chicken fish part 3: the schoolyard bully

[bluehighways]

Hi folks, the saga of the noob cichlid keeper continues and I'm still wondering just what it is I'm doing.

Okay, one week ago I removed the school of community fish from my big tank and transferred them to my daughter's fully planted bedroom tank.

I left the 7.5 inch pleco in the big tank, since it was always his anyway. I added a 5 inch JD, which for the last week has done nothing but hide, and has only eaten once, despite regular attempts at feeding. (He ate dried shrimp, but refuses pellets, and I'm just not going to feed him treats every time. He'll have to accept pellets or sticks eventually.)

It was suggested that I get dither fish. I added a school of danios, they keep to themselves, and he totally ignores them. He still hides and doesn't come out.

So today I purchased another JD, about 4.5 inches long. His colors are beautiful. Both JD's were tankmates at my LFS, and the store tank has nothing but males in it. They all get along there.

I acclimated new JD to my tank, and transferred him in. As I expected, there was immediately a lip lock battle. No one got really hurt, the new guy got one scale lifted on his side, but no other damage to either one.

To provide territory to each, I reinstalled the big plastic hollow tree at one end of the tank, and the original JD took that over. New guy seems pretty OK with his new surroundings, even though he lost the scuffle. He keeps to his corner of the tank, but does not hide.

As this evening has progressed there have been a few more standoffs, but no more lip locks. Just posturing and tail swishing. I can live with that. Hopefully that's all that happens. I guess I'll know in the morning. I think I'll leave the light on tonight. Even though it may stress them a bit, it seems to cut down on fights if the light is on, and I don't want anyone getting killed.

They chase each other around the tank, then retreat to their corners. I'm hoping I get away with this little experiment, since they were tankmates just a few days ago with no serious fights.

Thoughts, anyone? I'd love more feedback from you cichlid gurus out there!

 

[gt1009]

The fighting may stop, but it probably will continue. In the store tank there were probably many more fish, which dispersed aggresion a lot. Once one fish establishes dominance, and it sounds like one has, then it will always try to beat up the weaker one. With more fish in the tank, the dominant fish can choose between multiple ones to pick on, and the weaker fish have more recovery time. I would add another cichlid, or a school of dithers like australian rainbows, giant danios, or buenos aires or congo tetras.

Also, how big is the tank the JD's are in?

 

[Gatorxxx420]

I've found with mine, there will always be a little chasing with 2 males. But as long as the sub dominant fish knows it's place and role in the tank, that's usually all it is. Every now and then my regular male Dempsey and male EBJD get into scuffles and battles. I just let em go and if it looks like either is getting hurt I then intervene. But letting them battle seems to be the best thing to do, unless they're getting hurt. Seems that it establishes the pecking order.

 

[Sarah88]

yeah like previously said before in the store there are usually lots of fish in the same tank so aggression is spread around and usually no one fish has an actual territory to claim his own, i forgot how large your tank was? could you maybe put it in your signature that would keep people from asking lol, but yeah so they will probably continue fighting, they may settle down since there is no female to fight over but they may not, leaving the lights on was good, i usually do that as well the night after i add new fish if im worried about fighting or predation and it usually keeps juvies from getting eaten lol, but you may need to add a different colored cichlid like a convict or something

 

[bluehighways]

Well, after I posted last night there was a nasty fight in the 90gal tank. The new fish didn't suffer any damage other than a lifted scale, but they were slamming into the heater tube and filter stuff. It was not cool. The experiment is over, and one fish has been returned to the store. I isolated the bully after breaking up the fight.

I kept the new one, he is the smaller of the two, his colors are much brighter, and he is more social to human watchers. So, all in all this worked out pretty good. Pleco is still the tank boss, which is good since it was his tank to begin with, and I have a really pretty JD who is social with his human viewers. Yay!

 

[Gatorxxx420]

Well, after I posted last night there was a nasty fight in the 90gal tank. The new fish didn't suffer any damage other than a lifted scale, but they were slamming into the heater tube and filter stuff. It was not cool. The experiment is over, and one fish has been returned to the store. I isolated the bully after breaking up the fight.

I kept the new one, he is the smaller of the two, his colors are much brighter, and he is more social to human watchers. So, all in all this worked out pretty good. Pleco is still the tank boss, which is good since it was his tank to begin with, and I have a really pretty JD who is social with his human viewers. Yay!

Sounds to me like your experiment worked. You do still have the school of fish in there right?

 

[Sarah88]

sounds good, yeah some individual fish are just different so thats great you have one know that is more personable, you can still try adding a con or firemouth or something smaller like that if you wanted more fish in the tank but yeah sounds like he will be a nicer looking fish anyways

 

[Jason_S]

sorry the experiment didn't work out but it sounds like overall you got what you wanted with a nice looking male JD

 

[DCOWBOYS]

What i do when adding new fish to any of my smaller tanks,is i take all the fish out(i usually only have a few in each tank)change the decorations around alot then reintroduce all the fish together,this has always worked for me.

 

[repella42]

change the decorations around alot then reintroduce all the fish together,this has always worked for me.

I have a ebjd that had the same problem. Moved everything around and changed the gravel. All of a sudden he's my lil dog. lol