From the 10 most popular cichlids in the hobby which most cichlid keepers start out with has to include Cichlasoma managuense and Cichlasoma octofasciatum. Now you may or may not recognize their scientific names because many people know them as the Jaguar cichlid and Jack Dempsey cichlids.

 

It’s hard to keep up with cichlid names particularly when their names or genus is changed. For example Cichlasoma octofasciatum is now referred to as Rocio octofasciata, notice the genus is different and the species suffix has changed to octofasciata.

 

Anway Jaguar cichlids can max out around fifteen inches in total length while Jack Dempsey cichlids can reach about 10 inches. Clearly they fish are not equals pound for pound because one can growth thirty percent larger than the other.

 

That said check out this video below to see what happens when these two tough cichlids are placed together in a community tank. Given that their close in size with each other the Jaguar turned out to be too aggressive for the Dempsey. But will the hobbyist separated them placing the Dempsey in a thirty gallon holding tank for some time. Anyway he reintroduced the fish to the original tank and the peaking order changed. The Dempsey quickly took charge after being pushed around by the Jaguar cichlid.