new additions

[kvh]

I would really like to add a few colorfull fish to my collection, but I am affraid of my fish being a little overly aggressive to new comers.

does it work to re-arrange my tank as to confuse them just before adding new fish?

 

[Neoceratodus]

You should always rearrange the rockwork when introducing new Rift Lake Cichlids to an established tank. It helps because everyone has to redefine territory.

Ken

 

[Scotty]

The secret is to add no less than 3-4 fish at any time. This together with sufficient rock work giving ample hiding places should be fine.
Try to add smaller fish as they will be perceive to be less of a threat than fish of the same size.
I also would recommend you keep your eye on the tank for a week after adding fish so that you can rescue any that might look to being stressed. This tend s to be the biggest killer if fish.

 

[Ash]

Yup re-arrange everything when you add in new fish. Sometimes they will welcome new combers and sometimes not. I had that problem alot when I got new fish, but I foudn the trick is not only re-arrangeing everything but also finding an equallibrium between the fish. Mine only like to be in sets of 4-5 to the tank they were in. Any more or any less than that and they would pick eachother off one by one. I had to play around with them for awhile before I figured that out.

 

[allierw26]

Keeping the lights off and adding at least 4-5 at once will help keep aggression down...there will be so much confusion at first it will hopefully be too difficult to single any one fish out. I try to add new fish right after a water change...that way I've gone ahead and changed the rock work anyway.