Cichlids Sold As Tropical Fish!

[Jakes]

Hi guys im new here.
Hav had a 75gal/280L set up for bout 8 weeks now and slowly adding fish to it. I went into my local store the other day to get a blue ram to partner up with my other one but ended up going home also with 4 convicts (2 of which are albino) and 2 jack dempseys. They were not in the cichlid section so i asked the bloke there and he said no theyre not cichlids theyre just tropical fish. But when i researched them at home i discovered he was wrong!
All in the tank are getting along fine now but should i be worried about their temperament as they grow bigger?
The tank started out as a community tank with rams being the only cichlids i was going to have!
Here is a list of the fish in my tank:

4 bristlenose (will sell 2 or 3 when they get big)
1 ghost knife
3 khuli loaches
School of 10 neons
2 imported guppies (down from 4.. I think these guys wont last much longer!)
4 gold rams
2 blue rams
...and i had a betta in there but unfortunately the rams were better fighters than he was

And they fish i purchased the other day:
2 jack dempseys
4 convicts (2 albino) the non-albino ones are the wussiest fish in the tank suprisingly, all they do is hide!

So yeah so far all is sweet, looking more like ive created a new era cichlid tank than a tropical community tank as was the original plan!

Any input whether this will work long term would b great im pretty new!
Ph is 6.5 - 7 and temp is 27.

 

[Skydz]

i think ur jack dempseys and convicts may create ww3. im pretty sure they get very agressive when mature.

 

[Jakes]

Thats wot i was afraid of. Bit annoyed at the bloke at the shop for telling me they werent cichlids! Would they harm the rams or just the tetras? The plecos, ghost and khulis be alright tho right?

 

[dougie]

I've never kept Dempseys, but their reputation is well known. If they want to, they'll kill everything if the mood takes them, lovely looking fish though. As for the convicts, they will attack & harm (probably kill too) everything in the tank. Regardless of size. Especially if it turns out you've got a male & a female amongst them. I would consider returning the majority of your fish & start again, planning your tank around the one you select. Do plenty of research too in regards of requirements, tank mates etc before purchasing anything. The guys on here are much more experienced than many & have certainly given me plenty of valuable advice.
Good luck with your tank.

 

[balajake]

I have a Dempsey but she's housed with fish with similar aggression. She can be feisty. Dempseys grow rapidly too and it will eat your guppies (no doubt about that, they don't have a prayer because they are small and will fit in its mouth) the rest of your fish will also take a battering because dempseys don't really like having their little corner if the tank invaded and are quite put out when it is


I have never kept convicts because of their reputation for causing mayhem in a tank and breeding like guppies. In the long run it just won't work. You either need to get rid of the community fish and keep the cons and the dempseys ( if you have a breeding pair then they might decide the dempseys are an issue) or you can return the cichlids.

I will say this though, if you have the bug for cichlids don't be afraid of them. If you have the right sized tank and equipment then it is really enjoyable housing these larger interesting fish. You just have to put the right fish together so that aggression is evened out to reduce the chances of bullying

She was sexed as female. The photo is a few months old and she's about 5 inches now I reckon. She's abit sulky

 

[Ryan_W]

As you can appreciate all fish are different... Don't be put off by the reputation of JDs though. My boy is around 8" and wouldn't say boo to a goose!

If the tank is big enough and he/she has her own space, they'll be fine.

My JD has NEVER attacked any of my fish, I keep Corys, Kuhli Loaches and used to have Congo Tetras and they have never been bothered by any of my fish (Jag Cichlid spat out a Cory once she realised they weren't for eating!). I think it's about having enough space and feeding the fish the correct diet at the right times.

 

[Jakes]

thanks for the input guys.
all still seemed peaceful thisafternoon until i fed them a few slices of zuccini and the largest convict started wreaking havoc defending it! and the smaller jd's and cons wouldnt let the rams near it.
i really love the look of the cichlids and somewhat their personalities but for now, being a novice im gonna take em back and stick to the peaceful fish while i learn more of the hobbie.
i will do a cichlid tank when i have more experience and do alot of research!
the shop should take them back considering they told me they were not cichlids and not aggressive. couldnt hav been more wrong!!

i hav however done some research on cichlids that might work in community tank.
apisto
bolivians (i hav blues and golds so they would b a nice addition)
a lone krib
checkerboard
curviceps

... all dwarfs i think. any thoughts on these?

