Whats your favorite New world cichlid?

Alright, I posted this in the african cichlid site..... Curious whats the result in this one too...... Ok, I want everyones participation.... What is your favorite American/New World Cichlid????

Mine would be the Electric blue Jack Dempsey

Salvini have always been one of my favorite. But its a hard question to give a definite answer to.

currently my favorite south american cichlid,, loads of personality for a little fish.

Trimac or Festae (Red terror); they're both awesome fish!

aaronfeeney, I was thinking of gettin some blue rams with my electic blue jack..... they look so small, really you can even see there personality??? can you be more specific??? like are they aggressive?? little wars in the tank, or jelous???

I forgot to mention, I love the midas cichlid... because of aaronfeeney comment on personality.... I guess I love the look of the electric blue dempsy, but the personality of a midas..... there like having a dog in the house.... when I used to get home, it would be all excited in the tank.... "feed me, feed me!" lol....

Pretty peaceful, but they both seem very curious when someone is watching them, they watch back.. these 2 seem to be a bit territorial with each other, and not real concerned with most of my other community fish. All the dempsy's I've had , were bad asses and got pretty big(compared to rams) I had a 2" $5 dempsy , kick the shit outta 2 3" $10 oscars killed everything his size,,, had to put him in a tank with larger fish, for the other fishes safty.
I'll learn more when these guys move into my 37 gal ,,,hopefully with a few female rams,,and lots more plants.
My avatar pic is a blue ram that just lit up from the camera flash.

Your keeping Dempseys with Ram's? How long is that gonna last?
But as far as new world cichlids you know this is my specialty and I love them so here is a list a my Top Dozen Favorites

1. Peacock Bass
2. Salvini
3. Midas
4. Discus
5. Geophagus Altifrons
6. Flowerhorns
7. A. Festae
8. Red Devil
9. Wolf Cichlid
10. Bowfins
11. Crenicichla ( Xingu 1 )
12. Uaru
I took pic below of my uaru that I got with a tank purchase but in pic you can see the Ich because of the poor water quality and low water temps... Just thought it was a good pic so I thought I would share as I still have not found any more Uaru Locally...
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I have seen them at apfp, and the wet spot only. I would call those two and see if thet can get them in. I'm pretty sure kevin at a place for pets is just waiting for enough special orders before he makes an order. I already put in an order for pearsei. So give them a call.

My top 12

1 salvini
2 blackbelt
3 argentea
4 green terror
5 festea
6 pearsei
7 boucourti
8 jag
9 friedrichsthalii
10 loiseli
11 mota
12 nicaraguenses

Hey, VW
I have a Blackbelt Im looking to trade for something else getting to big for tank he is in.. He is currently about 10-12" inches big if your interested, Oh I also have Jaguar babies about 1.5" big if you need some of those as well....

What are you looking for? I will glady take some fish off your hands. Pm me I might have something you want.

My favorite Southie has to be Cichla (Peacock Bass) hands Down!

for me it's a tie between the wolf and the umbee with cichla close on their heels. i own all three and they got killer personailty great colours and make a great wow factor when adults.

I like the little guys/gals; Apisto trifasciata(sp) & Taeniacara candidi, I have one male and two females (TC's), they tend to snack on my RCS but the pop is holding steady despite the predation. The baby BN's have to run the Candidi gauntlet too but there are lots of places to hide in my tank and I have a growing pop which I'll need to thin sometime soon.

I don't think I have the pH low enough to successful get them to breed although they constant display courting behavior.

I hesitate to mention my Darwinian set up as some of you may think this cruel.(don't scroll down if you don't want to see the food chain at work. female candidi with a albino pleco)

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Lol.... Gluttons, american cichlids are!!!! look, its almost bigger than him! lol.... I love it, great picture! and beautiful fish..love the rainbow colors in the dorsal... just beautiful.

sandnuka wrote:Lol.... Gluttons, american cichlids are!!!! look, its almost bigger than him! lol.... I love it, great picture! and beautiful fish..love the rainbow colors in the dorsal... just beautiful.

Thanks, got these at the Roosevelt store, they look pretty drab there but brighten up as they mature.

I anthropomorphise(sp) but doesn't she look a little guilty with her mouth full of pleco!? ...."dang, I hope he doesn't see eating this!"

The only one ive ever owned is my tiger.... So I guess A. Ocellatus. Haha.

