# I think i made a big mistake. Can someone verify?



## aahren10 (Sep 11, 2018)

I got somewhat of a community tank with the only small fish being some tetras that are about an inch to and inch and a half each. I bought some fish today and 2 of them were beautiful snook cichlid and they were pretty docile with the other fish in the store tank. Did i just make a big mistake?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

I take it that by the common name of snook cichlid you are referring to _Petenia splendida_.https://www.google.ca/search?q=pete...dAhUO7Z8KHcbDA0EQiR56BAgKEBY&biw=1600&bih=763
It gets big, 14" or more, so you need big tanks to house it (like a 6 ft. 125 gal. as a bare minimum for an adult).
It has a specially designed mouth to swallow fish. For it's size, it can swallow large fish so anything you house with it has to have large girth.....or it will eventually end up getting swallowed whole.
Tetras not a hard swallow at all......probably no more then a few months of growth for a young snook, and the tetras will disappear.
For a large Central American cichlid, they are very mild mannered and will often get bullied if housed with other large CA cichlids. I'd probably consider housing them with something more mellow like oscars or large sturdy non-cichlids.


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## aahren10 (Sep 11, 2018)

Thank you for the relpy. Everything went well. I got all the tetras out and i put the "snooks" in the tank today. I dont understand, but my two fish look totally different than the link u sent me. Im starting to think they might not be snooks cause one has a calico pattern and the other one has white occasional blotches everywhere and has a small hump starting to begin on his head. But he has a similqr body shape as the one in the picture.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

aahren10 said:


> Im starting to think they might not be snooks cause one has a calico pattern and the other one has white occasional blotches everywhere and has a small hump starting to begin on his head.


Post some pictures.


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## aahren10 (Sep 11, 2018)

Here. Im starting to tjink he may be a red devil, but he is the most docile cichlid in the tank


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

aahren10 said:


> Here. Im starting to tjink he may be a red devil, but he is the most docile cichlid in the tank


Yes, that is part of that Red Devil type of cichlids, think they tend to be mixed. Will get large with high potential for destructive behavior.


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## aahren10 (Sep 11, 2018)

****. Do u know why hes not aggressive now?


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

aahren10 said:


> darn. Do u know why hes not aggressive now?


Suppose there is no reason for aggression. You have 2 of these? They have only been the tank a day. Once they get settled and start getting sexually mature they may get more territorial chasing fish or fight with each other. If they get big enough they can try to get smaller fish in their mouth, if not they will ignore the tetras otherwise except for territorial behavior. Eventually you will have problems if you have a smaller tank and tetras.


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## aahren10 (Sep 11, 2018)

I took the tetras back + all small fish. Thank you fot the advice


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