Random over the top aggression

[Ponera]

This is what is stocked in my 55 gal right now:

2 male senegal bichirs
1 baby Mesonauta
2 Geophagus surinamensis (a female and a male)
1 Synodontis petricola (or equivalently sized dwarf species)

So I got rid of the two Geophagus that turned out to be male, kept the big one. Now he's gone crazy with aggression on the female, who he previously ignored. The larger bichir is also chasing the other bichir around rather actively, no real fighting just kinda trolling each other. A lot more activity from both of them, anyways. It's not constant from the bichirs, but it sure is from the geophagus. I even saw the tiny Mesonauta nip at the large male Geophagus once after he chased it around a few times.

What the hell is up with this random aggression? I was under the impression that removing some of the random male Geos would lower the unreasonable rage of this male. It calmed down a lot when I got rid of the random males, for a few days. Should I just get the little one (presumably female) out of there? I can probably dump it in my dads goldfish pond for a month or so or even bring him into a LFS. I suspect it's cause the big male is ready to breed, what with his aggression and constant obsessive pit digging and she's just too small so he rages.

Damn cichlids never do what they are supposed to do, it's like when I had a proven pair of N. brichardi as well as 3 other females and another proven male breeder in the same tank and the two males paired up over and over. :3

 

[duanes]

Geophagus do not usually do well as pairs, they do well in groups, especially in a small tank like a 55, but preferably a group should be in a much larger tank.
This is not random, this was to be expected.

 

[Ponera]

Yah I almost took her in with the two males, but was lead to believe the one male might just simmer it down with only her in the tank. Guess she might need a re-home as well. See, this is why I bought a group of 6 initially but they ALL turned out male except the one, which could still be male it just grew slower. Just about done with cichlids, to be honest. Bunch of pricks.

As for the bichir activity, it's strange that they are also a lot more active (not more violent, just chasing each other around like derps)

 

[Ponera]

I wish I could edit posts after the time limit sometimes. Anyways, good call duanes. everyone is calm and happy now that the female is out in a bucket awaiting my dads 500 gallon pond so she can get big enough for a friends tank . Do you think the male geo will stay calm now that there are no more other geos for him to lose it at? I don't really care if he gets upset sometimes at the synodontis or bichirs, he can't exactly do much to them and they don't exactly care when he tries, but the little meso might get busted up.