CPryor
Aquarium Advice Activist
Hello, all!
I work at a chain pet store. I was mostly hired for my knowledge of the small, whiskered pets, with some tropical community experience. No saltwater fish at our store....but chichlids, oh my! I get cold, nervous sweats every time someone asks me a question about them, and have to admit I know nothing, rather than give them any advice or direction.... 'cause I don't do BS. I just shove some books at them
So... Right now, what I THINK I know about them is that Africans and South Americans should be kept separately. Both prefer rocky terrain and will destroy plants. The most aggressive i've witnessed are Red Devils, Texas Cichlids, Jack Dempseys, and of course, Oscars. Africans seem more peaceful but also more "fragile"....that could just be because our local water is more acidic.
So....some questions:
How do I answer, "What can I keep with my Tiger Oscar/ Jack Dempsey?"
Are Blood Red Parrots bumbly happy fish, or coldblooded killers? I've heard customers claim both, but I've never witnessed any aggression.
If you could, would you share any experience with your "mixes" of fish....will Jewel cichlids live happily with Frontsas, Black Convicts with Bolivian Rams, etc?
Feel free to ignore the questions and just spit out whatever pops into mind. If you are thinking "The idiot pet store employee MUST KNOW this factoid!", by all means share And any links to good info; I'm trying to research independently, but google seems more interested in giving me a geography lesson about chichlids.
I work at a chain pet store. I was mostly hired for my knowledge of the small, whiskered pets, with some tropical community experience. No saltwater fish at our store....but chichlids, oh my! I get cold, nervous sweats every time someone asks me a question about them, and have to admit I know nothing, rather than give them any advice or direction.... 'cause I don't do BS. I just shove some books at them
So... Right now, what I THINK I know about them is that Africans and South Americans should be kept separately. Both prefer rocky terrain and will destroy plants. The most aggressive i've witnessed are Red Devils, Texas Cichlids, Jack Dempseys, and of course, Oscars. Africans seem more peaceful but also more "fragile"....that could just be because our local water is more acidic.
So....some questions:
How do I answer, "What can I keep with my Tiger Oscar/ Jack Dempsey?"
Are Blood Red Parrots bumbly happy fish, or coldblooded killers? I've heard customers claim both, but I've never witnessed any aggression.
If you could, would you share any experience with your "mixes" of fish....will Jewel cichlids live happily with Frontsas, Black Convicts with Bolivian Rams, etc?
Feel free to ignore the questions and just spit out whatever pops into mind. If you are thinking "The idiot pet store employee MUST KNOW this factoid!", by all means share And any links to good info; I'm trying to research independently, but google seems more interested in giving me a geography lesson about chichlids.