Jump to content

Peacocks with my Cichlids?


ccl

Recommended Posts

Firstly how big is the tank?

The problem I see is the size difference, the peacocks will be at the bottom end of the pecking order.

If the venustus is about 3 times there size, good chance the peacocks may end up being lunch.

Also Kadango's are prone to fighting with peacocks too.

When adding cichlids, its alot of trial & error anyway. This case looks more like error.

Frenchy :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most people on cichlid forum dont recommend putting peacocks in mixed tanks as they are pretty passive and can get picked on however I have them in with alot of things and they're fine..

How could a 12cm giraffe get a 4cm peacock? I had my 15cm giraffes in with 2cm demasoni 1cm yellows and various other fish and they didn't eat them I doubt a 12cm could eat a 4cm peacock especially when peacocks are quite deep.. But again I haven't seen everything! Maybe Frenchy has a story to share :)

Id say put them in keep a good eye on them and pull them out if they're getting too picked on.. And let everyone know how you get on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks all. I don't know what kind of Peacocks they are but they're in Jenson's Mt Eden. My tanks only 4' and I'd love to get a bigger one. Money is always the issue though.

I might just try the Peacocks out and keep an eye on them.

Stay tuned there could be cheap Peacocks or sale soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh yeah I got some of them :) They're in a tank the same as the one you describe.. I have 2 kadango males (1 10cm one smaller) a big pair of OB peacocks heaps of zebras, lithobates, yellows, demasoni etc etc and nobody bothers them at all.

As for what they are, they look like and im hoping they will be red shouldered peacocks as im looking for some females for the 2 lonely males we have..

Good luck and let everyone know how you get on :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stories I have a plenty, as I said it is all trial & error. :roll: A 4cm peacock is a huge difference to a 12cm Venustus, a 4cm peacock isn't that high bodied. Venustus is a predator it only has to get a hold of one end of a peacock. Yes Ryan I have sen this before, & yes I have kept peacocks in mixed community tanks too with success.

My main concern is if the peacock is not a ob, as the colouration is enough for the Kadango to treat the peacock as a threat as they will look similar.

Thats why I followed up with, how big is the tank?

Frenchy :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I myself wouldnt even try to keep these fish together

A 4cm peacock isnt a highbodied fish yet they are still small and a 12cm Venustus would eat it quite easily

If you had them Ryan and they used to scrap what were the sizes cos im postitive a 4cm peacock will not try and fight back a 12cm Venustus

Also how big is the Kadanga???

CCL there is a major difference between 4' tanks in the dimensions

Ryan You have posted up saying you have had big peacocks together not a 4cm one

It would be appreciative if you could base your opinions on the matter at hand not change it to suit

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The joys of the hobby is that there are theories, reasonings, myths.....especially on cases of mixing & matching cichlids.

Everytime you introduce something new to an established tank you are risking trouble. That is why people say add only in multiples, re-arrange rock work, feed fish at the same time as adding new fish, avoid mixing species with similar shape, colour.....

In this case there is no right or wrong answer. All people can go on is previous experiences, what they have read, heard or seen. Someone asked what they wanted to do, asked for comments & people gave their views. Pretty simple aye. :roll:

Frenchy :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry I used past and present text.. I HAD a big male kadango and a big male red shouldered peacock together until I lost a whole tank filled with fish, also in that tank I had big giraffes and tiny fish as mentioned even a 4cm female red shouldered peacock..

And at the moment I have 2 male kadango's ones pretty big and 2 of the exact same fish hes talking about adding to his mix. And I also have a huge male peacock in their as well (but hes an OB so gets on ok).

Im just basing my opinions on what has worked for me we all know with fish that the personalities of the fish dictate what you can and cant do im saying its fine from what ive tried (but I do tend to just try things first and see what happens..) and you guys are commenting from what you've tried and seen.

I have kept all manner of tiny fish (demasoni 2-3cm's fryeri 2-3cm's tiny yellows etc) in with the large giraffes I had I had 3 of them ranging from 12 to 15cm's and none ever got eaten..

