Red Terror Killed My Dempsey

[rixy]

woke up this morning to find my female red terror(only got her on sunday) has killed my male jack dempsey.why are cichlids such bast**dsyou try and get a stunning and different collection of fish together and something always backfires on you.the red terror is now trying to get my senegal and delhezi.i'm on the verge of giving up fishkeeping.everytime i try something,it goes wrong.

 

[SamUK]

how bigs the tank youve got them all in?



its always risky adding another fish to an established tank. i personally only do it when i kno ill be around to watch out for anything going wrong.

 

[rixy]

tanks a jewel rio 400.ive taken my delhezi and senegal out and put them in my rio 240 for now.red terrors going back to the lfs tomorrow morning.the red terror is a stunning looking fish and i thought there might be a few fireworks for a day or 2,but i didnt expect my dempsey dead and now the red terror is trying to kill my senegal,delhezi and my hepsetus odoe.im finished with cichlids now.im sticking with my oddballs.

 

[Gatorbait]

Sorry to hear that.

festae (Red Terrors) are way too aggressive for JD's and the less aggressive cichlids like them. I was trying to tell someone else that not too long ago.

Once in a while it works but most of the time the less aggressive cichlids will be killed, especially if they are male festae.

 

[cheesy feet]

Red Terrors and other fish such as flowerhorns & texas cichlids can be just be so evil that you would need a massive aquarium just so they will co-exist together.For a tank of 100 gallons,don't go right into the 'big boys'.Get something more suited like blue acaras,golden severums,firemouths,nicaragua cichlids,festivums,uraus and soem dither fish like silver dollats.These can be just as fantastic cichlids without the aggresion..Believe me i bought a texas cichid (couple of years back now)without knowing how aggresive they can be and two years later i had to put him in a tank by himself,I then tried to introduce him to my 100 gal(rio 400) but he had a scuffle with the convict,convict lost and the texas cichlid nearly killed him the next day.

 

[t1tanrush]

Generally I've found mixing most cichlids in sets of 2-3 ends up with lots of fighting. From my reading it seems the best way to keep them is either alone or with several (5+) tank mates to even out aggression, although some cichlids are simply too aggressive to be kept with anything other than equally aggressive fish.

 

[rixy]

thanks for all your replys its a stunning fish,starting to colour up really nice.it needs a tank on its own as its too nasty to be kept with other fish.

 

[Gatorbait]

Generally I've found mixing most cichlids in sets of 2-3 ends up with lots of fighting. From my reading it seems the best way to keep them is either alone or with several (5+) tank mates to even out aggression, although some cichlids are simply too aggressive to be kept with anything other than equally aggressive fish.

It's not how many that matters it's the size of the tank.

Mbuna you can overstock to level out aggression but with the larger SA/CA cichlids if you overstock it makes it much worse.

 

[Winston Smith]

Red Terrors and other fish such as flowerhorns & texas cichlids can be just be so evil that you would need a massive aquarium just so they will co-exist together.For a tank of 100 gallons,don't go right into the 'big boys'.Get something more suited like blue acaras,golden severums,firemouths,nicaragua cichlids,festivums,uraus and soem dither fish like silver dollats.These can be just as fantastic cichlids without the aggresion..Believe me i bought a texas cichid (couple of years back now)without knowing how aggresive they can be and two years later i had to put him in a tank by himself,I then tried to introduce him to my 100 gal(rio 400) but he had a scuffle with the convict,convict lost and the texas cichlid nearly killed him the next day.

I think it is wrong to use the word evil in connection with the behavior of fish. When a Red Terror is being aggressive it is just acting according to its nature. A fish cannot make the distinction between right and wrong and therefore, cannot be classified as evil or good. If I was to put an Oscar in a community tank with smaller fish and the Oscar subsequently ate all the smaller fish it would be futile to call the actions of the Oscar evil. The Oscar was just acting according to its nature. One of the responsibilities of keeping fish is to research the fish you want to purchase and become familiar with its behavior, needs, and tendencies. Anyone who purchases a Red Terror and then complains that the Red Terror was acting in a very aggressive manner has simply failed to do thier homework before purchasing a fish.
I would just like to add this criticism applies to me also. I have been responsible for the deaths of many fish because I failed to do my homework before purchasing the fish. I just went into the store and purchased the fish, because I wanted it, and I thought it looked cool. After wasting a ton money, and killing a number of fish, I wised up and started researching before purchasing.

 

[cheesy feet]

Red Terrors and other fish such as flowerhorns & texas cichlids can be just be so evil that you would need a massive aquarium just so they will co-exist together.For a tank of 100 gallons,don't go right into the 'big boys'.Get something more suited like blue acaras,golden severums,firemouths,nicaragua cichlids,festivums,uraus and soem dither fish like silver dollats.These can be just as fantastic cichlids without the aggresion..Believe me i bought a texas cichid (couple of years back now)without knowing how aggresive they can be and two years later i had to put him in a tank by himself,I then tried to introduce him to my 100 gal(rio 400) but he had a scuffle with the convict,convict lost and the texas cichlid nearly killed him the next day.

