Jewel Cichlids, are they African? Comment of the Week Episode 6

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[@Spongerob0]

Jewels are also from Banff Alberta...almost. Near the town of Banff there are hot springs that lead into pools and marshes. It is believed that someone dumped some unwanted aquarium fish into the pools back in the 1960's. They migrate around and find their temperature comfort zones and have maintained a population there ever since. There are also some mollies and swordtails too. It's pretty amazing to see tropical fish in a pond in the dead of winter. -25 and snow and tropical fish don't seem to go together!

[@justinp3653]

had 2 jewels in my tank with a lot of Africans for a long time. They were actually the least aggressive fish in the tank, they didn't bother anyfish and never got chased around. Then one day they figured out they were male and female, and things went crazy. They heavily defended their territory and started hurting other fish. That was the end of that, they went back to the store. Guess everyone has a different story.

[@mikefisher4834]

I was told my whole life that jewel cichlids are South American It blew my mind when I found out their African I hate when people try and say that a certain species of Cichlid is more aggressive than others They all have their own personalities You can have two of exactly the same species and the same sex and one can be the most aggressive fish you ever seen and the other one be the biggest wimp you ever seen💯

[@nicholaswilson1782]

I have two Jewel cichlids in a 125 gallon tank with 15-20 Mbunas and I haven't had any deaths or fin damage if anything the Jewels are the underdogs in my tank lol

[@T0YCHEST]

Nicholas Wilson same i have a 125 with 15 mbuna and like 10 haps and a psir of jewrls no bulkying seen

[@VeganSanatani]

Nicholas Wilson well they only attack any fish comes up to breadth surface air ..

[@Biewtiful]

thank god I saw yr comment I just got two and ready to put in my tank

[@Biewtiful]

still alive 1st day

[@metledsabbsthica]

I just mixed jewels with my African fish, so far no problem. I have the dark ones not the red. if that matters.

[@jacobsteinkoetter5588]

I have a jewel cichlid with 5 other African cichlids and he does perfectly fine. No fin damage or deaths.

[@RagtimeIrvin]

i had 2 bichirs, 2 peacock eels, and a rope fish in a tank full of mbunas and peacock cichlids (20+) and they all got along fine.

[@bartdilks3589]

I have jewels with other Africans and convicts. To stop aggression I over feed them and keep them with bigger/smaller fish. They are highly aggressive but the bigger fish put them in their place. If they get hungry they start being more aggressive.

[@dddmmm21]

Jewel were my most successful fish when I was a pre-teen (30yrs ago)… first because they killed everyone else, Oscars and other mean fish. Jewels are the meanest. Then they bred in my small 10ga tank. Most impressively, dad would keep the fry inside his mouth at any sign of danger.

[@wabalaka1565]

My Jewel cichlid actually very chill until I drop food into the tank and it become a beast

[@ashtonboyd3595]

I have a jewl cichlid with fancy goldfish, I know you not supposed to do this but I took my chance and even 5 months later the rest of the fish are just fine, the cichlid act just like a goldfish too😂😂

[@Adiscretefirm]

Do you heat your tank?

[@shortnanxious6088]

So the Jewel cichlid is the african equivalent to the south am. convict cichlid? I'm more familiar with South and Central Am. cichlids but trying hard to understand and make comparisons, for myself, with the Africans.... but convicts and Jewels are both mid sized highly aggressive river fish even though they are from different continents... correct?

[@AquariumArmy]

I made this exact mistake while putting together my male Mbuna tank. I needed some red other then the Red Zebra and came across this beautiful fish. Long story short, he was not aggressive enough to stay in that tank for more then a day. Luckily I have a counter part female Mbuna tank with the exact same fish that he has been living peaceful with for a better part of a year now.

[@alterfuel6033]

You look really happy and healthy in the past two videos. Great to see you're back

[@KGTropicals]

+Hobo Steve Thanks, I'm definitely feeling much better:-)

[@stanviers8792]

I find you can keep them with most south americans ... you just have to make them a late addition to the community.. so they are the smaller....

[@thunderbirdbob1]

john i got 3 jewels in my tank they are about 3 1/2 inch long and 1 female 2 males, i got to say my jewels are Vary docile. they are in a take with koi and convicts.

[@dhammaboy1203]

I really appreciate this John - I realise Jewels arent from the Rift Lakes but a lot of people say Jewels can mix with Malawis but I’m going to trust you on this. You know your fish. My tanks going pretty well & I don’t want to risk messing it up.

