Severums lip locking and scuffing up lips

[jason longboard]

I’ve had a couple 5-6 inch red spot sevs for over a year, big uaru, few silver dollars in a 125.

Two Acura clear 110s, a 4 tier jebo pwerhead and a big sponge filter.

Anyways someone sold the shop a few big severums, 7-8 inches, red shoulder, a green, and a reddish spot.

so I got the red shoulder and he was fine in my tank, then two days later I bought the other two, so I added them after a water change, theeeeeeeeeeennnnnnn lol

......the red shoulder goes after the green, then the red spot goes after the green, then the red shoulder after the green, then the uaru locks lips with the red shoulder, then the red spot and red shoulder locks lips, ...........my original sevs were like what the hell is going on in here lol.

so I’m doin clown dances and the moonwalk, running by the tank naked, played my guitar, flashed the lights, fed them, everything to stop the WWF mayhem.

anyways, after shutting the lights down, it seemed to chill a little, the turned the room lights on and some chasing still.

turned lights out again, then back on 10 minutes later and all were resting.

so as a long time fish keeper, including severums...........accept, I’ve always raised young groups together, as you imagine I was trippin on the either mating attempts, territory attempts, pecking order, idk.

so this morning I was happy to see they were behaving better, still runnin eachother out of an area now and then, but nothing too bad.
The new red spot though has a bit of a rash now above upper lip, assuming these heal fine?

Clean water and pima or melafix maybe?

Anyways I love severums, hoping they work out, I’ll try and get pics later.

 

[Deadeye]

Cichlids are like a box of chocolates... you never know what you’re gonna get.

 

[duanes]

All cichlids compete for territory,and space. The larger they are the more space they need, and it doesn't take much time for the largest to claim a large swath.
While a 125 gal tank may seem large to we humans, any large cichlid may deem it not enough for it, and any other cichlids.
They also compete by lip locking for access to mates.
Note the fungus on the male JD (photo below taken in a Cenote (small lake) in nature. He has had many battles to claim the female following him to his territory of about about 250 gallons.

In that territory only the receptive female is allowed, he wards off any other male cichlids of any kid
The only other fish he allows in that space, are an occasional catfish, and the many live bearers, that dither around, warning him the threat of danger, and drop fry he preys upon.

Your tank may have established as copasetic hierarchy between individuals, but by adding new and larger cichlids, that agreement is now mute, and the largest may, and appears to be (from the gist of your post) challenge all new "and" existing cichlids for available space.

 

[jason longboard]

Yeah Ive always kept cichlids, im 45 now and had a sev, oscar, JD, and clown knife when i was like 13 lol, remember the old tanks with metal frames lol, geeez.


Yeah just dont remember sevs being this ways so much, except when protrcting fry.


Would you put something in the water for their mouths or just keep it clean?

 

[Deadeye]

Just keep it clean. Any extra medicine isn’t necessary.

 

[jason longboard]

They seem to be chilling out now

 

[ryansmith83]

Any time you add new cichlids to the territory of existing cichlids, particularly if they're conspecifics, you're going to have a period of adjustment where a new pecking order is worked out. This is why you're seeing them all fighting. It should calm down, but given that it's only a 125 and you have quite a few large cichlids, there's no way to say for sure. I've had Heros who refused to share a tank with certain conspecifics. Even after months apart and reintroducing them, it still didn't work.

Keep the water clean and any scrapes or bruises should heal on their own without the need for treatment of any kind.

 

[neutrino]

Unless it's not much at all I like to use a mild dose of Melafix-- occasionally I'll use more, but a 1/4 dose or so (along with clean water) is typically sufficient ime for scuffs, etc.

Years ago I used an aquarium aloe product, does something similar, but I basically shifted from one to another without comparing them-, since depending what I'm keeping it can be years in between needing it.

 

[jason longboard]

some pics before cleaning the glass, is it obvious what side of the tank you will be fed????????

 

[jason longboard]

the one in the last pick is whos mouth i was concerned about