JD/FM/Convict interactions

[tableau]

In my 65 gallons tank, I keep a 4 inches female dempsey, a 2 inches firemouth and a 1 inch male convict. The idea with the FM and Con was to find tankmates that could resist the dempsey.

The problem right now is with the 1 inch Convict, what a terrible backbitter ! I knew they were hard for their size, but it's only one inch and already bitting the caudal fin of the dempsey.

The FM gets frustratred when the con attack it and tries to defend itself, but the dempsey just act as if nothing happened. My worry is that when the convict gets bigger, it will bully the dempsey.

Do you think a dempsey will eventually decide to defend itself against the convict, will it be able to do it, will it be so frustrated that it decides to eat the small convict ?

It is my first CA cichlid tank and any idea on how to manage the Convict will be appreciate.

Thanks

 

[still]

The dempsey will probably decide to defend itself once it gets settled. Convicts are mean, territorial fish though.

 

[tableau]

I think the dempsey is already settled. It is its tank since more than four months. The FM and Con were added three weeks ago, if that can help.

 

[gurlgotkat2000]

you can try removing the convict to another aquarium then placing it back later to see if there is less aggression. cichlids also tend to mellow out with age.

 

[white15]

Not always true. Some cichlids get more aggressive with age and take up more territory. I suggest putting in a divider for now for the con.

 

[JML1997]

Or add some Driftwood, Rocks, Plants, Caves to spread out the aggression.

 

[tableau]

Or add some Driftwood, Rocks, Plants, Caves to spread out the aggression.

That is exactly what I have been doing for the past three months. The convict is generally very calm until it decides what is his territory, generaly a piece of driftwood; then it becomes a devil ready to die to defend it. That is the moment where I move everthing around the tank giving the other fish a break of one or two days until the convict choose an other territory.

I was wandering, what would happen if I took out everything in the tank execept the gravel. There would be only one left territory, the dempsey one, and she is pretty tolerant toward the other two tankmates.

It's probably not a good idea, but, what do you think.

 

[gurlgotkat2000]

you can always try and remove the decorations and monitor the aggression and put them back if the result is not what you want. you can also try to arrange the decorations so the fish's field of vision is low so it can't see what is at the other end of the tank. the more verticals you have the better.

from what you state though, it sounds like it is just being annoying. you can try adding a mirror to distract your convict although your other fish may not be inclined to share. if you understand methods of training, you can try to condition the convict with negative reinforcement every time it attacks (this may be more work than you want to do).
for instance you may tap on the glass everytime the convict attacks, most of the time fish will jump when you do this. eventually, you can barely raise your hand and the fish will stop before it actually attacks. or replace tapping with with timeout or raising the scooper net and etc.
i train my fish.

 

[Community Disorganizer]

My worry is that when the convict gets bigger, it will bully the dempsey.

Doubtful, because the demspey is a much bigger fish, and while the con will grow, the dempsey will grow much larger. Unless your con is a terror, I don't see that scenario taking place.

If you want to scare your convict, you can always wait till he's close to the front of the glass, and put a tape measure up to him. My cons were full of personality; very outgoing. I put a tape measure up to get their measurements, and they swam away very quickly. Now, whenever they see me they dart for cover and turn all pale. I'm hoping in a few weeks they'll be back to their old selves again. I want my wetpets back!

 

[Jc1119]

you can try removing the convict to another aquarium then placing it back later to see if there is less aggression. cichlids also tend to mellow out with age.

I have a con and firemouth that bascially go at it 24/7. They never actually touch each other, but the fm constantly gill-flares my con and the con chases the firemouth off. They've done this in a 60 a 90 and now a new 300 with tons of wood plants and sight-breaks. Space has had little effect on their relationship.

I also disagree with the statement about cichlids getting more mellow with age. I dont own one fish that fits that description other than my angelfish.

My jack dempsey got punked by a jewel cichlid that was the same size. I removed the jewel and reintroduced about a week later. Big mistake. Jack dempsey killed the jewel in about 5 minutes. Eventually, your jd might snap...