Does non-stop fighting amongst African cichlids often end in death.
- Thread starter PatrickTheArowana
- Start date
Take all those rocks out. Use a few rocks in corner and smaller rocks along the floor. The problem is maybe the fish don't have enough free space to feel like they own something. With the rocks fish can sneak up on one another and make them jumpy. Many of the pics i have seen in the wild of mbuna and psuedotrophis - spelling here - have walls of rocks but large open floor space. I am going to build a 300 gallon soon with a combo of 40mil shower liner and glass on the front and sides only. It has been 15 years since I have had africans. So give the fish some territory to call their own. That is my take.
Down here in Orlando at the animal kingdom hipo water enclosure one side is roughly 30 feet of 1 inch thick glass with braces at 8 feet so you can see the hipos in the water eating and crapping. And maybe 500 or so blue zibras and other mbuna feeding on the hipo crap and nubbing the algea off the rocks close to the surface. I sat there for an hour. I was so fricken cool.
Down here in Orlando at the animal kingdom hipo water enclosure one side is roughly 30 feet of 1 inch thick glass with braces at 8 feet so you can see the hipos in the water eating and crapping. And maybe 500 or so blue zibras and other mbuna feeding on the hipo crap and nubbing the algea off the rocks close to the surface. I sat there for an hour. I was so fricken cool.
If I were you I'd take a good portion of your fish out and have a few pairs in the tank. You get a lot less fighting when they all have a lot more space. Just my take.
heard that is a cool sight, and pic looked it. Room is key but too much room means they can fight. Even in a large tank they will fight... It is what they do... giving the rocks is great. I still keep the front and most the center free for swimming as you have said. I stack rocks so females and other males can hide at times.
Well you always have the two rules which people flip flop on. Overstocking to reduce aggression and understocking to reduce agression. I have switched over to mostly species only tanks and I put one or two males in a tank with eight to ten females, this really helps the agression.
I like to sit down and talk to the older fish about the new fish that are coming. I find that if you spend a little time explaining why the new fish are coming, the older guys tend to understand that I have a problem.
Once I get the new fish, I like to put them in the tank and then introduce everyone, one by one. This helps with aggression. When every fish knows the others, they tend to not be so scared. You should definitely try to sit down and explain the situation to all of your fish. Hopefully, you can all come to some sort of a compromise.
Once I get the new fish, I like to put them in the tank and then introduce everyone, one by one. This helps with aggression. When every fish knows the others, they tend to not be so scared. You should definitely try to sit down and explain the situation to all of your fish. Hopefully, you can all come to some sort of a compromise.
fastbusa;2095339; said:
Really? I have been thinking I need to get more rocks- most mbuna tanks I see pictured have rocks piled up all along the back of the tank.
Mine have lots of open space. Here's what's odd- all but 2 fish (the 2 dominant males- red zebra male and msobo male) are usually in the open water when they're not sleeping. The red zebra male sometimes is. However, the bully of the tank- the msobo- hardly ever leaves his "caves". Yes, plural- he spends all day going in and out of the caves running off whatever fish may have happened to get close to his 4 ft worth of rockwork. He doesn't even come up to the surface at feeding time like the others- he eats, he just waits for the food to sink down to him.
Sorry for the thread hijack, lol. Just wondering if I need more caves or they would make aggression worse.
Pharaoh;2096694; said:
LOL- is it like giving a kid the "you're going to be a big sister!" talk?
