# What is active, colorful, prolific 4 - 5" cichlid?



## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

I wonder if there's any 3 - 5" cichlid that swim actively, not shy, colorful and prolific breeder for tank size 120 x 37 x 50 cm (48" x 14" x 20")?

Other than discus and geophagus RHT because I already have them.

I thought neon jewels fit those requirement but it turned out they were shy, hid most of the time and only came out during feeding.
Demasoni is nice looking and not shy, swim actively most of the time, but they're hard to keep. I started with 20 and there's only 8 left.

If there's no such cichlid, is there any non-cichlid that fits those requirements?


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

If you like the demasoni, you might want to look at the metriaclima sp. "blue dolphin" manda. My wife has some of these, they are very active and breeding like rabbits in a 38 gal. tank. Size might be the only problem for you as they reach the 5"-7" range.


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## kyboy (Oct 30, 2009)

PS. Saulosi fits the bill; very prolific IME. :thumb:


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

BlueSunshine said:


> If you like the demasoni, you might want to look at the metriaclima sp. "blue dolphin" manda. My wife has some of these, they are very active and breeding like rabbits in a 38 gal. tank. Size might be the only problem for you as they reach the 5"-7" range.


Longer than 5" is too big for my tank size.



kyboy said:


> PS. Saulosi fits the bill; very prolific IME. :thumb:


Yes, saulosi was my first choice. However because I couldn't find them here, I got demasoni instead.
And I still haven't found saulosi yet after a year.

I really thank you for these suggestions. Please keep them coming so that we (my son, my wife and I) can get our ideal fish.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Just talked to a friend who usually supply fish to exporters, and he said that as far as he knows, there's no one that breeds saulosi here because most breeders focus on demasoni 

So is there any suggestion other than saulosi?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Als49 said:


> I thought neon jewels fit those requirement but it turned out they were shy, hid most of the time and only came out during feeding.


Less then 2 weeks. Your really not giving jewels much of a chance. 
If they feel comfortable, they are not shy, and should be out and about, rather then hiding. It can take some time for fish to establish. 
Other tank mates will go a long ways in making them feel safe and comfortable. Maybe tiger barbs are not the best 'dither'? You could always add some other kind of tank mate and see if that changes their behavior. If not another cichlid, I would add a few blue/gold/opaline gouramis.
Now jewels will not be quite as active as mbuna, but once established and comfortable do not hide or use decor any more then a CA cichlid would.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Can you get Pseudotropheus sp. "deep"?


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Maybe some Victorians??


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

tanker3 said:


> Maybe some Victorians??


Which Victorians do you suggest because I haven't kept any Victorians?



Fogelhund said:


> Can you get Pseudotropheus sp. "deep"?


I'm not sure what they look like because Google gave several results of different fish.



BC in SK said:


> Als49 said:
> 
> 
> > I thought neon jewels fit those requirement but it turned out they were shy, hid most of the time and only came out during feeding.
> ...


I believe 11 days is long enough for jewels to adapt. Because even the well-known-timid-fish, discus, that I keep only needed a few days to be out and active. And usually the fish that I keep took a few days to be out and around in the tank. Unless the fish is shy by nature, such as Altolamp that likes to stay out of the radar for the chance to snipe fry.

Originally I wanted to use Congo tetra or odessa barb for their dither, however they're not recommended due to jewels' high aggression level.

I read that gouramis like minimum water flow and tend to stay on the top. So I doubt gouramis are suitable for this tank because the water flow in the top is quite fast: I use HOB and directed the outlet of the canister upward to create ripples for better O2 exchange.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Iodotrohpeus sprengerae. Victorian females are not colorful.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

DJRansome said:


> Iodotrohpeus sprengerae. Victorian females are not colorful.


I haven't seen them here.

It's one of the challenges here to find them because not all of them are bred locally here. Like saulosi or tropheops chilumba... I like that color dimorphism.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

I wonder if yellow lab and maingano are active, not timid and prolific breeders?

They seem like a nice color combo and they're also easy to get here. Well, not the pure ones I think. Because some of the yellow labs don't have black dorsal.

We don't breed them commercially, we just like to see various size of fish in the tank, and my kids (especially my son) are very excited to see new fry in the tank!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Maingano are aggressive, I would not put them in that tank size. If demasoni did not work, I would not consider maingano.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

DJRansome said:


> Maingano are aggressive, I would not put them in that tank size. If demasoni did not work, I would not consider maingano.


Got it. They're aggressive to conspecific or to other fish?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Both.


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