# 5 Star General (H. elongatus) question



## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

are they really as aggressive as they say? do they truly put convicts and salvini to shame? do they really only get 6"?


----------



## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

Yes. Yes. No, they can get close to 10".

They will breed at about 4 inches, and IME, are especially aggressive to one another, even after a pair has bred. I've seen males take on fry protection and chase away the female - or worse if there's not enough space. I'm not in the habit of keeping other Cichlids with known aggressive pairs, so I'm not as sure about their reactions to other species. All three of the large 5 spot _Hemichromis _are top predators in their habitats. Lamboj reports seeing a single pair in the field controlling a territory 20 x 5 *Meters*! I bred mine in a much smaller space. :lol:


----------



## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

:lol:... 20x5 meters... thats crazy... makes me want em more...

but if they get 10" to big for the size aquarium... 6" was even pushing it a bit for a 24x24" footprint.


----------