[@turtle2.030]

Hello... I just got jewels on my tank I believe 2 femals and 1 male. I also have 3 tetras in the tank. The jewels do harras each other a little bit but only the big ones, the just ignore the smaller jewels and the tetras.

[@user-fu6gt5hu6t]

Absolutely African , i live in Egypt and i catch them from nile every time i go fishing

[@SteveChiller]

I had a tank with various African Cichlids. The Red Jewels seemed to be doing ok in there. They evern kept having babies!! I miss that tank.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

I have two Jewel Cichlids in a 37 gallon bow front tank. They only other fish I had were a breeding pair of convicts. They killed the female and occasionally fight with the big male convict. I have a big castle decoration and the Jewels hide inside it and it is very rare that you see them.

[@princetrophies]

Glad I just saw this video. I have 2 paired jewels in my community tank and had no idea

[@malhsaurabh]

Hello. I have a question..If I have herbivorous, carni and omni (i know not recommended)in same tank. To be specific--Red Jewel and Malawi in same tank, how would you feed them? And what type of food should be fed?

[@mikelois5297]

I have a red and a blue jewl in with 9 other cichlids all different types.. 4 red tail sharks a catfish and bristle nose..and my jewls are not the bullies... They sometimes pick on each other but no damage

[@batmanakabruce]

Socolifi are one of the meanest mbuna in my experience, I have one and he won't leave any fish that's the same size as him alone. when I put him with some kenyi that were almost 3 times his size he still challenged the big male.

[@claypletz4941]

I have 2 jewel cichlids in with 30-35 lake Malawi cichlids the jewels are not beating on anything but if anything they would be getting picked on. my other fish are only 3 to 4 inches long.

[@paulcox4369]

Am sure every tank has it's own dynamics depending on its size, amount of cover & individual nature of fish. I was given a pair of Jewels about 6 months ago, l knew at the time l was taking a chance & my better judgement told me not to, but it was take them or they were not long for this world! The tank is 200g & contains 50+ Mbuna and is heavily hard scaped with rockwork. The Jewels are about halfway down the pecking order with many of the Mbuna way more aggressive. When they bred their aggression levels did rise but there were no casualties amongst the Mbuna. 4 of the fry are still alive & have just started to leave the security of the rock. For just sheer colour they have to be one of the best. Paul UK

[@michaelher940]

can you mix jewel with peacocks? and how many jewel per a tank?

[@bentlikeitsmaker]

have a mixed tank with them and never had a problem with the

[@makiyasl6165]

Six of my cichlids were dead in the tank and i though it was because of the big 2 electric yellow lab, but last night i found out that's the Jewel. One fish was in his mouth trying to eat it. they are really mean..

[@buhomorado2244]

These fish are not mean I have three in my 55 currently the biggest fish in the tank and they don’t bully any fish currently spawning not killing anything just protecting.

[@liambeliveau9705]

I have jewel cichlids with angelfish and gouramis with a male and female

[@dannysvblog943]

thanks dude no jewels for my tanks then wasnt my question but i was one the ppl that thourght they might mix

[@metledsabbsthica]

I have 6 jewel fish with my Africans in a 75 gallon and so far its working. But my jewel fish are not red. I hope things stay the same. I also have 2 Parrott and an angel fish. So far after 1 week everything is ok. My 6 Jewel fish have been in tank for a month. So far jo problem. You got me nervous.

[@carl3982]

Love ur vids but I have kept jewels with Malawi and successfully bread the jewels in the same tank although no fry survived I bread over and over I find if there kept with bigger Malawi they are to intimidated to attack unless breeding...hope u get back to selling soon peace ✌🏻

[@cheskajanineesconde1663]

but i kept 3 red jewels in my 400 gallon pond with 4 rainbow cichlids 5 angel fish 4 corry cats 2 parrot fish about 60 sword tails a feather fin catfish and a pleco none of them died actually the red jewels have been really peaceful

[@Susbaguetteman]

The thing is do is put the troublemaker with a jack Dempsey to give it a taste of its own medicine

[@acsmith7818]

I've mixed species and have been fortune without any problems. Its not 100% but a good 85%.

[@sheikhnabeel6327]

I got a jewel cichlid and kept it in my 60 gallon tank with 12 mbuna the jewel was dead the next day

[@pogpengwyn]

+sheikh nabeel How big where the mbuna? Jewels cant defend against 12 medium (sometimes small ones too, especially large ones!)

