Julidochromis are peaceful right?

[tangkid]

Here I was planning to keep Julidochromis in a "peaceful" tanganyikan tank with cyps, o ventralis, and multi shell dwellers when I was digging through the old archives and someone mentioned a concerning report of julidochromis.

Post in thread 'I found the most aggressive cichlid'

May 2, 2012

(breeding pair)

YOU JUST DESCRIBED LIKE HALF OF THE CICHLIDS OUT THERE! lol, Try breeding some fish that can actually do damage. Go on aqua bid and buy those tropheous duboisi killers that pop up once in a while. I have one in a 300 gallon tank, he has yanked out eyes and punched holes, ripped off lips and shredded fins in fish 10 times his size, things that can practically inhale him. Horie are another terror, don't forget the pit bull of the cichlid world, Julidiochromis! They aren't mean but if something decides to throw down they never loose. I had a rather peaceful one...

• kamikaziechameleon

Someone on this forum claims they cleaned out a tank of 10"+ haps and ripped the lips off a tretocephalus twice its size. This has to be fake right? or a misidentified auratus?

 

[Milingu]

Julidochromis can be very aggressive if they defend their eggs or fry. They can also be very aggressive towards conspecifics. J. maleri and regani tend to be more aggressive than marksmithi, ornatus and transcriptus.
But I would not consider them as overly aggressive compared to other Tanganyika cichlids.

But since you want to keep O. ventralis the possible aggression of Julidochromis will be your smaller problem.

In what tank size you want to keep them?
In a too small tank even the N. multifasciatus can become a problem for other fish.

 

[DJRansome]

I would never keep Tangs with Malawi in any case. But killing 10" haps and trets? Hmmm.

Agree on the O. ventralis. I was advised (by a hobbyist with an enviable reputation) to give them the whole bottom to themselves in a 72" tank. Never kept them as a result.

 

[tangkid]

Julidochromis can be very aggressive if they defend their eggs or fry. They can also be very aggressive towards conspecifics. J. maleri and regani tend to be more aggressive than marksmithi, ornatus and transcriptus.
But I would not consider them as overly aggressive compared to other Tanganyika cichlids.

But since you want to keep O. ventralis the possible aggression of Julidochromis will be your smaller problem.

In what tank size you want to keep them?
In a too small tank even the N. multifasciatus can become a problem for other fish.

I was thinking a 55. I guess the ventralis would have to go then. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[tangkid]

I would never keep Tangs with Malawi in any case. But killing 10" haps and trets? Hmmm.

Agree on the O. ventralis. I was advised (by a hobbyist with an enviable reputation) to give them the whole bottom to themselves in a 72" tank. Never kept them as a result.

I'm willing to take the bet that those were misidentified auratus... hopefully! but yah guess the ventralis have to go.

 

[Milingu]

Yes, that's way too small for ventralis. But also too small to combine multifasciatus with any type of Cyprichromis. Even in a 21" high tank there is not enough space for both. And the tank is already on the smaller end for Cyprichromis. All Cyprichromis species except the true C. leptosoma need a bigger tank.

I would recommend
- either a group of C. leptosoma or Paracyprichromis + 1 pair of Julidochromis of your choice (they will multiply)
- or 1 pair Julidochromis + a colony of multifasciatus
- or 1 pair Julidochromis + 1 pair non colony shell dwellers like Lamprologus ocellatus + 1 pair of opportunistic cave breeders like Neolamprologus caudopunctatus