I kept a FM (4") alone for a few months in a 29g with a cave and a small school of tetras, as I was told caves would help him feel safe.
I shuffled some stock around and moved some tanks, so he ended up with a female convict (2") and a male JD (4") in a 4' tank. I noticed how aggressive the FM was towards the other cichlids. Never any damage, just chasing. He staked out pretty much the entire bottom of the tank, which has multiple artificial and rock/driftwood caves. This was setup for a few months.
The other day I wanted to re-arrange the decor, so I took everything out. It was at this time that I had to leave unexpectedly for half of the day, so they were cave-less and pretty much decor-less for that entire time. When I came back, I noticed how calm the tank was. The 3 cichlids were swimming around, not even really acknowledging each other. No fin damage during that time. I watched them for about half an hour, and the FM still acted like the boss, as he'd make a biting motion when a fish got near him, but nothing like the chasing away from his caves.
So, it got me thinking, and I found a few different random articles online mentioning how some people keep their larger community CA/SA cichlid tanks with minimal decor so no one really develops any territory. I also went by a few LFS, who have 55g and multiple 150g setups with cichlids, and most had minimal decor.
Articles are usually hit/miss, and they were from various websites. I'd like to ask those of you here at MFK whom have actually kept CA/SA for many years in as small as 30g up to as large as 300g and more.
Are caves really needed in tanks with multiple cichlids?
I shuffled some stock around and moved some tanks, so he ended up with a female convict (2") and a male JD (4") in a 4' tank. I noticed how aggressive the FM was towards the other cichlids. Never any damage, just chasing. He staked out pretty much the entire bottom of the tank, which has multiple artificial and rock/driftwood caves. This was setup for a few months.
The other day I wanted to re-arrange the decor, so I took everything out. It was at this time that I had to leave unexpectedly for half of the day, so they were cave-less and pretty much decor-less for that entire time. When I came back, I noticed how calm the tank was. The 3 cichlids were swimming around, not even really acknowledging each other. No fin damage during that time. I watched them for about half an hour, and the FM still acted like the boss, as he'd make a biting motion when a fish got near him, but nothing like the chasing away from his caves.
So, it got me thinking, and I found a few different random articles online mentioning how some people keep their larger community CA/SA cichlid tanks with minimal decor so no one really develops any territory. I also went by a few LFS, who have 55g and multiple 150g setups with cichlids, and most had minimal decor.
Articles are usually hit/miss, and they were from various websites. I'd like to ask those of you here at MFK whom have actually kept CA/SA for many years in as small as 30g up to as large as 300g and more.
Are caves really needed in tanks with multiple cichlids?
