CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Well,

Here are my criteria for picking a fish to breed.

1. Size. I'd rather breed a smaller fish because I have a spare 29 gal doing nothing. If I had a larger tank, I'd consider breeding my Oscar, GT or JD.

2. Appearance. I want to breed a nice looking fish. Colors are important. So is physical shape. I absolutely HATE the nuchal humps that some males get (and I'm torn between hoping my GT is a male so he'll get more colorful or a female so he won't get that awful hump).

3. Breeding behavior. I want to be able to experience the parental behavior of the fish. I've heard the cichlids are just about the best parents you can find. I'm not interested in watching one fish lay eggs and another fertilize and then they both ignore the eggs/fry until they are old enough to be on their own.

4. Marketability. I want to be able to sell my babies to an LFS. I don't care if I make much money, I just want to be contributing to the industry/hobby in a positive and constructive way. If I can sell 2 in Jack Dempsey babies for $.50 each, then that's fine with me. I don't, however, want to call 17 different LFS's trying to find one that will at least take my 40 2 inch convict babies for free. It isn't the money, it is the extra hassle.

If it wasn't for the last criterion, I would simply go for convicts. They are a good looking fish, easy to breed, will fit in a 29 gallon tank and have the right behavior pattern I'm looking for. However, I'll have a hard time giving them away, forget trying to sell them.

This is why I was interested in possibly a color morph of the convict. Does anyone know of a website with more info specifically on convicts and their various color morphs? I'd like to find on that is somewhat uncommon, but not a hybrid.

My LFS dude tried to turn me on to Rams or various dwarf cichlids. While some are quite pretty, he didn't know about their parenting behavior or personalities. Any help on these guys?

I absolutely HATE the nuchal humps that some males get

Convicts can and do get humps also

My LFS dude tried to turn me on to Rams or various dwarf cichlids. While some are quite pretty, he didn't know about their parenting behavior or personalities. Any help on these guys?

As a fish to start breeding I wouldn't suggest rams or alot of the other dwarf cichlids just because they're harder to feed and grow then other cichlids.


Fish I can think of,off the top of my head that stay fairly small (but not tiny) and are easy to breed and sell deciently:



Archocentrus (check some other species besides convicts)

Neetroplus nematopus


Aequidens - some of the smaller species would work.

Angelfish would also work in a 29 gallon (angels always sell easily)


Theres also alot of african cichlids that stay smaller and have good colors

Zebra's,yellow labs,etc..

You could try Angels, but they mite not have the parental behavior your looking for. Angels tend to eat there eggs, if your not careful. I have had 15 different breeding pairs of Angels, and only 6 of them would raise their own fry.

Cons do get very big humps here is a pic of mine.

He's about 6" here.

I don't mind humps like that. I just don't want my fish to get a big squishy looking one like I've seen on the Midas's.

For someone who has a handle like "Midas" but don't like the HUMP. well Egads!! And try finding some cichlids like S.American Salvini, they only get to 6" and are bright orange/yellow w/black dot-stripe on their sides. they don't like to dig and leave plants alone(so I've read) Simi aggressive but territorial.
Also the S.American Festivum Cichlids: (Mesonauta festivus) they get to 4-6". are bright red/yellow with black stripes. they like to eat live plants and need places to hide. Relatively aggressive.
I have info on these so when my other Jacks go to the 125 gal. I can find a fish that don't get big and can raise and sell. I have not found these yet. but am looking.

My online name has been MidasKnight since I first discovered the internet.

I've only known there was such a thing as a Midas Cichlid for about a month.

I was originally excited when I saw the name but when I found a picture I was disgusted.

Yeah, my name has nothing to do with the citrus fish.

Well Midasknight You can change your handle anytime in your user cp. I have midas and right now, they are very nice looking, I have seen pics to of them and thought the same thing. UGLY!! But mine are intreging and have lots of caractor, as much as my oscar really. And they get along with all fish if raised together in the same tank when young. Right now I have 400+ Midas fry. here's a pic of My Male Midas.

That fish is fine. I don't mind that size hump at all. It isn't fully grown though yet, is it?

Let me find the pic that I saw first.

That midas pic you posted MidasKnight - is uncommon as far as midas cichlids Humps - usually the only way you'll get a midas like that is to buy a wild (almost impossiable to find) or a good F1 , most avaliable in your local fish store won't look like that because they are crossed with red devils and red devils don't get the big humps.




Red Devil