Jewel Cichlids

[Fish Fanatic34]

Hi guys. I have been really into cichlids recently mainly African cichlids and have a pair of kribensis which an are really cool. Due to this I want to want to branch out into the cichlid world even more. At my local shop they have some really nice looking neon Forrest jewels I have talked to the people there and they have told me that they are An aggressive fish not to be kept in small community tanks. Due to this I am wondering if I am able to get a single male or female as I am not looking to breed them. Due to this I am wondering what size tank I need because of this and what tank mates I should get.

To clarify this tank is for the future as right now I am just enjoying my new tank. But I want to have more knowledge and research before I invest in another tank.

 

[GaryE]

Jewels are the ultimate temptation. Those colours...

If you want them, they need their own tank with no other fish. They will produce enormous numbers of babies no one will want.

I've kept jewels a few times, usually the guttatus sold as lifallili. They are smart fish, and their non violent behaviour is fun to see. The problem is that to see it, you need a tank about 4 feet, 1.3 metres across the front glass, and it needs to be designed to reduce aggression. We caught some this summer in Gabon, and they never seemed to be in groups. It was always lone individuals, which suggests their hunting and gathering aggression isn't just small tanks.

It doesn't matter if they breed or not. The aggression is there. In pairs or not, the same.

Aquarists keep them with aggressive Central American species. Those awful one individual of each species tanks will keep them alive with partial colour, in a state of constant stress. You can tell I don't think much of that approach, but it is popular.

Try not to keep them with mbuna. Jewels are softwater open spawners from all along the western coast of Africa, in rivers and streams. They are not hardwater lake fish, and their social needs are day and night with mbuna.

If I were rich with tons more space, I would probably have a jewel tank, because their beauty almost makes up for their desperate violence. They are bright fish in many ways - colours and brains. But that nasty edge...

 

[Fish Fanatic34]

Jewels are the ultimate temptation. Those colours...

If you want them, they need their own tank with no other fish. They will produce enormous numbers of babies no one will want.

I've kept jewels a few times, usually the guttatus sold as lifallili. They are smart fish, and their non violent behaviour is fun to see. The problem is that to see it, you need a tank about 4 feet, 1.3 metres across the front glass, and it needs to be designed to reduce aggression. We caught some this summer in Gabon, and they never seemed to be in groups. It was always lone individuals, which suggests their hunting and gathering aggression isn't just small tanks.

It doesn't matter if they breed or not. The aggression is there. In pairs or not, the same.

Aquarists keep them with aggressive Central American species. Those awful one individual of each species tanks will keep them alive with partial colour, in a state of constant stress. You can tell I don't think much of that approach, but it is popular.

Try not to keep them with mbuna. Jewels are softwater open spawners from all along the western coast of Africa, in rivers and streams. They are not hardwater lake fish, and their social needs are day and night with mbuna.

If I were rich with tons more space, I would probably have a jewel tank, because their beauty almost makes up for their desperate violence. They are bright fish in many ways - colours and brains. But that nasty edge...

Thank you for the very detailed explanation better than any website or video I have watched. Maybe for Christmas I’ll ask for a 4ft tank. Would the Aqua One horizon be a suitable option as it is 4ft but only 182L. I know I would need to replace the hang on back filter with a Sponge so that the fry do not die but regarding the hardscape do I need a heavily planted tank or is a sand substrate with some small islands and caves with some small plants enough.

 

[GaryE]

In Canada, the brands are different. So I can't comment on tanks.

There are a lot of Rubricatochromis, the scientific name for the red jewels, which used to be in Hemichromis. I've had the pleasure of talking about them with Paul Loiselle, who did groundbreaking scientific work with them 50 years ago, and I recently went fishing with Anton Lamboj, who is working on them now. They are extremely hard to identify without knowing where they were caught, and for hobbyists like us, we rarely know that. So relax if you can't pin a species name on the ones you get, if you get them.

The hobby thinks they are Hemichromis bimaculatus, but that's a fish from a hard to get to place, and it has possibly never been kept in aquariums. A misidentification 70 years ago, and here we are!

My R guttatus (which I receieved as lifallili) used to spawn every few weeks. Every spawning, the male bit the female's tail off right to the base, and every time, it grew right back quickly. They have a nasty edge you'd have to be ready for. I confess, I like them, and I usually only like peaceful fish. They are so sharp though. The bigger predators still in Hemichromis are beautiful. If I ever win a lottery, I'll get some.

They are open spawners, and sand is good so they can dig. They like that. I would keep the power filter, but there's no harm in a sponge too. You can always get a piece of wide pored sponge and make a filter intake cover/pre-filter. That saves fry.

But no one wants those beautiful fry. Every time I bred them, I was stuck with dozens I had to give away as feeders.

 

[Fish Fanatic34]

I have contacted the store and they have said they are H lifallili but I believe that they are really in-fact the same R guttatus that you have. The reason I don’t believe they are lifallili is that they are never seen in the aquarium trade. If I decide to get them in the next couple months I will definily keep them by themselves as I want them to have enough room and not be stressed. Thanks for your help once again and I will send an update if I decide weather to get them,

 

[Colin_T]

There's meant to be another species that looks very similar to the normal jewel cichlid sold in shops except it is peaceful. It was on the forum a few times but I have no idea what it's called.

 

[Fish Fanatic34]

I also think I will keep them as an individual pair in the tank as

There's meant to be another species that looks very similar to the normal jewel cichlid sold in shops except it is peaceful. It was on the forum a few times but I have no idea what it's called.

Was it Anomalochromis thomasi also known as the African Butterfly Cichlid they look similar and its known to be far less aggresive.

 

[GaryE]

For a long time, word on the street was that lifallili wasn't aggressive like the others. I very hopefully bought the idea. Who doesn't like hearing what they want to hear?

It isn't true. I had supposed lifallili a couple of times, and they were hellions, albeit smaller than the standard jewel, every time.

The Anomalochromis group are very peaceful relatives of the jewels. There's no red in them though.

 

[Ichthys]

Probably R. exsul, a ‘fairly new’ isolated species from alkaline Lake Turkana. They’re said to be “peaceful for Jewels” so not totally peaceful. They can live with other fish if the tank is big enough, apparently.

 

[Colin_T]

It's not the Thomasi dwarf cichlid. The peaceful jewel cichlid looks virtually identical to the normal one but doesn't kill everything in the tank.

 

[GaryE]

I've seen exsul, and it's a different looking one. I wasn't able to watch it though. I couldn't see how it behaved, and I couldn't afford it to find out.