We put away 1.5' mullet yesterday - 4 apurensis

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Ah, I missed that part about damage on the hybrid as well. You could silicone a smoked glass partition/roof into the tank at one end and then paint the outside of the exterior of the tank around that "room"...but that's just assuming that having a hide would even help calm aggression at all. I guess isolation is the easiest and surest solution. Good luck with this, I hope you keep us updated! :)
 
Firstly, it seems that your concerns about the L. apurensis not being able to compete for food in the 4500G tank have vanished, she obviously hasn't missed any meals! She is such a chunky specimen indeed, making a 250G tank look small. As jjohnwm has suggested this species needs a territory, a dark hide to feel secure such as a log, tree root system, driftwood or any structure to provide shade in one end of her tank. In addition perhaps to cover half of the top of the tank and the end glass and even part of the back of the tank using paint or that plastic sheeting used for that purpose might help to create a shady hiring spot. It is in their nature to move driftwood around and burrow into a gravel substrate underneath driftwood ,if it exists, to create a hide to their liking. Both my former apurensis and my current L. fowleri does this, moving a large chunk of driftwood from one end of the tank to the other, at times. If nothing else it gives them something to do as fish get bored too. In your case the practicality of such measures is an issue in many ways but anything to give her a sense of a home base, ambush point or security should likely reduce her feelings of insecurity, stress and acting out her anxiety. I too think such changes would help to calm her down, perhaps to even have her tolerate the pleco or another tank mate, or not! Sorry to see the damage to the marbled achara cat, I've seen others as bad or worse heal up nicely in your care, hope it happens once again. There will be time to consider which cat goes to what tank under what conditions as is your constant challenge in maintaining such a diverse and amazing collection of fish, maximum respect!
 
Interesting coincidence, after typing my last reply then posting it I saw that jjohnwm had suggested the same suggestion as I about covering part of the top of the tank and sides to create a dark corner for the fish, what can I say other then great minds think alike! Anyway here's picture I just took of my L. fowleri in her daytime haunt, her large piece of driftwood that she stays in until after sundown when she leaves to cruise the tank then later is belly up to the tank for hand feeding...
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You both make it quite compelling. Thank you for the wisdom and the suggestions. I will ponder it. I am not in favor of anything permanent, as our fish come and go and switch tanks all the time, while anything temporary likely would mean unattached and hence movable, which'd be okay as far as driftwood (a piece big enough we don't have; maybe a cut of plastic pipe could do...), and risky with anything hard, like glass, clay, concrete, rock.
 
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Thank you JJ. Your stories are worth a hardcover book, as usual. I think the Pim will recover. It'd be risky and hard to make a hidey hole for our JellO inside a glass box because she is way too big and strong. She could throw anything around. And she will one way or another, sooner or later, as your story demonstrates as well.

Your and koltsixx koltsixx stories about your apurensis are strikingly similar. When an apu meets an obstacle or something it doesn't like furniture wise, it just wants to shove it out of the way or annihilate it.

No, the biter is JellO. My also-pleasant-to-associate-with wife and I both saw it on several occasions. As I reported in the video, the hybrid also received a little fin tatter but JellO attacks sedentary tank mates first and foremost, perhaps in analogy to the furniture. Hybrid does not like being in the 240 gal timeout and has been swimming almost non-stop since the introduction, so JellO pays it little mind. The rock-like pleco also receives JellO's attention. The less you move, the more likely you are to receive JellO's wrath.
It is definitely part of their charm, that always grouchy behavior. They can appear calm but behind that facade there are flames flickering, tickling and licking their last nerve and even worse these poor guys have no access to coffee to stymie their perpetual morning crankiness. As you said it can be set off by a inanimate object having the audacity not to give way when the Apu is on a leisurely constitutional. And who can really blame them? I mean here's this poor Apu doing their best to get in some exercise because they are health conscious, minding their own business chanting woosah to themselves trying to find their inner peace and then this thing dares get in their way. The Apu asks it nicely to move with a gentle but firm nudge and mouthing but the inconsiderate, impolite wretch just stands there in what's obviously quiet defiance spurned on by it's feeling of superiority over the Apu and the Apu has had all he can stands and he can't stands no more. So what choice does the Apu have but to stomp a mudhole into this autocratic object.

I had thought about suggesting like Yellowcat Yellowcat and jjohnwm jjohnwm did a hide of some sort but considering your Jello's size I figured it'd be a challenge. As stated they move very large objects when the mood strikes and the damage they may unknowingly due to their tank could be disastrous. Pipes I have personally found(I'm assuming you mean PVC or something of similar composition) are so light in weight that they make for poor hides for larger fish as they get pushed around too easily unless attached to something else. In my humble opinion driftwood as you said would probably be best your option but it would should be one of the softer driftwoods to prevent damage to your tank and as jjohnwm jjohnwm did wedge the driftwood into place. Except hopefully in your case it will soothe the savage beast rather than incur it's wrath. I also don't know what your lighting is on that tank but if the area with the driftwood could be of a lower light than the rest of the tank it may further the chances of being accepted by the Apu. I'm sorry if my suggestions aren't very helpful but the size of the Apu definitely makes things harder to figure out a work around for me.
 
I use 50cm diameter PVC pipe (very thick walled) which is frightfully expensive but I keep on eye on the skip bins for short offcuts during building construction at Universities. This type of pipe is used for fume or gas extraction systems. I put two lengths alongside each other and cable tie so it's very hard to flip.

I also remove the top & bottom from plastic 55 gallon drums (60cm diameter) to form short tunnels. These are much lighter so I attach two cinder blocks inside, can be tied to an anchor point easily. It's possible to join two barrels end on with a plastic welder if you want a longer tunnel.

Not really relevant to this topic but I used to breed Murray cod in those barrels- lined with shade mesh as they normally lay eggs in hollow logs. Bigger fish need bigger caves.
 
I use 50cm diameter PVC pipe (very thick walled) which is frightfully expensive but I keep on eye on the skip bins for short offcuts during building construction at Universities. This type of pipe is used for fume or gas extraction systems. I put two lengths alongside each other and cable tie so it's very hard to flip.

I also remove the top & bottom from plastic 55 gallon drums (60cm diameter) to form short tunnels. These are much lighter so I attach two cinder blocks inside, can be tied to an anchor point easily. It's possible to join two barrels end on with a plastic welder if you want a longer tunnel.

Not really relevant to this topic but I used to breed Murray cod in those barrels- lined with shade mesh as they normally lay eggs in hollow logs. Bigger fish need bigger caves.

Lol, I was just thinking that a comment about a measly 2-inch pipe being used as a retreat didn't really belong in this thread...until I realized it was a twenty inch pipe!!! :)

Never mind...:)
 
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Yes, small bevel applied with angle grinder to remove all sharp edges on the PVC pipes. Sometimes these pipes go into thin pond lined tanks.

It's rewarding to watch multiple catfish pile happily together into a pipe. Sometimes a big one will force its way in one side and a small one gets pushed out the other end ....
 
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