Jags

[nick]

hey everyone, ive googled Jag cichlids and found out the temperment etc. just wondering what peoples experiences with them are and what you could do to keep then entertained and also to keep the owner entertained.

Thnx
Nick

[Bubbleman72]

Hey Nick,

Have you got yourself a Jag yet?

I noticed that no one had responded to your post so I thought I would. I had a Jag a while back. Mine was about 25cm and he was a great looking fish.

My tank is an 8x2x2 so I had plenty of space for tank mates. You will need a good sized tank with good filtration because these guys get big and a quite messy. His tankmates were fish such as Sinspilum, Oscar, Rivulatus and some big Silverdollars.

My only advice when looking for a Jag is don't just grab the first one you see. Some have much better color paterning than others. Also, have a good look at their body shape and make sure its in proportion. A lot of Jags are bought by people with tanks far too small to house them properly and they end up growing out of proportion with their head looking too big for their body. They do have big brutish heads normaly but a fish that have been tank bound just don't look right.

Good luck,

Lance

[fushnique]

I got a breeding pair in a 4*3 and they took up the rocks in the corner, I dangled a working air stone bout7 cm above their cave,or leave a ping pong ball floating in the tank. They attack them for 5 mins every couple of hours. Fun to watch and they don't cause any troubles with the other fish( Giant gourami,oscars,saratogas and large catfish). They still breed but the fry don't last too long once they get big enuf to leave the cave. Great fish so long as their not trying to fight everything else in the tank.
U'll have fun learning.

Drew

[nick]

ok, thnx guys, some good info if i decide to get one sometime :)

[Dead Fish Floating]

A good tactic when they breed is too syphon hose out a chunk of their fry.
That way you can practise raising them in a seperate tank, while the parents practise in the main tank.
Expect large cassaultys at first.
I think jags are great to watch but dovii are even better
wolf cichlids just.....  have a better facial expression.

[fenestratum]

hi nick, ive had a few jags before, mine probly like most people are aggresive when in a small tank and few to many tank mates, mine was very aggresive. If you house it in with similar size fish and a big tank, then they should be good. one of the best looking fish ever
good luck

[Dead Fish Floating]

I cannot reccomend the movie 'cichlids from the crater' (think thats the name....  lost my copy)
enough to any fan of jags, wolfs, devils or convicts.
All of them are amazing creatures in their natural environs.
Brings home how lucky we are to have access to any of them.

One thing I have learnt the hard way.
Once they get big
You need a VERY big tank and lots hidey holes to keep
too many jags or wolfs together.
they die hard but jeez they really hack into each other.

Even as babies it's a matter of feeding so many times a day
they never stop  to consider how tasty their bro's and sisters look.
I used to raise about 20 to 5->6 cm
and thats out of 1,000's of fry.
Couldn't really sell/give away more than that anyway.
If you divide them up it's easy to get more
otherwise it's not unusual to end up with 3 or 4!

They play hard, but a good pair will spawn once a month all year around if ya remove the fry.
Good conversation piece when they are brooding and attacking people thru the glass.
Whats everyone feeding the pigs? Can be an expensive maw to fill.