[@sheikhnabeel6327]

Only 3 of my mbuna were fully grown about 5 inch rest were just 3 inch and the jewel was Almost 4 inch

[@pogpengwyn]

Hmm, well, could be a gang of mbuna. :P All of them noticed the shady stranger and beat him up (killed it :( ) Whats done is done, now we know never mix a jewel with a Mbuna, or you are gonna have a bad time.

[@happyhippo1940]

Nice vid, surprised you don't have a lot more views than you do.

[@pogpengwyn]

Hey, John, thanks mate, I just finished my tropical fish keeping or more specifically, edit: African Chichlid Keeping. Thanks for the help during that time, but I felt it was time to move on. If it wasn't for those guys, I would've never though about doing it, but I just set up a 50gallon Marine tank, and I am currently cycling. :D

[@pogpengwyn]

Everything is ticked apart from the cycle process( 3 or 4 weeks in now). In a week or so it will be done and in another week I will have my first inhabitants.

[@KGTropicals]

+Mister RandomlyCommentsEveryNowAndAgainForFun. All of us need a change once in a while:-)

[@pogpengwyn]

I will always be watching.. as I still have one yellow lab left in my spare 29gal. I can't find him a home.

[@pogpengwyn]

And because I will still miss the fresh water experience

[@Cichlid_4_ever]

I have one of these guys and he’s the smallest one in the tank and MEANEST one in there. He attacks my salvini cichlid.

[@nathankortsen592]

hey John i have a 20 gallon fish tank that is heated 65-75 i also have lots of plants and i am getting African cichlid×2 a kuhli loache×2 a black skirt tetra×2 and a b ummble bee goby×2 do you think i am filling the tank to much or to less please reply back to me

[@toni-leetaylor23]

1 or more red jewels I have spare tank would love to get then

[@mohammedhyab]

Hello jon Please i have a (short body jewel cichlid) this is second time they spawn but after two days the eat them eggs !!! Can i know what is the problem How i know the eggs Is fertilize? Whats the best temp. During the spawn? There is something i have to do through the breeding ? Thanks a lot Any one can help me with this matter ?

[@KennyCastellon]

I have a pair of jewels in my tank with tanganyika cichlids... them being mean is new to me coming from pure ignorance .. I've had the jewels for 2 years with the others..I guess I won't get anymore because I could just be lucky

[@ashtonboyd3595]

I caught the cichlid out of a local lake with a minnow trap

[@xxproblemboytonxx]

So can any pleco go with cichlids?

[@ailyndel3675]

WHy is my dad's red jewels not bright red? And how to know males from females?

[@dmaz8317]

What about a male only tank for jewels?, thanks John

[@ahmedshawky9965]

When to expect fries to start coloring ? Cause i have some fries and they have grown to the size of 5 centimeters and haven't got any colors yet

[@JustNatax3]

Okay. I went through a lot of trial and error with my red cichlids. I hope somebody finds this useful: They are the absolute worst in aggression and territory when breeding, and couples will defend their fry to death. I had just one dominant couple in the tank alone eventually, they basically murdered everyone else. They bred easily then.. Their children, I only left 6 of the eventually grown 20(+!!! They breed like rabbits!!!) in there, and they themselves never couple up to this day or show courting, but they are peaceful with eachother. I think it's because they are so much lower in the ranks compared to their parents. When the parents laid new eggs, the now grown children will steal the fry one by one while the parents try to defend. To circumvent this whole stressful situation for everyone completely, I put the temperature down by just a few degrees.... and it was the solution to all my problems: The parents as dominant couple will not be inclined to breed this way. Leading to a very peaceful little swarm of jewel cichlids. I strongly do not recommend any tankmates though: they will rip apart anything.

[@EF_DadLeftMe]

I have a jewel and thought my peacocks would kill him so I got him bigger and they don't fight instead the jewel has a cave and the fish leaves him alone

[@g_r_d5511]

I have a jewel cichlids with green terrors and yellow labs peacocks and mbunas no fish has died from 2010

[@RealWitblitz]

Regarding Jack Dempseys though, they are South American cichlids right? I've had a small baby Dempsey in along with 12 other Africans for the past 3 months and they haven't bothered him even one bit. He caught up and is now roughly the same size as the others but my question is will he eventually start to bully the Africans? (Milomo, Venustus, Auratus, couple Peacocks,etc.) They seem very chilled at the moment, no aggression.

[@KGTropicals]

It could go either way, he could end up bullying them or they could bully him. OR they could end up getting along. You won't really know till it happens. I wouldn't advise keeping those fish mixed together but you never know, I've heard of crazier combos.

