# whats the meanist cichlid?



## hernan11 (Jan 31, 2006)

just wondering whats the deal on aggressive fish... top 3 most aggressive cichlids


----------



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

My vote.... oz. for oz. nothing can touch a breeding Neetroplus nematopus.


----------



## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

there are alot of them - If I had to pick three I would pick jaguar cichlids, red devils, and dovii's


----------



## IloveCichlids (Jul 11, 2005)

I would say, Red devil, Jack Dempsey and Oscar or Texas Cichlid


----------



## Cosidius (Jan 21, 2006)

RED DEVIL by far..i have all the above mentioned in my tank and the red stand sout infront of all of them


----------



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Cosidius said:


> ..i have all the above mentioned in my tank


You have Neets? Have they spawned for you. A very interesting fish.


----------



## Mobydock (Sep 6, 2005)

I've always been interested in the Midas Cichlid. Don't personally know anyone thats had one, or any store around here that stocks them, but from what I've read they're quite nasty.


----------



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Midas cichlids (amphilophus citrinellum ) and Red devil ( A. labiatus ) are very closely related and have been hybridized extensively. The red devils that you see commonly in pet shops are usually a cross between the two species. Actually pure fish of either are rare. So if you want a midas, get a pet shop red devil and you will be partially there. LOL.


----------



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

I'm gonna take a moment to preach a little and this is a controversial subject. Just one quick comment and I'll shut up. 
... The above is why I'm so opposed to hybrids. Its getting to the point where you can't find REAL fish anymore. It would be nice to have a midas cichlid. I challange you to find one that you are sure of without ordering from a specialized importer.


----------



## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

good point ron, i feel the same, i dont like mutts, i wish certain stores wouldnt carry them, and if you have a mix tank that breeds, dont sell the fish back to stores, or unsuspecting aquarists.


----------



## Cosidius (Jan 21, 2006)

sorry i meant i have reds, jacks, red oscar and texas'..along with mangenese, firemouths, convicts


----------



## sambi7878 (Dec 23, 2005)

Can I pick 5? Dovii, Red devil, Texas, Jack Dempsey, and Oscars.


----------



## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

Jaguars are #1 on my list, red devils, and GT's


----------



## Torpedo (Jan 23, 2006)

1. Dovii - IMO, its the worst disposition by far and because of its sheer size its the king of the cichlids. 
2. Jack D. - very aggressive when it reaches maturity. Doesnt like anything!

after those, i really dont know. ive heard a lot of stories about the Red Devil and the Green Terror.


----------



## starrfish71 (Jul 6, 2005)

I'd have to go with a Red Devil- At a pet store I worked at years ago I was cleaning the tank with a large male, and he attacked my hand repeatedly- when I threatened him and "punched" him in the nose, he thrashed me so hard he split my knuckles open. 

Next would be a butterkoferi, and third, well, I haven't seen it yet, but my baby Nandopsis haitiensis are known as " black nasties" and supposedly are really bad news( I wasn't aware of this when I purchaesed them- it pays to research your fish!)

For you oscar fans, I like oscars, but they simply don't compare to other fish when it comes to aggressiveness..... I've seen bettas beat up oscars!


----------



## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

define aggression 
Is a blue whale aggressive when it chows on some poor krill ? Is an orca aggressive when it eats piniped ? How about a male elephant seal defending his breeding turf ? or an army ant ?

Are the ants that kill the boar more or less agressive than the anaconda that kills the boar ?

If aggression is a willingness to defend reproductive territory against larger animals, I'm leaning towards smaller cichlids like jewels and convicts. If aggression is "I'm bigger than you, get in my belly !" I'd vote for one of the bigger cichlids (Dovii etc). 

I've seen jewels and convicts face off against fish 4 or 5 times their size - I've yet to see a 1 ft cichlid face off against a 5 ft predator 

Oscars IMO are teddy bears. "Stomach's with fins", gluttony personified, but snuggly little teddy bears compared to their taxonomic brethren.


----------



## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

i'd have to agree with Redpaulhus


----------



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

redpaulhus said:


> define aggression


That's a good post and a good point. Being aggressive and being predatory are two different things. A six inch oscar might eat a 2 inch jewel cichlid, but a 3" jewel, at breeding time, would beat the crap out of the oscar.


----------



## Cosidius (Jan 21, 2006)

i like oscars dont get me wrong there just not that aggresive my red devil is prolly one of the smaller fish in the tank (yet growing the fastest) and it will beat up the laarger fish..and a jack is in there a little bigger then he and they tend not to bother each other


----------



## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Yes Ron, neets are very aggressive and have a vice like grip so they can afford to be aggressive. I have a male, I'm looking for a female but can't get hold of any, not even males anymore. They can dominate a tank full of standard cichlids like oscars, convicts, firemouths etc.
Jack dempseys aren't actually that aggressive, don't let their names fool you.
Though red devels, jags and doviis can throw their weight around, do bare in mind that it's only because of their huge potential size. If we look at malawis such as the melanochromis, we can see that they are by far more aggressive and stronger willed even when not in breeding condition, and a 6" male can dominate every other central american cichlid in it's tank (apart from things that can eat it) . But out of the big american cichlids, if you want aggressive then the black nasty, beani, and Blue Freckled Monster are all good contenders, and are a lot more aggressive than your average bread and butter cichlid.
Hemichromis frempongi is probably one of the most dominant of all cichlids simply due to it's combined size, aggression, and shape of the jaw, which can do a lot of damage to even the biggest of cichlids.

So, in theory, a breeding pair, or even an adult male H.frempongi is the meanest, most aggressive, evil cichlid of them all.

Jaff raps has a very nice breeding pair:


----------



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

CM, isn't that a great looking pair of fish.


----------



## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, I might even order some in for my own tanks as I've never had experience with them before.


----------



## goodie (Sep 2, 2005)

This is the meanest.


----------



## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

goodie said:


> This is the meanest.


:lol: No this is the meanest.


----------



## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

goodie said:


> This is the meanest.


LMAO you forgot the horns :evil:


----------