So yeah noone has really given him an answer id say go for it but as with anything be ready to rescue them if it goes to crap..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you like the fish then give it a go. Keep a very good eye on them though. Feed your existing fish first and then introduce the newbies. I prefer to re-arrange the tank just before lights out and introduce the newbies 5-10 mins before the lights go out. This gives them a quite time to look around before the morning rush. Get up early the next morning and see how everyone is getting on.

Personally I have kept the most unlikely companions ( Africans only ) together VERY successfully.

Not sure if they are still there but I supplied a lot of the Africans for Butterfly Creek - even an 18cm Borleyi :o

I have only ever had one bad tempered Venustus - generally if your fish are well fed then they get along just fine. Territory is another trigger for aggression - you may wish to try a bare tank for a while if things get a bit intense :wink:

Good luck :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Come on Ryan, who thought that?

Just because everyone thinks im telling tales

Brad questioned the way you told the story. Mystic & myself gave views on our own misadventures & what we have seen in the past.

It's like you are trying to win an arguement that dosen't exist.

The small fish definitely know their position in the pecking order. 2 are hanging down the bottom of the tank by the rocks & one is hugging the corner of the tank. You see that was the point I was making from the start, smaller fish don't have that happy a life in a fish tank when there are big boys in there. They will probably be fine when they grow up some more. But they are not happy in the tank at the moment.

Now why did I say that, because cichlids are responsive to humans, we are a food source to them, funny how they don't hang with the others when you are at the tank.

Frenchy :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ryan when those little fish start swimming arund the full length of the tank like they would without the larger fish in there ill believe you that they are perfectly fine

You wanna try something and see how nice everything is in your tank

Take out all the rockwork and leave no ornaments and just the fish

See how long the little yellows survives

Just because they look fine to you doesnt mean they are enjoying their time in there getting chased when they pop to far away from the rocks

Id suggest you do some research of some of these fish and see what they are really like

Ill help you out with a link to one of the best cichlid forums i have come across

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1160

Have a quick look at what they say about the nature of the Venustus and what they like to hunt in the wild

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol ok then everyone pick on me :)

They were in there they were happy I did take all the rocks out many a time because I had to to catch any fish and sometimes I left them out for quite some time and nothing got eaten ive read alot of profiles on giraffes trust me I do my research and yes they shouldn't have worked but they did so who knows.

Alot of people off here and trademe saw that tank and said how awesome it was to see all the big and little fish getting along so well who knows like I said to frenchy im not a prick im not mean to my fish if they were suffering or getting hurt or not getting food or anything they wouldn't be in there.

And advice I give is by what I see not what I read so yeah who knows for everything you read or see theres another thing you can read or see that contradicts it.

Anyway I do respect yours and frenchy's opinions as you've always given good advice ill just agree to disagree again on this one and encourage people to try their own things and make up their own minds :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not picking on you.

Yep your fish are still alive that is great. Yep they have no marks on them. Yep if you bomb the tank with pellets & flake the little guys will get theres. If they survive the first few weeks smaller guys will usually be fine. The rock work & odd small cave give them a chance to survive, no dramas.

The question at the start is how the fish would go. 3 of us said they would get harrased.

The small fish definitely know their position in the pecking order. 2 are hanging down the bottom of the tank by the rocks & one is hugging the corner of the tank
You see when I said this, it proved what 3 of us said.

Thats the point, if old mate tries it, it is a risk. Thats all we were saying.

Then theres the other thing, that when they grow up a bit. As said earlier, similar species of fish will fight, the size difference will hardly make that fair too. So you are yet to go through that too. As your little guys all look like little females at the moment.

You see some of us have done what you have done before with mixed results. Theres the introduction, then theres the knocking in period, then there will be another one when they mature. Usually one fish will give in, sometimes in a tank with limited space they won't. Then there are the other times when the victor will be relentless.

Frenchy :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...