[@tabmost]

Thank you!

[@nerdyherper915]

My jewels r the underdog in my tank there frenly

[@porkchop606]

Aw man. I was thinking of getting a Jewel Cichlid when I get African Cihclids. Aw poop. Now I have to find a different cichlid.

[@bhavmann6710]

My jewel is aggressive towards all my fishes so he lives alone in a separate tank but i want to give him tank mate please help me

[@Xavier_915]

Your freakin hilarious John!!! LOL! a big BUTT!! I started saying the lyrics right after!! I'm glad that you are back in form. Also when are we going to see Lisa for the Mbuna updates? I do have a fish related question. I'm planning on upgrading my filter to the Marineland penguin 200 for my 40 gallon and I was wondering what is the easiest way to do this without messing up my fish tank by accidently recycling my tank. I've been told different things but I wanted to know your opinion or maybe you have done this in the past. Thanks and cant wait for that fish delivery on friday.

[@KGTropicals]

+Sergio Vasquez Ha ha hopefully people realize that was a pic of Sir Mix Allot and not just some random dude I was calling a big butt lol. If it were me I would run both of the filters for a few weeks to a month on the same tank. This way the new filter will get seeded before you take the old one off.

[@Xavier_915]

+KGTropicals Maybe some of the younger people might not catch it but I did lol! I'll go ahead and do that. thanks! I might set up my 29 and get some jewel spots they are beautiful!

[@fishtankmaster5493]

Is that a parrot fish in the bottom right tank

[@adhityakt1]

African cichlid are aggressive and mostly fight for territory and space.their attitude is dominance. American cichlids are less aggressive and predatory. Their attitude is to both dominate and eat fellow mates

[@erxkeel]

Good info John.

[@KGTropicals]

+erxkeel Thanks!!

[@gg-king369]

Can we keep jewel chiclids with south America chiclids like green terror n ALLL......

[@michaelmeadows2201]

Hi was given 3 juvies Jewel cicihds two t blue one Turing red.

[@randallabrahams2557]

Can male Convicts go with african jewels

[@kekoxiong]

I just bought a jewel because never seen a red fish not common. So I put it with my 2 tiger Oscar not a good idea. The jewel is bullying my Oscar it”s half the size of my Oscar I’m starting to hate my jewel. Beautiful but evil it should be called the red devil.

[@michaelmeadows2201]

Yes they n LG African cichid tank

[@anthonym6202]

I have a jewels cichlid and a African bumblebee cichlid and a tiger Oscar and a blood parrot and a black convict and a bala shark 🦈. & two plecos . Y’all heard and I’ve had these fish for 8 months. Although I would think 🤔 the African ones would be more dominant nope it’s actually the blood parrot he has grown pretty big now these last few months and he rules the tank. Second ruler might be the black convict she seems to rule it when the blood goes on hiding in his little cave. After that is the jewels and let me tell you it’s the smallest one in the tank I think maybe an inch about right now but trust me it’s a bad motha. The tiger he seems to mind his own business and literally is always around the blood parrot but they don’t fight and their kind the same size. The bumblebee is the weakest he is getting big but he seems to be scared everyone except the bala and the plecos. I have them in a 60 gallon. They seem to all get along. I was laughing at the blood he try to bite the plecos and the their spines got him in the mouth he went hiding right away.

[@Kulah023]

Anyone else have a jewel cichlid with South American cichlids ?? I have a Oscar and geaphagus with it n they seem to be alright ???

[@failanpowell]

can you post the link to get those pleco stuffed animals I want to get some for my kids

[@KGTropicals]

+Failan Parker greenpleco.com

[@failanpowell]

+KGTropicals thank you

[@fishyinformation]

can we put Oscar with African cichlid

[@caewalker9276]

They should just call them river Africans

[@mylifeandhobby2716]

I have a jewel on my tank but only a male he's not to aggressive i wouldn't put a female in there because their worst than the common african when it comes to aggression because they are not mouth brooder

[@bavib8435]

How much rupees

[@ivoryqueen7000]

so very true concerning the jewels... they tortured my mbuna and killed a few... 😑

[@thepilgrim1581]

I will post a video for you to see that Jewel Cichlids are actually very placid........ Many of you fish keeping advisors on the Internet are mistaken.... Unless you have put them in with different types of fish for a period then I guess most of you are just following the pack with your comments rather than a pioneer in experimenting........ Hopefully I ll have time to upload a video of my fish tank in a few days..... Watch this space........