Overly Aggressive Cichlid...What to do?

Question

I have a 55 G tank with 4 cichlids in it. They range from 2 to 1.5 inches in length. There is one that will not let his tank mates rest. They each have plenty of hiding places, but this bully will chase the others around all day long. What can I do with this cichlid?

Answer 1

I agree with escapingmars on this one. having only 4 small cichlids in a 55 gal. set-up seems a bit UNDER crowded. If the tank bully has very few tankmates he (or she) will be more likely to terrorize them. If, however, there is a lot of activity in the tank and there are many individuals swimming about then the bully has a much harder time singling out a specific target for his aggressions.

If you decide to add to your tank population I would suggest bringing in individuals that are aggressive enough to stand up to your bully, and that are of nearly the same size. I would further suggest that before you introduce the newcomers you should do a partial water change (10-15% of tank volume) and move or remove the larger decorative pieces in the tank. Completely rearrange the decor. Doing this will disorient the bully and give the new and current tankmates a chance to set up their own territories within the tank. One additional suggestion is to remove the bully to a quarantine tank for a few days after adding the new cichlids, then returning him to the newly remodeled tank. This makes HIM the newcomer to the tank, and his former victims now might turn the tables on him.

One other suggestion. I agree with the idea of offering greens to cichlids. Commercial dried food seems to lack something, and fresh veggies are a nice treat. My suggestion is that you blanch the greens before offering them to the tank. Bring a pot of water to boiling, then immerse the greens completely for several seconds (no more than about 10 seconds - cichlids like their greens blanched, not boiled). After blanching rinse the greens in cold water & put them in a veggie clip to hold them in place in the tank. After the fish have destroyed the greens remove the veggie clip, and the next time you offer veggies put the clip in a different area of the tank to prevent any one fish from staking claim to the new salad bar.

All this may seem like a terrible bother, but the rewards will be well worth the effort. And it will be a lot easier than trying to get your tank bully into an anger management group ;-).

Answer 2

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RE:
Overly Aggressive Cichlid...What to do?
I have a 55 G tank with 4 cichlids in it. They range from 2 to 1.5 inches in length. There is one that will not let his tank mates rest. They each have plenty of hiding places, but this bully will chase the others around all day long. What can I do with this cichlid?

Answer 3

Cichlids are typically aggressive by nature (some more than others depending on species or personality of the fish).

If these are african cichlids, especially mbuna, you need to double or triple the number of cichlids you have (8-12 instead of just 4). With these aggressive fish low numbers equate to higher aggression.

Removing the "bully" probably won't resolve the behavior you're observing, as another fish will take over the role; however removal may be recommended if you have a very aggressive species (auratus, kenyi, chipokae, etc) kept with less aggressive ones.

Answer 4

Cichlids are aggressive and territorial. What I would do in your case is buy more cichlids. When you do rearrange the rocks and stir things up a bit in the tank before releasing them. This confuses the fish about who's turf is who's and have more cichlids introduced will make the dominate cichlid work very hard so he doesn't stress just one or two out and possibly kill them. You have plenty of tank size.

Also, you can buy a clip and feed them fresh greens like mustard, spinach and collard. They love it and it keeps their energy focused on something else besides each other!

Take Care

Answer 5

rearrange the ornament and rocks in the aquarium. this will remove his territory and will give the other fish a chance to set their own territories. Cichlids are aggressive and there is not a lot that can be done if you have mixed an agressive type with a more passive cichlid.

Answer 6

Sometimes it is better to take such a bully back to the petshop and exchange him. You could try to change the dynamics in the tank by getting a male P Socolofi or a Yellow lab male. They are usually more aggresive than most.

Answer 7

Do I get a kiss for answering?(-;

Answer 8

take him out

Answer 9

smack that child around!

and get him his own tank!

Answer 10

Hurrah, that's what I was searching for! Thanks op of this question.