Distracting my GT (all his aggression goes towards one fish now)

[DaveB]

The top half is wide open, especially because I have less than an inch of substrate so it seems like a much taller tank. Problem is that the lusosso tends to live in the bottom 1/3 and do his lap swimming down there. He only goes up top when the lights are off. Still, the new mid-tank structure with two tall plants leaves a bit of room in front and behind for him to get around, and he's OK. The GT seems to be spending most of his time to the left of the big plants now. The con still hides in his cave on that side, but he seems much more content rather than stressed, and while his fins aren't super long and flowing, there are no new shred marks and he came out to eat last night without any real fear. So that's progress.

Part of me still wants to see what happens with another male con just because they're cheap and there were some really nice ones with humps, but I really only have space for a few more fish in this tank and I'd prefer that they be something more colorful since between the catfish, the con, and the bala sharks there's a lot of grey/black. Actually if they're all 4-6" fish I've got room for plenty more, but there'll be a juvenile Arowana coming in, and at some point the dats will grow larger, and the tank's main purpose is to give those guys a stress-free environment to grow in, not to crowd it with a bunch of fish. Which is why despite all this effort, the GT is probably not long for this tank.

 

[DaveB]

Heh, now he leaves the convict alone and is going after my larger datnoid. This is unacceptable.

I'm going to try something that worked for quite a while with the convict when he was being a real jerk a couple years ago (yes, the same convict): I put him in time-out in a little hospital/breeder tank. A few days of that and I tossed him back into the same tank, slightly rearranged, and he had no territories or issues, and was the new guy again. Changed his whole attitude. This GT was sort of timid when he was the new guy, maybe it'll work again. If not, I may just sell him. Messing with convicts is fine, but the dats are going to grow to be the centerpieces of the tank, they're more important than the GT to me.

 

[Headrush]

Sounds like quite a mixture you have in this tank. Maybe its time for a long term plan for this 135?

If I were you I'd set this tank up the way you want it to be in the long run. This way your dats etc will be able to grow into it and you won't have to move them. Is a 135 big enough for them? what are the dimensions? 5 feet long?

If its not big enough for them for life maybe the 135 should be set up as your SA/CA cichlid tank now. That would make an excellent tank for your GT and some cons etc... Do you have other tanks that would suit the dats better? Have you been looking for a larger tank for them to live in long term? I know lots of questions sorry... but I'd like to help if I can

It may benefit you (being relatively new here) to post your tanks and their inhabitants in a signature. This way we can see what you have and may be able to offer better advice.

 

[DaveB]

Thanks for all your replies and interest. Too many tanks and inhabitants to post though. It's easier to just discuss the relevant ones to the question. I'm not sure I could name them all without forgetting some anyway!

I should mention that the "larger" datnoid is still 4" tops. The IT is just a baby, 2-2.5". Basically the long term plan is that this tank is the growout for the datnoids and an arowana. This 6' 135 is the largest I can keep in this current condo. But we're buying a place next summer when this lease expires, and the new place will be selected largely on its ability to house a true monster tank in a finished basement. The aro is a baby and currently in a 55 and I am aware that I run a slight risk of him being too big for the 6' tank for a month or so next year but I'm hoping it will still be in the 12-15" range then (unlikely). If he just grows like a weed, I'll easily be able to use that as an excuse to get rid of the dresser in the bedroom (where this tank sits) and just get a 6-7x2x2 so that he's got more room. (A 6x2x2, even on a nice oak stand with canopy at a steal of a price, wouldn't fly with the girlfriend originally because we needed to have proper furniture... but it's an easy sell if it's for a fish's health and temporary till the move). In the new place I will probably make this one the home for my peaceful SA/CA cichlids... likely a big pack of redheads (I have a breeding pair now but a group would really color these ones up). Or more aggressive ones. New World Cichlids for sure.

Anyway, right now the tank houses the two young dats and the big lusosso and whatever random other fish came out of an old 90g community that either won't work in the 55g planted or fit in without issue here (jewel cichlid, giant danios). Aside from the dats and distichodus, no fish in there is a must-have for me in the long term. They're there because they fill the space, and they all worked out for a while, and now the GT is becoming a real jerk. He's a great looking fish, so I'm experimenting, but ultimately the true solution is to get him his own tank or sell him.

This has all just been a big change from all my previous tanks, where the solution was almost always just to overcrowd/overfilter. I'm learning as I go with the big guys that require a lot more space. This is already the smallest number of fish I've had in a tank, and eventually it'll have to clear out some more. Quite a change from what I'm used to.

Anyway, hope that answers your questions... I've got a long term plan, it's just that right now in the intermediate term it's not all as perfect as I'd like it to be.