# toughest central american cichlids (4-7 inch) & (8-12 i



## Polarbear69 (Mar 2, 2012)

Just wondering to my fellow central american cichlid enthusiasts what would be your top two cichlids in each size category for overall toughness or tank territory superiority?


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## 75505 (Apr 20, 2012)

4-7? Convicts.

8-12? Red Devils.

Hands down.


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

4-7" --Salvini, though males do get 8". Never owned anything it's own size or smaller that it could not dominate. IME, they will STOP convicts from breeding, at least eventually. And they are fairly capable as well, of using there smaller size as an advantage against larger openents, though I must say I think convicts have an even greater ability in this respect. Never owned neets so I couldn't say anything about them.

8-12". RD/midas and Trimac. Both of these can exceed 12" a little bit, sometimes. I think you more often see these fish dominate a CA tank, though just about any of the large CA are capable of becoming 'top dog'.


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## hauntingurcoma (Dec 19, 2011)

4-7" salvini while spawning(convict close 2nd)

8-12" dempsey always run my tanks(i've never had rd/midas)


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## bzartler86 (Dec 13, 2011)

4-7 texas

8-12 jaguar doesn't back down from my red devils


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

4-7" - bellycrawler pike or male con

8-12" - male Texas, flowerhorn (but it's a hybrid)


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## Polarbear69 (Mar 2, 2012)

Although my "JD" a half inch bigger the quicker "Salvini" has marked his territory by a small rock in my 75 gallon tank. Interesting development as i wonder if my smaller jack dempsey will eventually become more aggressive as he matures. Smaller salvini not a bully yet either. A pair of my convicts are courting and taking over the castle rock in my tank but too small too breed yet. Next few months will be interesting to see who maintains top dog title.


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## blkmjk (Apr 9, 2011)

4-7 " cons for sure

8-12" anything Nadopsis so Beani, Cubans, Black Nasty. Hands down my Cubans are the meanest fish I own.


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## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

My money is on the Salvini...

Art


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

4-7 Neetroplus nematopus (So, I have heard.) and Salvini can be tough.

8-12 Texas cichlids, Bartoni,


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## Astronotus Labiatus (Jun 25, 2011)

4-7: BLACK CONVICTS. I've had a male in my 225 gallon who was not afraid of my jaguar or any other bigger fish in the aquarium, he had his territory well stablished despite his size;

8-12: FLOWERHORNS with no doubt. My flowerhorn is so aggressive that i had to remove my red devil from the 225 gallon tank. Both were the same size when i added the flowerhorn, after 1 week the devil was hidding all the time and i had to remove it or it would get killed;


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## CaCichilds (Apr 10, 2012)

My Trimac (F) is pushed an Oscar, Mayan, and Mota out of her tank. I have a larger 7-8" True Texas on order in hoping that a bigger mate will make her calm down a bit. She doesn't attack the Oxydoras Niger who's a gentile giant, (ironically a slow grower.) She doesnt even claim any spots. Just the whole tank. The only thing she allows is smaller cichilds that just scurry off too quickly.

And 4-7 inch range. HANDS DOWN... (Hemichromis elongatus) 5 star general cichilds are the baddest **** fish. if you think I'm kidding watch it kill your tank off * I know technically its a west African like jewels but it's water requirements are that of a CA fish. These fish are not to be underestimated. I didn't believe my supplier and it destroyed 1 of my growouts. It was 2" and endless picked at 2 FH, a texas, pink cons. all a little bigger than him. He soon got his own little tank till i returned him. I would only suggest to house the 5 stars with bigger fish like grown RD's ect. It's like napoleon syndrome with these fish.


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

I once had the demented thought of putting salvini and Neets in a tank together just to see who rules the tank, but it was just a thought. A quick note about Five Spot Jewels, all three species will exceed 10 inches.

Trimacs also exceed 12 inches. I've seen them close to 18 inches in the Detroit Zoo Reptile House, in a tank with juvenile Caiman, back in the late '70s. They were big enough and bad enough to steal feeder mice from 3-4 foot long caiman. Most of the fish listed here as in the 8-12 group will exceed 12 inches, but there really aren't that many fish that fit into that size range from CA.


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## kaphil (Aug 3, 2006)

4-7 = Neets IME, and I've kept all the commmon stuff - salvini, cons, banded jewels (what I think in US is called 5 star general) etc etc.. I'd be surprised if anyone who has kept neets with the other fish mentioned would disagree (that's asking for it......!)
8-12 = Probably RD / Midas. And a breeding pair of neets would probably batter pretty much any of the big boys.....!


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## mattmean (Feb 9, 2012)

im pretty sure diamond/red/and 5 spot jewels never break 6-7 "


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

I'm quite certain that _Hemichromis elongatus, H. fasciatus_, and _H. frempongi_ all do exceed 10 inches. These are what Lamboj and others group as the Five Spot Jewels, and I've seen specimens of each that were ten inches or better (Lamboj gives max size on all three as 25cm, but I've seen _fasciatus_ over a foot). Their attitudes are so aggressive that many species of West African Cichlids mimic the color pattern just to scare off other fish. Red Jewels and Forest Jewels rarely reach 6 inches, though it does happen with a couple of species. I expect the upcoming revision of _Hemichromis_ could separate the two groups into two distinct genera.


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Chromedome52 said:


> I expect the upcoming revision of _Hemichromis_ could separate the two groups into two distinct genera.


Likely.
The banded jewels will get the name Hemichromis since H . fasciatus was first described. I think you are right about the sizes since they are not a commonly kept fish and they are so aggressive/territorial that not that many people have kept them long term. Even the common jeweli ( H. guttatus) CAN get 6" so I'm pretty sure any of th banded jewels can get much larger!


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