Stupid Cichlids!

[divemaster99]

Can someone please suggest an aid to my problem. I have three 1" cutteri cichlids in my 75 gallon that are believe it or not brutally attacking a 4" striped raph, a 4.5" Gibbiceps Pleco, and a 6" yellow bullhead. They steal food from the pleco and raph, tear at the dorsal fin on the pleco, and bite the caudal fin on the bullhead. They're complete terrors and I'd have easily taken them out and used them as frozen feeders for the bullhead by now but I just cannot catch them, I even tried 2 people and 2 nets with the tank drained down 50% yet still they can't be caught, not even one! Pretty soon all my cats are going to be dead or diseased from stress so I need a solution ASAP! My last resort which I'll be going to next week if is continues is going to be either killing the cichlids with a net and using them as feeders or draining the tank down 90%, taking all the decor and other fish out and hopefully catching the cichlids. Never again will I own cichlids, they're total a-holes.

 

[Crazy mike]

Ok then lol. Just take out decor, drain the tank and bet them out using a large net and patience. Or get them at night while they are asleep. You just have the wrong cats with cichlids. My midevil hates my 4 line but he for the most part ignores her or chases her off.


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[Black Tuna]

There's a price to pay to have fish with great personalities like cichlids. It's not for everyone

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[divemaster99]

That's what I was afraid I was going to have to do, oh well guess I'm doing a big water change next week. The bullhead is starting to loose slime coat as I'm tying so I may be doing doing this tomorrow. I don't think the cichlids ever sleep I swear they're always moving.

 

[divemaster99]

There's a price to pay to have fish with great personalities like cichlids. It's not for everyone

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I think it's just me, every cichlid I've owned had a grudge against cats lol. This is just the last time I can deal with it. My EB acara tried to harass my asian bumblebee cat the first night so I got worried there but then the cat just drove her into the gravel for a minute straight so you can probably see who the dominant fish in the tank is .

 

[Crazy mike]

That's what I was afraid I was going to have to do, oh well guess I'm doing a big water change next week. The bullhead is starting to loose slime coat as I'm tying so I may be doing doing this tomorrow. I don't think the cichlids ever sleep I swear they're always moving.

Only way I've ever caught anything is draining tank half way and taking out all decor. And cichlids truly aren't for everyone, I love mine to death although they annoy and nip at my cats which for the most part could care less.


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[Rivers2k]

My firemouths are the fastest fish I have ever seen I have to drain the tank and remove decor to catch them. Recently I have found if you come from behind and underneath scoop straight up instead of against the glass it works better. Gook luck.

you can also make a trap by cutting a 2 liter soda bottle in two invert the top so it looks like a funnel and put some food inside. Google making a cichlid trap and the images are self explanatory. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[divemaster99]

Never thought I'd have a minnow trap in my own tank . Baited with a few algae wafers since that's what the cichlids like best. They don't seem to care for it though.

 

[justarn]

you lot suck!-) im like a damn jedi night mate, no fish can escape me...

seriously though, move in slowly and use a big net!

< just stare at em with my big watery eye and they swim in, hypno toad haha...

 

[divemaster99]

Haha, that cichlid has nothing on me! Won't go in the trap so I caught it with my bare hand, in a fully loaded with caves 75 gallon! I'm considering that an accomplishment . He's in a breeder net now until I can find the jag off a new home. Took a lot of chasing him to tire him out to the point I could just barely catch him if I cornered him.