Help please, major aggression problem
- Thread starter pelleeklund
- Start date
lots of site breakers, Make sure they extend vertically up the back of the tank, with caves, you can cut lengths of big pvc pipe and hide them behind rocks and logs and they can be stacked, flowerpots work too.I like decorations all the way across the back of the tank extended all the way up witch works well if the tank is at least 18" wide, but is perfect if it is 24". You may think it looks a little cluttered but they need to break the line of site and not see each other all the time even with big aggressive cichlids. I basicly always done communitys of big aggressive cichlids and learn to mix fish together. I think you will find that if you provide the site breakers and hiding spots they will feel more comfortable and wont use them that much and will just want to eat. the other thing is numbers not adding 1 or two fish but like 5 or 6 at one time and they will develop a pecking order, you can add big dithers. I like to have a bigger red devil complex fish or a big vieja as my dominant fish instead of a bigger parachromis as they will regulate the aggression and aren't killers in the the search and destroy mold. They just basically want to eat. I also find that its easier to grow out a buch of grow outs together than to add adult fish or anything in the 9 or 10 inch range. Once you keep a solitary dom. fish or pair solitary and they get use to it, it will be hard to get them to accept tank mates dither or otherwise. I added big dithers like barbs or silver dollars and had them look at them like scooby snacks and tear them apart like I just added big feeders. If there is aggresion the absolute last resort is removing fish, I try to let them work it out because once I take them out they can't be return to the tank most times even if the agresser is removed then put back in, tank scape is change , or fish are temporarly divided. cichlids are very smart and know that fish has been beaten to submission. its very rare. any way that my 2 cents, good luck.
Hey, you got 220 gals of prime realistate just ready to be filled up. Dump in as many Central and South American Cichlids you can find. Once that Dempsey claims the tank for himself youll never be able to introduce new fish one at a time.
