<p>Animals that live in groups often establish dominance hierarchies to maximize access to food resources. As the hierarchy stabilizes, aggression decreases, granting dominant individuals preferential access to resources. The initial stages of competition, before hierarchy order is established, are poorly studied. Here, we investigated the influence of individual differences in Standard Metabolic Rate (SMR) and personality traits on agonistic dominance and food acquisition during early stages of hierarchy establishment in the Mexican mojarra, <i>Amphilophus istlanus</i>. We quantified personality in terms of exploration and boldness. The same individuals were then tested in pairwise contests with a size-matched opponent to determine their dominance and success in obtaining food. The mojarra displayed an exploration-boldness syndrome in which food monopolization was linked to the individuals’ boldness and, to a lesser extent, exploration. However, contrary to several studies, these personality traits did not correlate with SMR and did not predict agonistic dominance. Individuals with higher SMR were more likely to initiate agonistic interactions and were more dominant; however, interindividual differences in metabolic rate did not explain food acquisition. Dominant fish fed less while establishing dominance, but once the hierarchy was established, dominant fish fed more than subordinates. Thus, during the early stages of hierarchy establishment, individuals with high metabolic rate may sacrifice feeding in favor of agonistic behaviors, possibly as an investment in longer-term access to food after the hierarchy has solidified. Further studies are needed to understand how resources are distributed among individuals and the consequences of distribution patterns over longer periods.</p>