# Any Cichlids Compatible with Turquoise Jewel?



## maykaym4

Hi all,

My friend has a 100 gal with a turquoise jewel cichlid, and is thinking about getting another, but is looking to see what else he can put in there. Any compatible tankmates? 

Thanks in advance!


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## emc7

Thats a tough one. Jewels are both aggressive and territorial. They also like soft, alkaline water which doesn't give them a lot of company. Maybe something like Psuedocrenilubus Nicholsi or Kribs or a top-dweller such as congo or emperor tetra or big rainbowfish. According to this http://www.petsolutions.com/Turquoise-Jewel-Cichlid+I33980+C79.aspx , the turquoise is a line-bred variety hemichromis guttatus. They are smaller and less aggressive than the usual jewel, H. bimaculatus. I've bred a red variety of this fish in a 15 gallon tank, but only a pair and their fry. The don't tolerate other fish near their fry (they kill them if the tank is too small to get away). I wonder what would happen if you had a pile of PVC pipe with some dwarf pike cichlids at one end, and a pair of these on the other end.


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## lohachata

about the only fish meaner that a jewel is a great white..and i'm not 100% sure of that even...had a pair of jewels kil a 12" red devil once..quit keepin them..


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## maykaym4

Yikes! Okay, thank you so much!


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## petlovingfreak

Not true, I have 6 jewels with about 30 africans ranging in size from 1.5"-5" and they are not aggressive at all. They will eat any fish that will fit in their mouth, but mine show very little if any agression towards any of the africans, tinfoil barbs, or bala sharks.


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## Guest

u might have lucked out pet. every thing i have heard from Jewel keepers are that they get aggressive sooner or later.


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## emc7

They are aggressive in defense of fry, maybe yours are all the same sex. We were having a discussion of this fish on the club forum (not turquois, but the same species, the club is overrun with them) and one member keeps a breeding pair in a 110 gallon tank with Compressiceps who eat all the fry and avoid the parents (I assume by being nocturnal ambush predators). http://www.atlantaaquarium.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1214


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## petlovingfreak

Well, I actually have 5 jewels, and 1 juvenile turquoise jewel, and they seem very laid back, perhaps having more lowers their aggression, idk. All I know is I have had these with a number of non aggressive fish before I turned my 180 into an african cichlid tank and had no problems what so ever.


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## happyjack

I have a jack dempsey, green terror, red terror, oscar, blood parrot, flowerhorn, texas, angel and firemouth in the same tank, the jewel being the smallest and have no problems


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