 

[Ryan_W]

They're all fine but very temperamental to getting a 'good' one or not. I've had quite a few ill bread Dwarfs that have passed away, but once you get a good few, they're great fish.

Many buy the Dwarfs due to their bright colours, they really do look great.

Some of my old ones:

 

[Jakes]

ok got another problem now... i cant catch them!! its impossible with the tank fully decorated! so i thought, well, i have to remove them otherwise i can say goodbye to the rest of my fish! so i removed all objects and flora (gave the substrate a good hoover while it was empty) and still couldnt catch them!! so i gave up and rescaped the tank. i guess im just gonna hav to wait and see how it pans out. im dont want to kill fish but it might hav to happen seeing as i cant seem to remove the bullies.
so i think my tank is going to turn into a cichlid tank, i ll keep trying to catch em but im not gonna tear the whole thing apart again its too hard.

 

[Tizer]

drain some water out and get a bigger net.

 

[DrRob]

Something'll have to give one way or another.
 
Jack Dempsey was a boxer, and convicts are similarly well named.
 
As Tizer says, the lower the water level the less room they have to run, plus a bigger net (I also use one as a herding net sometimes). If it becomes desperate, drain the tank down to a very low level and they're easy to catch.

 

[Wills]

As you can appreciate all fish are different... Don't be put off by the reputation of JDs though. My boy is around 8" and wouldn't say boo to a goose!

If the tank is big enough and he/she has her own space, they'll be fine.

My JD has NEVER attacked any of my fish, I keep Corys, Kuhli Loaches and used to have Congo Tetras and they have never been bothered by any of my fish (Jag Cichlid spat out a Cory once she realised they weren't for eating!). I think it's about having enough space and feeding the fish the correct diet at the right times.

 

[Skydz]

id go with a cichlid tank. i found other fish dont have that same excitment as cichlids. i found i got pretty bored of comunity fishes. but thats just my 2 cents

 

[nellynelly]

Thing is Cichlids are a tropical fish, that being said many people do not know what there selling half the time in shops,

It all depends how and what kept with, tank size being a factor and areas to have as theres, in my tanks i have a couple of cichlids but all are community,,,

I have kept convicts and Dempseys, cons become more aggressive when paired.... but there not all that bad, many a person keeps in community,but community with larger fish ie silver dollars, bala sharks, rainbow fish,birchir,reed fish, larger barbs and so on

 

[Jakes]

id go with a cichlid tank. i found other fish dont have that same excitment as cichlids. i found i got pretty bored of comunity fishes. but thats just my 2 cents

i would like a cichlid tank, and it'll probly happen one day.. but i dont want to kill all the fish in my tank.. besides rams are a cichlid, i love watching those guys.
some good news anyhow, i made a trap by cutting a 2L coke bottle 2/3rds up the turning the top around and pushing it back in. put some zucchini in it and once the fish figured out how to get in i had nearly every fish in my tank in there! so i now hav the 4 cons and 2 jacks in another 2L coke bottle i riddled with small hole and placed it above the air stone in the tank so they should be right in there till i get em back to the store tomorro.
 

Thing is Cichlids are a tropical fish, that being said many people do not know what there selling half the time in shops,

It all depends how and what kept with, tank size being a factor and areas to have as theres, in my tanks i have a couple of cichlids but all are community,,,

I have kept convicts and Dempseys, cons become more aggressive when paired.... but there not all that bad, many a person keeps in community,but community with larger fish ie silver dollars, bala sharks, rainbow fish,birchir,reed fish, larger barbs and so on

yeah got the title of this thread a bit wrong they are tropical but what i asked the guy at the store was "are these cichlids?" coz they werent with all the other cichlid tanks but they looked like cichlids!.. and the bloke said "no they're just tropical fish" (idiot)
so they'll go back and im thinkin of getting a couple apistos, krib and/or keyhole. just not sure on whether just one of or a pair is better option? 2 apistos, 2 keyholes and 1 krib maybe.
i am in the proccess of created lots of caves and increasing vegitation so if there is some slight aggression there should be plenty of hiding places/seperate territories.

cheers guys -jake.