Survival of the toughest

[Mij]

Well, In my 120g I started out with a jag,jd,gt,firemouth,nicaraguensis,acara,chocolate, and a salvini. That was three weeks ago. So far the acara and nicaraguensis are gone and the chocolate isn't doing so well. All are still juviniles. I can't find which is the bully or if its several fish. While the lights are on they play nice, just some sparring, like normal. However, I believe when the lights go out someone is being very nasty. I find fish beaten up pretty good, to the point they can't be saved. The chocolate cichlid is in rough shape, but when I try to rescue him he has enough in him to hide in the rocks and driftwood.

I've tried to start with a collection of different sized fish with plenty of hiding spots so they could escape others chasing them, but this seems to not be working. My question is: Which fish out of the remaining jag,jd,gt,salvini, and firemouth are likely to make it?

 

[DarthV]

You sound surprised. You added non-aggressive fish with some that can be like pitbulls. My question is why don't you look at the species you have and then make an educated and humane decision on which fish to return to a LFS?

 

[Mij]

I knew that kind of repy was coming and I had it coming to me. However, these are the fish that I wanted and no I'm not surprised, just curious. I've witnessed stranger mixes of fish than I have and it worked. I just took the chance it would work. Also, when you get right down to it, is it humane to keep any of these potentially large fish in an aquarium. Regardless of the size of the tank, it is still inadequate when you figure these fish live in millions of gallons of water in nature?

 

[Angler]

With cichlids, you never know what fish will do well together. Different fish of the same species will display different behaviors. Sometimes you just have to try different mixes to see if it will work.

That being said, it is our responsibilty as fish keepers to make an effort to remove a fish when it is getting beat up. Ripped fins and such is normal and should not raise alarm, but when you can tell a fish is being attacked in such a way that it's life is at risk, you need to get that fish out of the tank.

 

[Mij]

With cichlids, you never know what fish will do well together. Different fish of the same species will display different behaviors. Sometimes you just have to try different mixes to see if it will work.

That being said, it is our responsibilty as fish keepers to make an effort to remove a fish when it is getting beat up. Ripped fins and such is normal and should not raise alarm, but when you can tell a fish is being attacked in such a way that it's life is at risk, you need to get that fish out of the tank.

I do that when possible, but when one day the fish is fine and the next they are floating its difficult to save them. Since I can't be watching the tank 24/7 I do the best that I can.

 

[Adam-011]

It's the firemouth, they are *******s. Mine used to beat up on my jd and my pink convict which was twice its size. i trapped it under a flowerpot for a day and rearranged the tank and when he came out he wasn't being an ******* anymore. Ofcourse it could be different for you, but as long as the firemouth is the same size as the other fish, it will be an *******, atleast in my experience.

 

[Mij]

It's the firemouth, they are *******s. Mine used to beat up on my jd and my pink convict which was twice its size. i trapped it under a flowerpot for a day and rearranged the tank and when he came out he wasn't being an ******* anymore. Ofcourse it could be different for you, but as long as the firemouth is the same size as the other fish, it will be an *******, atleast in my experience.

Could be, I see the firemouth and the green terror doing the mouthing stand off, but thats it.

 

[south coast nelly]

id say its probally the terror or the jag,,,,
set up a video on the tank,leaving room for 30mins,,what i did to find out who was the culprit,,,once you leave the room they change

 

[Mij]

id say its probally the terror or the jag,,,,
set up a video on the tank,leaving room for 30mins,,what i did to find out who was the culprit,,,once you leave the room they change

Well, its funny because the green terror is the smallest of the bunch, but lately he is really starting to assert himself. The firemouth and him go at it as I said and he is only one third the size of the firemouth.

 

[Adam-011]

Hey just to let every 1 know that was not me... That was my bro.