I think it is wrong to use the word evil in connection with the behavior of fish. When a Red Terror is being aggressive it is just acting according to its nature. A fish cannot make the distinction between right and wrong and therefore, cannot be classified as evil or good. If I was to put an Oscar in a community tank with smaller fish and the Oscar subsequently ate all the smaller fish it would be futile to call the actions of the Oscar evil. The Oscar was just acting according to its nature. One of the responsibilities of keeping fish is to research the fish you want to purchase and become familiar with its behavior, needs, and tendencies. Anyone who purchases a Red Terror and then complains that the Red Terror was acting in a very aggressive manner has simply failed to do thier homework before purchasing a fish.
You are comparing a red terror and jd to an oscar and small fish If your upset about what i said keep it to yourself.I don't see anything wrong with what i said.You don't have to go into detail ,narrow it down and pick fault...
I would just like to add this criticism applies to me also. I have been responsible for the deaths of many fish because I failed to do my homework before purchasing the fish. I just went into the store and purchased the fish, because I wanted it, and I thought it looked cool. After wasting a ton money, and killing a number of fish, I wised up and started researching before purchasing.

 

[Gatorbait]

Red Terrors and other fish such as flowerhorns & texas cichlids can be just be so evil that you would need a massive aquarium just so they will co-exist together.For a tank of 100 gallons,don't go right into the 'big boys'.Get something more suited like blue acaras,golden severums,firemouths,nicaragua cichlids,festivums,uraus and soem dither fish like silver dollats.These can be just as fantastic cichlids without the aggresion..Believe me i bought a texas cichid (couple of years back now)without knowing how aggresive they can be and two years later i had to put him in a tank by himself,I then tried to introduce him to my 100 gal(rio 400) but he had a scuffle with the convict,convict lost and the texas cichlid nearly killed him the next day.

I think it is wrong to use the word evil in connection with the behavior of fish. When a Red Terror is being aggressive it is just acting according to its nature. A fish cannot make the distinction between right and wrong and therefore, cannot be classified as evil or good. If I was to put an Oscar in a community tank with smaller fish and the Oscar subsequently ate all the smaller fish it would be futile to call the actions of the Oscar evil. The Oscar was just acting according to its nature. One of the responsibilities of keeping fish is to research the fish you want to purchase and become familiar with its behavior, needs, and tendencies. Anyone who purchases a Red Terror and then complains that the Red Terror was acting in a very aggressive manner has simply failed to do thier homework before purchasing a fish.
I would just like to add this criticism applies to me also. I have been responsible for the deaths of many fish because I failed to do my homework before purchasing the fish. I just went into the store and purchased the fish, because I wanted it, and I thought it looked cool. After wasting a ton money, and killing a number of fish, I wised up and started researching before purchasing.

Whoa.

I think you may be taking the word evil out of context and too literally.

I use the word evil when describing fish sometimes and to me it's the same thing as saying "a mean lil bugger" or very aggressive" etc.

The only things I know that kill for fun are humans, Orca's and dolphins. I, as cheesy feet is likely doing also, just use the word loosely.

 

[Winston Smith]

You are comparing a red terror and jd to an oscar and small fish If your upset about what i said keep it to yourself.I don't see anything wrong with what i said.You don't have to go into detail ,narrow it down and pick fault...

If my post upset you, please accept my sincere apology. No offense was intended.

 

[Boids-n-more]

This goes to show that every fish of the same species is different. My red terror is at the bottom of the pecking order , my convict rules the tank , then my jd whitch is smaller , then the red terror. You may have got one thats extra aggresive , you can take him back and get another one thats not so dominent. What i do find interesting is its usually the new fish that gets beat up not the new one doing the butt whooping. Also was the red terror bigger than the other fish when introduced.

 

[briielzebub]

Don't give up on cichlids! Some may be aggressive, but they have more character than all the other fish I've had (except a few loaches). There are many different levels of aggression within cichlids. My convicts, for example, kill everything you put in their tanks. On the other hand, fish such as discus and angels are also cichlids, and are relitively peaceful (just don't put the angels in with small tetras, haha). Even, dwarf cichlids, which are some of my favorites, are pretty peaceful. A good example of them would be Bolivian Rams, who appear to be everyone's favorite fish once they own some. If you're more interested in medium sized cichlids, try firemouths, jewels, or keyholes. I don't know much about the large ones because I don't keep large tanks, but I know even aggressive cichlids can make great "wet pets". You may only be able to keep a single one in a tank, but its well worth it! (ie, oscars). Even my con in his 20 gal is interesting enough to be alone. Tryseverums or acaras, they're both stunning fish that aren't nearly as aggressive as a red terror...of course, there are a billion cichlids that aren't that mean.

We've all made mistakes. I put a couple of less than 1 inch convicts into a community tank of mine. Within a couple weeks they killed my angels, my rams, my danios, platies, and cories. When I put them ina seperate tank together, they tried to kill eachother. Had to keep them seperate ever since. Of courwse convicts can get along with some things...like oscars. But they are mean little fish. Always research before you buy!

Sorry to go on like that, my point is there are a lot of different aggression levels with cichlids, and I'm sure you could find some gorgeous ones that are compatible. You won't be dissapointed. Try www.cichlid-forum.com. They have a ton of cichlid profiles and the boards are amazing helpful! And remember, just because fish are pretty doesn't mean they're compatible!

 

[rixy]

hi,thanks for all your advice,replys . ive added 3 small firemouths and a small rainbow cichlid instead of the red terror.