Overstocking to lessen aggression (American cichlids)?

[Christophercanary]

Overstocking to lessen aggression (American cichlids).. Has anyone done it and does it work ??

People get away with it, moreso those with large tanks and certains species', but I discourage it.

Large amphilophus communities are awesome though and apparently that it a naturally occurring thing.

My philosophy is this, any large CA cichlid that grows 12"+ I'd say needs 100 gallons to itself to live comfortably in an aquarium. Keyword there is COMFORTABLY. Can you get away with keeping 10 large 12"+ cichlids in a 300 gallon? Perhaps, but how comfortable are the fish? Divide that 300 by 10 fish and each fish has 30 gallons to itself or less, if there is a dominant fish hogging 70 gallons to itself.

My 2 cent,
C.

 

[Rocksor]

Gotcha. So with your experience keys to calm or lessen the aggression in the tank?

Give them the space they need, so no overcrowding.

 

[FINWIN]

My limited experience with cichlids is this...the only thing that gets 'spread' are the fish most disliked, no matter the space or sight lines. I can move a million things around and my Severum is still the most disliked fish. The fact that he's an a## doesn't help...constantly picking fights he has no hope of winning. What the others have said is true about caves...its mixed success. Some pick their own, no problem. Others want every dang cave, with one their 'preferred'. My BP Boss wanted every shelter I put in. I find canopy (floating plants) makes the fish use all of the tank, making the territories 'bigger'. Could be because they feel less exposed. My setup is SA (with synos, heh). Shaded overhang makes everyone come out and spend less time in their claimed spots. My fish will not use completely open areas much, only the oscar because he goes over there to fight his reflection and needs some extra space. Lots of tangled breaks really helps. Its hard to chase when you can't get a clean shot at.

A trick I find works too is low canopy where fish can go 'disappear' and dive into plants.

 

[tlindsey]

Give them the space they need, so no overcrowding.

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