and all fish in the tank.