new set up and need so help

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Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


kevinh
 
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:22 am

new set up and need so help

by kevinh

So my cicchlid tank has been set up for a year now. Starting about 2 wees ago there is one fish(the biggest one) is bulling the other one. I move around the tank about every other month to change up things. How do you keep the aggression down. Here is some pics of my tank and fish
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kevinh
 
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:22 am

by kevinh

*some* in title


mcfaddy212000
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:20 am

by mcfaddy212000

Do you know what kind of fish you have, for a better answer? It looks to me from the pics you have very aggressive fish with not so aggressive. Witch is going to lead to death. If they were all juveniles when you bought them sometimes they learn to live together. Do you have a lot of hiding places like caves and what not? Cause that will help some it gives the rock dwellers a place to boxs and get away from some of the more aggressive family's such as peacocks and haps. My rock dwellers hide a most of the time in my rocks see pic below and I don't have any problems. By the way nice tank :)
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mcfaddy212000
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:20 am

by mcfaddy212000

If they are starting to hit the 1.5 - 2.5" aggregation is going to start to pic up too


Okiimiru
 
Posts: 275
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 10:19 pm

by Okiimiru

This is a question for the Ohio Cichlid Association forum.
Link: http://www.cichlidae.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=40

Try joining the forum and posting that question in the General Discussion part of the forum. They're cichlid experts over there.


mcfaddy212000
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:20 am

by mcfaddy212000

The first thing a new hobbyist probably hears about African cichlids is "Beware, these are mean, mean fish." Cichlids in general are aggressive by nature. There are a few exceptions (and these should not be kept with the tyrants). This warning is justified. Cichlids' aggressiveness can be daunting and even discouraging if it is not controlled. Too many new beginners fall into despair as one cichlid annihilates the others. Well, there's good news: cichlid aggression can be ameliorated and controlled - tosome extent.

The number one cause for aggression between fish is food-related. You can ease aggression by feeding your fish less, but more often. Bykeeping your fish fed throughout the day, they are less likely to feel threatened by a tank mate.

Aggressive cichlids are usually more territorial because they want to stake out their own backyard garden from which to hunt and harvest, and then guard it against intruders. Conspecifics (i.e., similar looking fish) are seen as a threat (because if they are similar, they will compete for the same foods),and are chased off. Therefore, by having fish from a wide variety of species you can cut down on intra-species aggression. In the wild, cichlids live in high density pockets. They're able to do this because they don't alloccupy the same ecological niche. Some of these cichlids may hug to the sand, others will stick to the rocks or caves, and then some will cruise the open water. By stocking your aquarium with fish who inhabit different niches,you can reduce inter-species aggression. Also, by giving your fish lots ofroomto swim, and lots of territories to claim and caves to hide in, you can reduce this aggression.

Temperature plays a large role in a fish's behavior. Warmer temperatures will increase a fish'smetabolism,stimulating its aggressive tendencies. (Don't we all get a bit testy when it's boiling outside?) So, by lowering the temperature in yourtank,you can ease theaggressionbetween fish.

With few exceptions, males are the more aggressive of the two, and they tend to roughfemalesnot interested in mating. For this reason, it is advisable to keep at least 2 females per male for polygamous mouthbrooders. This way his aggression and frustration is not received by just one female but is distributed instead. For those species that form pairs (e.g., Neolamprologus and Julidochromis), it is advisable to only keep a single pair. Lone males and females both are not tolerated by pairs once they have formed.

Also, by "crowding" your tank, you can distribute inter-species aggression. Not just one fish is a target of abuse, and aggressors tend to lose victims more easily when thetank is crowded. Justbe sure that you "over filter" your aquarium if you are going to "crowd" it. Again, this trick works for most species but there are some that will become more aggressive as a result of crowding, like Neolamprologus brichardi types.

Aggression in cichlids can be stemmed by feeding more frequently. Keeping cichlids that claim different niches of the aquarium is also important in reducing aggression due to territorialness. Aggressiveness can also be eased by keeping the temperature on the low side, thus lowering yourfishes' metabolism. And by crowding an aquarium, what aggression is displayed by dominant males is spread outover thegroup.


kevinh
 
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:22 am

by kevinh

Thanks everyone for the reply. Here's whats in my tank.
2- electric yellows
2-acei
and 4 that came from petsmart assorted tank
(2- blue with strips and 2-orange) sorry dont know the names of these.

Dont know whick ones are male or female.

the tank been running with the same fish for a year now, its been a very peacful tank up until 2 weeks ago. The main bulling is from one of the orange one's to the other orange one. These 2 are the bigger ones in the tank. The size ranges from 3"-4.5".

Thanks agian,
Kevin


mcfaddy212000
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:20 am

by mcfaddy212000

They are probably red zebra cause that's where I got mine. If one is brighter colored then the other that's the male witch should be the one beating up the other, this would mean they may mate. If they do it will be an all new ball game in the tank cause as you may know they will eat whatever will fit in their mouths. I think with zebras they will cary the fry (babys) in its mouth for a while. You may want to join a forum site that's for Cichlids. Here is a pic of my red zebra it is only like an inch long so it may look a bit different.let me know if this is what you have? And ill keep trying to help
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kevinh
 
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:22 am

by kevinh

Thats it red zebra, andone thats doing the bulling is the darker one. I'll join a site tomorrow and see what they say.
Thanks,
Kevin

new set up and need so help

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