To introduce Salvini to my Malawi tank

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Elephino

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 30, 2008
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on the couch
I've got a 125g Malawi tank with 3 venustus, the largest one, Vinny, is about 6".

I've got 3 adult yellow labs and 3 adult blue johanni. None of them are bigger than 4".

Then there's a couple of Eureka albinos, they're in size between the labs and the venustus.

There's also about 20+ fry in the tank


I've got a Salvini in my basement, in his own 55g. It's his own tank now because he killed his female mate, then ate all of his fry.

I want to take that 55g and put it outside to make a window for my pond. Should I sell the Salvini back to the petstore, or put him in the 125.

I really don't want the salvini eating the fry in the 125, my wife would be pissed.

Think he'd be alright in the 125? Or should I trade him for fish food?
 
Unless you like tank dividers I would trade him for fish or fish food.
 
Well I found some Peacock Bass at the LFS, made me want to get the Salvini out of my basement 55 to free up a tank. So I gave away as many of the fry in my Malawi tank as I could and put the Salvini in the 125.

I was worried about how he would socialize with the other fish, he's been living by himself for a few months now, hiding from movements outside the tank and eating mostly frozen food.

He was immediately boxed in on both sides by 2 of my smaller venustus, but that was it for the drama.

That was yesterday, he ate a few sinking pellets off the floor. Feeding time freaked him out, he went and hid, came back to clean up scraps. Next feeding he ate a few sinking pellets a few inches off the floor. This morning he actually went to the surface and got some big floating pellets, this evening he was assertive an got one of the first big floating pellets.

Now he's just one of the fish, happy day.

Made me think though, do fish exude pheromones or some type of chemicals? Or do they communicate more with body language?
 
you might be heading towards mass extermination..............when that Sal settles in the killing will begin, Salvini's are highly aggressive, no scratch that - Sal's are just plain psycho- and can tear up fish much larger than themselves. I've seen this first hand several times in my tanks - one day everythings fine next day MDK - murder death kill; not saying it's 100% definitive but the odds are against you. There is like zero possibility that any of those fish you listed can with stand an assualt from a grown Salvini.
 
I would get rid of the salvini. Its way too aggresive for the other fish. Would look out of place with Africans IMO.
 
My Salvini is in a 125 with several other new worlds of a similar size. He's no more aggressive than the rest. I wouldn't put him with my Africans because I like to separate them, so I can't say how he would interact.
 
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