# Mean Kenyi



## doza42 (Feb 21, 2008)

I have a male Kenyi who is very aggresive but not really to the other fish, but towards me. Every time I stick my hand into the tank near his part of the tank to move rocks and clean he attacks my hand and bites me pretty good. Hes got nice little sharp teeth the little turd. I know hes just protecting his turf but does anybody else get bit by their cichlids?


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I see it more with the larger and more agressive New World cichlids.
Protective parents from Lake Tanganyika do this as well.
First time I heard of mbuna doing this.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

My dominant Jalo Reef afra does it and sometimes the boss female socolofi. I also seem to remember Cichlidaholic's male M. callainos being a bit of a meany towards people.


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## csnake (Feb 22, 2009)

I had a big male Kenyi a few years back and had the same issue, err, fun with him. I'd play with him every few days and he would try to chew the heck out of my fingers everytime I got close to his territory. My wife and I got a kick out of it!


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

i gave my kenyi's away.. argggg


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## Terrence23 (Oct 2, 2008)

At feeding time each day, I sometimes wiggle my pinky finger in the water and I've had Demasoni come up and actually latch on to my finger until I pull it out of the water. Those things have a nasty bite for such a little fish!

I have a freckle on my forearm that's about the size of an NLS pellet so whenever I'm siphoning the sand during cleanings, the Mbuna keep coming up and try to nibble at it. Mostly it just tickles but sometimes the little suckers really bite down trying to eat the freckle.


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## bgko (Oct 24, 2007)

My Kenyi was mean I had to fight it off with my gravel vac and keep my eyes on him when cleaning the tank. My female convict has bitten me a couple of times as well as one of my Black Calvus.


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## BIG BWALZ (Feb 28, 2008)

My big red top zebra (about 5") bites the gravel vacuum and if it doesn't "retreat" then he bites the hand controlling it! He is very aggressive towards his fellow tank mates also, and I think he is a pretty smart fish. I also had to shorten the hob filter intakes because I swear he was trying to turn them off or break them by intentionally spitting sand into them. No matter where he decided to dig a hole that week he would swim over to the intake and spit the sand directly into it haha! I got sick of them being really loud and shutting off from being full of sand so I had to make an adjustment. He seems to like to bite my knuckles for some reason, I don't know but a he's a cool, funny fish!


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

Depending on the size of the male kenyi. You could always make a fish sandwich out of him. :thumb:


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

I haven't got a kenyi but I do have a fiesty jewel cichlid that likes to try going for my hand (got it once) but what I do to try and stop the nipping or biting is flick my fingers towards him and now he knows who's boss and hasn't tried again.


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## srook23 (Feb 21, 2009)

I've got a few that like to bite the hand that feeds them...it doesn't hurt and people think it's cool.


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## doza42 (Feb 21, 2008)

I like the fish sandwich idea, makes me kinda hungry, with tartar sauce and a squeeze of lemon, wash him down with a cold beer, Id show him whos boss.

My kenyi is down right vicious and attacks my hand with malice in his heart. The more I flick him away the angrier he gets. His bites actually hurt, and he leaves little red bite marks on my skin, he grabs hold and wiggles like a pitbull. And that is no exaggeration. He is pretty fearless, but I like that, so for now he will stay off my menu.

Ill try and get a video clip.


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