I don't have my own New World Cichlids for now but I'll go for P. scalare (Angelfish) I like the way they call them Angelfish but the attitude towards other kind of fish is EVIL! hahaha

uaru cichlid, flowerhorn, and ebjd

all about the electric blue jacks buddy

My short list:
Midas
Red Devil
Oscar
Jaguar
Dovii

If any of you would like to trade some SA Cichlids just give me a shout. So, here is my list:

1) Festai
2) Red Devil
3) Midas
4) Salvini
5) Hogaboomarum
6) Honduran Red Points
7) Firemouths
Elec Blue Dempsey
9) Reg Dempsey
10) Carpintis

My new addition: I want to call them Hogaboomarums. Trying to get these two to lay eggs has been interesting.
MALE
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FEMALE
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My newly acquired Yellow Red Devil
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Another new addition
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Dovii....

Clogstonian wrote:

sandnuka wrote:Lol.... Gluttons, american cichlids are!!!! look, its almost bigger than him! lol.... I love it, great picture! and beautiful fish..love the rainbow colors in the dorsal... just beautiful.

Thanks, got these at the Roosevelt store, they look pretty drab there but brighten up as they mature.

I anthropomorphise(sp) but doesn't she look a little guilty with her mouth full of pleco!? ...."dang, I hope he doesn't see eating this!"

Hey hows the Roosevelt Fish store doing the days? I use to go there thirty plus years ago. I'm looking for some Bolivian Rams, Peppered Cors, and some dwarf corys for a 20gl. long. And some dithers like rasboros maybe. Is that reasonable stocking?

Nice Taenicara pics! A beautiful fish. I first kept those like 20 years ago- they were impossible to find then. Glad to see them in the hobby again.

I am really into Apistogramma nijsseni myself (see avatar). I think the females rate as the most beautiful of the apistos when they are in breeding dress. I had so much trouble finding these in recetn years...or finding good ones. I think I finally have tracked down a good bloodline to start breeding.

best,
Steve

Steve W. Woody Debris wrote:I am really into Apistogramma nijsseni myself (see avatar). I think the females rate as the most beautiful of the apistos when they are in breeding dress. I had so much trouble finding these in recetn years...or finding good ones. I think I finally have tracked down a good bloodline to start breeding.

best,
Steve

thats great looking fish!!!
do you also breed those little guys?

thats great looking fish!!!
do you also breed those little guys?[/quote]

I am breeding them but I sold off all my babies last night at the GSAS meeting! I will have more in the future though.

best,
Steve

Steve, your Apistogramma nijsseni looks amazing! I'm assuming that's a male?

That is one of my males- thanks! I first kept this fish in the late 1980's- to get them, you had to know someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew the guy who originally collected them (a Dutch fellow by the name of Patrick De Rham I believe). They were just traded among serious Apisto keepers. And then they became more available as wild caughts were exported from Peru in the 1990's. The wild caught fish are now more infrequently found in the trade and the nijsseni I have seen in the fish stores fail to represent the full beauty of the fish. I have tracked down a couple F1 bloodlines now and working on trying to create a really top notch line of nijsseni. Wish me luck- maybe in a few months I will have more to share.

best,
Steve

Wow awesome story. I've actually never seen one in person. But I wish you the best of luck breeding them!

Thanks. I am going to set up my next pairing this weekend, hopefully. The female looks good to go- hopefully it will be love at first sight,

Steve W. Woody Debris wrote:Thanks. I am going to set up my next pairing this weekend, hopefully. The female looks good to go- hopefully it will be love at first sight,

Hopefully! When you get a chance post up some pics in the show and tell section of the forum, I'd love to see your tanks and fish

Steve, where abouts do you live? I am thinking about starting up my 30 gallon bowfront with Dwarf Cichlids.

I am in Seattle. The water here is ideal for softwater fish like dwarf cichlids. I highly recommend them- great fish, tons of personality and they do well in planted tanks.

best,
Steve

What kinds of plants do you have in your tanks? And substrate? Can I possibly PM you? I'd love to talk more and get more information.

I couldn't keep my fish healthy without plants. I keep all sorts of plants in my tanks- I am not an aquscaper though, I tend to use plants that have a function in the tank.. Java moss is great for fish that scatter eggs in plants and provide places for the fry to hide; water lettuce is great for sucking up nitrates; java fern and anubias provide shelter.

For the softwater dwarf cichlids, you don't want a substrate that will add lots of minerals to the water and boost the pH. I use fluorite and aquasoil mostly. Just started experimenting with turface.


You can PM me, would be happy to help.

best,
Steve