Red Empress with Peacocks?

frkyltn

Members
I'm getting a Red Empress 3.5" and keep reading how aggressive they get. I know each fish has a different personality but wanted to hear first hand form anyone on here that have kept them together. I have a 75g
(current stock-list)
1x borleyi 5"
1x red shoulder 4.5"
1x ruby red 4.5"
1x molto sulphur head 4.5"
1x bi-color 500 3.5"
2x sunshine 3.5" & 3"
1x yellow lab 3"
1x Burundi Frontosa 4"
 
I can't speak for the frontosa, but I've had a Red empress in an all male peacock/hap tank with no problem. Remember that adding one fish to an established colony is asking for trouble. I never had success unless I was adding at least three.
 

frkyltn

Members
I can't speak for the frontosa, but I've had a Red empress in an all male peacock/hap tank with no problem. Remember that adding one fish to an established colony is asking for trouble. I never had success unless I was adding at least three.

thank you Holly, I'm actually adding 3 fish..one of the sunshine that I listed on the stocklist and another yellow lab. and 2 of the other fish listed just got added. I had the option between a 3.5" or a 4.5" Empress..I decided to go with the smaller one. Hope it works out. Thank you
 

neut

Members
I've kept red empress in hap/peacock tanks many times and for me the red empress were always one of the more mellow inhabitants. This also fits any profile I've ever read on them. Like any cichlid I expect there can be exceptions. Also, what you could see is if another fish picks a fight the red empress might finish it.

Like most Africans having just two red empress males, especially if there are females, can be trouble (as opposed to a larger group of one species). Sometimes two male haps of different species or a male hap and male peacock decide they don't like each other-- typically instigated by the peacock ime. So there could be scenarios in which a red empress seems aggressive, but overall not really ime with hap/peacock community tanks.

A single frontosa is not normally an issue at all in a hap/peacock tank. Did it several times before I got more into keeping Cyphotilapia in their own tank. If anything, more likely than the frontosa being a problem, some fronts will be stressed/unhappy in a tank with Malawi scale aggression and energy. Not always, some fronts do just fine in a Malawi tank. I did have one exception with one that did not tolerate any other fronts in his tank, nor any colored up Malawi males, he'd only allow non-frontosa females or fry/small juvies that you would normally imagine he'd eat-- he was just an odd individual.
 
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frkyltn

Members
I've kept red empress in hap/peacock tanks many times and for me the red empress were always one of the more mellow inhabitants. This also fits any profile I've ever read on them. Like any cichlid I expect there can be exceptions to the norm. What you could see is if another fish picks a fight the red empress could finish it.

Like most Africans if you having just two red empress males, especially if there are females, can be trouble (as opposed to a larger group of one species). Sometimes two male haps of different species or a male hap and peacock decide they don't like each other. So there could be scenarios in which a red empress seems aggressive, but overall not much ime in a hap/peacock community tank.

He has worked out just fine and is the the best looking fish in the tank..he just digs in the sand all day..the Ruby or the Mloto chase him from time to time but that's about it..
(75g stocklist)
1x Mloto likoma
1x Borleyi
1x Ruby Red
1x yellow Blaze (Sulfur head hap)
1x Red Empress
1x Sunshine Beaenschi
1x Burundi Frontosa
1x Placidochromis electra (Deep sea hap)*picking up today at meeting*
1x yellow lab
2x bi-color 500
2x clown Loach
 
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