Aggression question

[Rebelsgirl]

Hey all,
I have four juvenile green terrors/gold saum. How much aggression is acceptable and normal? One of them (the smallest) is starting to look pretty ragged, so i think I will likely have to give him away soon if I can't fix the issue :/

Is there anything I can do to decrease aggression? How much will adding more plants/pots help?

 

[cichlidfish]

The best way to reduce aggression is tank size and proper stocking.
What size tank?
Also adding decore or moving things around will not work in the long term. Cichlids are not as stupid as people think.
I did an experiment w/ an aggressive firemouth in a 150g. He always seemed to favor a certain pot in the center of the tank. A few times I moved that pot, and he remained in the center of the tank. Even if there was nothing there at all.

 

[magpie]

How big is your tank?

Edit: Great minds think alike, cichlidfish

 

[Rebelsgirl]

The best way to reduce aggression is tank size. What size tank?
Also add decore or moving things around will not work in the long term. Cichlids are not as stupid as people think.
I did an experiment w/ an aggressive firemouth in a 150g. He always seemed to favor a certain pot in the center of the tank. A few times I moved that pot, and he remained in the center of the tank. Even if there was nothing there at all.

It's a 75 gallon tank, and the fish are around 2.5-3 inches long.

 

[cichlidfish]

It's a 75 gallon tank, and the fish are around 2.5-3 inches long.

That's a decent size tank for growouts at that size. Maybe it is the genders of the fish. I have heard GTs reach sexual maturity at a small size.
I don't have first hand experience w/ GTs, so I am thinking it's a species related issue.

 

[Rebelsgirl]

That's a decent size tank for growouts at that size. Maybe it is the genders of the fish. I have heard GTs reach sexual maturity at a small size.
I don't have first hand experience w/ GTs, so I am thinking it's a species related issue.

I am not sure what their sexes are. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[cichlidfish]

I am not sure what their sexes are. Anyone have any ideas?

Maybe it's the number of GTs. Sometimes more is better than less.
Darren would know Stanzzzz7 .

 

[Frank Castle]

I am not sure what their sexes are. Anyone have any ideas?

looks like all females. You need more caves and hiding places
Try something like this (20g long)

or this (55g)

 

[Rebelsgirl]

looks like all females. You need more caves and hiding places
Try something like this (20g long)
View attachment 1219601 View attachment 1219602 View attachment 1219603
or this (55g)
View attachment 1219604

Oh darn. I was hoping for a mix (or even all males)

Alright, I will pick up some more hiding spot/cave stuff tomorrow. I put two flower pots in there, but so far they haven't been used.

 

[Frank Castle]

Oh darn. I was hoping for a mix (or even all males)

Alright, I will pick up some more hiding spot/cave stuff tomorrow. I put two flower pots in there, but so far they haven't been used.

just go get some rocks from your local lake/stream/river and rinse them off then boil them in a pot of water to sterilie and start building caves. Be creative, don't waste your money on over-priced LFS-décor that doesn't even look natural. Shoot, I can go spend a few dollars at Lowe's on PVC pipes and they will like it more than LFS-decor