# melanochromis auratus



## chiuagle (Sep 15, 2008)

ok, i'm pretty new to cichlids. i set up a tank in mid july with fish purchased from petsmart. i got a pseudotruopheus estherae, pseudotropheus acei, labidochromis caeruleus, melanochromis auratus, and a catfish of some sort.

i researched the cichlids on this site and found that the melanochromis auratus (i'm going to call her *m.a.* from now on) has a difficulty level of 4, and is highly aggressive. Unfortuneatly, the m.a. was also the largest cichlid in the tank at about 2 1/4 inches. it wasn't long until the m.a. had taken over the tank and was not only defending territory, but actually seeking out the other fish to attack. this last friday (9/12), we found the m.a. eating the catfish who was dead.

we had let each person in the family pick out a fish, and it was my boyfriend's 6 year old son who picked out the catfish, so we took him back to petsmart and told him he would need to pick a new fish, and he should pick a cichlid so hopefully the new fish would be better able to fend for himself. we picked out one (i think it was a pundamilia nyererei) about the same size as the m.a., and this one seemed to be the alpha of petsmart's little tank, chasing all the tank mates. we brought it home and 5 hours after letting it into the tank the m.a. had killed him and drug him into his lair to devour. so much to everyone's dismay, i did not flush the m.a., since she is really only doing what she is wired to do, but i did return her to the pet shop, and reccomended that she be an only fish for someone.

well my boyfriend's 7 year old son, whom my boyfriend only gets to see once a year-as he lives half way across the country, had picked out the m.a. i thought it would be neat for him to come and see his fish year after year and feel like we have something here of his, you know it's a symbolic thing.

my question is this: we now have a 2" pseudotropheus estherae, a 2" pseudotropheus acei, and a 1 1/2" labidochromis caeruleus - they are all getting along amicably and there has been no chasing since the m.a. has been gone. if we get a new melanochromis auratus, a really small one, will it still dominate the tank? you know, it will be hard for us to explain to a 7 year old that we had to get rid of his fish for temperment problems, since he has not been here to see how aggressive the m.a. really is. so i need to know what my options are here...


----------



## cater20155 (Jun 16, 2008)

I would have to say that you would be risking a problem in the future. Auratus are aggressive by nature, so when the new one got big enough to establish dominance, i would bet that it would start killing off your other fish.


----------



## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

ewwww you're in a pickle. What size tank is it? I wouldn't get another until the day before he comes back, if you think you have to have one when he gets there. Getting another will probably eventually end up the same way though so I really think you'd be better off just telling him it already killed one fish and was trying to kill others. Tell him it needed to be in a tank with other fish just like it because that's how they are. Then say that he can pick out 2 new fish when he comes again :thumb: It's up to you but those are the two options I can think of.

I explain my fishes behavior to my grandchildren. They find it interesting and we have long discussions about it. They are 8,5,&3 yrs old. Even the 3 yr. old understands some of the reasons why some fish can't be put together.


----------



## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

My auratus was the last fish I added to my tank and this usually helps until they get bigger in size. Within the first year they reach full size and sexual maturity so thats about all you can get for any peace in the tank. You can try and offset aggression with more fish that are larger in size or adding more rocks. You can try and drop the temp slightly. A bigger tank helps and try some smaller more frequent feedings. My experience was actually interesting. I added a larger Melanachromis johani that was larger than my auratus and he kept him in check. 8) Maybe I just got lucky.


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

What size tank is this? That estherae (the correct name is Metriaclima estherae, aka red zebra) could also pose an aggression problem and Ps. acei really need a 4ft long tank as they can get over 6in and are open water swimmer for the most part. The lab should be fine unless you have a small tank (less than 30 gallons or so).


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

What size tank is this? That estherae (the correct name is Metriaclima estherae, aka red zebra) could also pose an aggression problem and Ps. acei really need a 4ft long tank as they can get over 6in and are open water swimmer for the most part. The lab should be fine unless you have a small tank (less than 30 gallons or so).


----------



## sirmo (Sep 9, 2008)

smellsfishy1 said:


> I added a larger Melanachromis johani that was larger than my auratus and he kept him in check. 8) Maybe I just got lucky.


Yeah....try this....I got one you can have... :lol:


----------



## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I guess I was lucky. :lol:


----------

