aggression

[REDDEVILL1]

Does having more fish and less places to hide cause a more harmonious tank and reduce aggression???

 

[kno4te]

It depends if the fish are being used as dithers then I would say yes. If it's cichlids, as example, then the more space and decor to hide and barrier the fish help to reduce aggression. Without it the cichlids may go after each other. It depends on the fish id say and the purpose of what your trying to achieve.

 

[Hendre]

What he said, I have provided plenty of hiding spots for my semi-nocturnal fish and made sure they are not bothering each other and i will trade a fish out if it is aggressive

 

[Achilles1763]

All good advice... Or you can overstock (although your water changes will have to be intensive) and the fact that none of them can claim territory as there are too many rivals also works. It worked well for a mate of mine.... Or you get fish genocide and one big fat fish left. I am not saying it's isn't a gamble lol

 

[tlindsey]

Its not uncommon for example African cichlid setup to be overcrowded to reduce aggression . I agree with others.

 

[o5b0rn3b]

It is uncommon to overstock American cichlids. Many more times than not you'll end up losing fish or having to rehome.

 

[REDDEVILL1]

I appreciate the input. Mainly American cichlids in my tank . My tank is only 100 gallons so I may try and remove a piece or two or wood and see how that goes.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Maybe you have to many fish in 100 gallons of water.
Cichlids will always be aggressive if their space requirements aren't met.
I'm not a fan of overstocking, I think it can cause health issues.
Sooner or later it goes wrong and fish need to be removed.
I think it works better with African species as they are smaller and tend to live in denser populations in nature.American cichlids mostly need space,in the aquarium and in nature.

 

[celebrist]

When I dabbled in Africans i always tried to make sure everyone had a spot and avoided over stocking, the alpha would pick a victim and kill it before moving to the next one. This happened in two different tanks at two different times. Done with them