Cichlid Aggression?

[RickJordan]

I have a 55 Gallon Corner Tank with 8 male Cichlids all different species along with 2 Clown Loaches.

Lately my Yellow lab has begun to open up a can of whoop @$$ on everyone. He's the only one from Mbuna family rest are various Africans. They are all about 7 months old and probly 1/2 full grown.

Any explanations he really likes to give my Flametail a hard time especially. I'm thinking of pulling the lab from the tank. Although if I do that someone else might become the bully of the tank. Do I add more livestock to ditract the aggression?? I don't really want to because it may become overcrowded.

Anyone got any info for me or suggestions.

Thanks

[edmguy]

what is your tank temp try 76 f ....my mbuna calm down alot at that temp

in a 55 gal you could add a few more fish more fish spreads the agression around lots of hiding places and set up 2 0r three rock piles a chclid can only guard 1 at a time so the others will have hiding spots

Edited August 11, 2006 by edmguy

[jvision]

Your stalking level doesn't sound too high - it's probably what I'd keep it at. How's it for hiding spots/territory markers? If too few, this could cause the issue.

I'm surprised that it's the Yellow Lab that's the most aggressive, as they're generally seen as 'non-aggressive' as far as ACs are concerned.

While, it's true that if you take him out, someone else will become King of the Hill, the new King may not be as bad as this tyrant....

[Vapor]

I agree with Jason. My labs are the least aggressive in my tank. They even run from my clown loaches. Make lots of hiding spots for everyone. Pile up rocks in various locations. Even behind plants so it's really secluded. Good luck.

[fairdeal]

Fish naturally sense weakness in other fish - that's why sick or distressed fish always get picked on. For the moment the lab is taking charge because nobody else wants to. Males will always compete for dominance and right now the lab is king. As your fish mature it will likely be another. If you have a male only tank rock piles will not settle territory disputes as there are no females to compete over. This is a pure dominance situation. Try dither fish or overstock the tank to provide more distractions. Cooling the tanks temperature will reduce competition for food as they will naturally want less food at a lower temperature as it slows the metabolism. With only 10 fish in a55G. I suspect it is not about competing for food. The pecking order must and will be established and there is not a lot you can do if you want to keep all the existing fish. It will be sorted out and will change as time goes on. Males of a similar coloration will tend to be more competitive with each other and tend to leave dissimilar colored fish alone, but there will be exceptions to this always. Try the cichlid- forum.com website and check out their "profiles" section to see what the estimated aggression levels are for the 8 different species you have. That may give you a better idea of how they are going to inter-react as they mature. It is quite often trial and error with a male only tank until you finally hit the right combinations. Good luck.

[RickJordan]

All sounds like good advice. The lab seems to be chilling on the aggression but it's still very evident. To answer everyone's question I have lots of rock and hiding places for them. I also keep very good water quality so sickness is not an issue. They all eat very well. I also remember other males having there turn at the title previously. I guess it seems that they switch up the pecking order as they mature. I'm going to add more males to spread out the aggression which seems to be the best option.

Thanks to everyone that responded.