A Silly Question

[vial]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and technically to the hobby. I work in a petstore, and am only 16, but unlike the vast majority of people working there, I've actually done my hours and hours of research, so I do know a thing or two about fish.

Having said that the only fish I've kept previously are a betta (still have him, his name is Sean Connery) and 5 comets and a large fantail in a 32 gal (the comets will have their pond VERY soon. Got them before I knew what I was doing ;P)

So I get to work and trot over to fish dept, because its my favorite place. In one of the show tanks I find a tattered looking dempsey (unsexed) and an equally frayed Green Terror (m). Apparently, their previous owner, who happens to be my coworker, was ditching them because he decided he'd preffer a marine setup. They are both approx five inches long, so I was stunned to hear that he kept the pair of them in a thirty five gallon, and the reason that they were so beat up is because he had a particularly agressive pacu in there with them! So I have them at home in a makeshift thirtythree gallon "cichlid shelter" with a three inch common pleco, and now my question-


I've never kept cichlids before, and I only know the various stats pertaining to them (size, tank requirements, compatibility, food requirements, water paramiters, etc..) but nothing of breeding. So, finally, my question.


A terror and a dempsey can't breed, right? Please tell me that they can't. All they do is follow eachother and rub eachother gently, and even sleep practically curled up together behind a piece of driftwood. I understand that they've been together for quite a while in a cramped space, but is this normal behaviour for supposedly territorial cichlids? The dempsey even rubs (her?him?)self against the sides of the terror. What is going on, guys?

 

[vancouver]

I wouldn't be shocked if they could breed.. but I'm not really sure. Tank size wise, you'll probably need at least a 75g to house them.

 

[LisaLQ]

Yep, and that common plec will need at least a 4 x 18" x 18" tank as he will reach 12-18" himself

 

[vial]

Yep, and that common plec will need at least a 4 x 18" x 18" tank as he will reach 12-18" himself

and thats why I called it a "shelter" and not "home"

The whole gang is going to be bumped up to a 100 gallon asap. I would have purchased it before I got them, but it was certainly not a planned adoption..

 

[LisaLQ]

Didn't mean to imply you weren't going to move them - was just suggesting tank sizes

 

[vial]

sorry if I sounded defensive, I didn't mean to come off as such. Part of me was surprised that I forgot to mention that in the original paragraph.


*cough*

lovely forum, by the way.

 

[Lyle]

haha, that is funny that they act like that, esp since they are territorial, but no they can't breed. bottom line is that they're two different species. somtimes fish, or any animal for that matter, can act weird in captivity, for instance if you put two diffent kinds of schooling fish together, they were stick together even if they are different species

 

[LisaLQ]

Stranger things have happened, many cichlids interbreed. But then again my oscar and my vieja intermedium used to go around together like a pair, even dig out dips in the gravel, but they never mated. I'm fairly sure it would be possible that they could breed, but it wouldn't be likely.

 

[Lyle]

so are different chilids as different from each other as say..... a lab and a poodle? or like a horse and a donkey? i guess i don't know that much about chilids specificly......

 

[mrjames]

becos they are both new world they could mate. like two diff malawis could mate. but a new world and a malawi couldnt. please correct me if im wrong. good luck.

james B)

 

[annka5]

I think it depends on how close in genetic terms they are - different genus can but different species can't (I think...!) If you look on the pinned topics on hybrids forum it should give more info.
it sounds like thye are acting unusually, but perhaps becuase of the over-aggressive pacu they have lost some natural behaviour patterns ?? Captive animals, particularly ones which have had less than ideal living quarters in the past, can behave very very differently than they would naturally; at this stage I wouldn't worry as they are new to you, new to the tank, etc.