# fish smacking into glass



## SomeRandomGuy (Aug 19, 2008)

I have

4x Cherry Zebra

4x Yellow Labs

5x Pseudotropheus demasoni

in a 55 Gal. From time to time I have been hearing a click/tapping sound on the glass. After making sure it wasn't a filter or shifting rocks or the heater doing something I eventually saw what was happening. When the fish chase each other (esp the Demasoni) they occasionally smack into the glass.

Is this normal? If not is there something I can do to minimize it? There is a bit of algae on the glass, so it seems like they should be able to spot it.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/somebachs/ ... 694099682/


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## KMNL (Sep 4, 2008)

This has nothing to do with your question, but I do like your tank arrangement


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## SomeRandomGuy (Aug 19, 2008)

KMNL said:


> This has nothing to do with your question, but I do like your tank arrangement


Thanks. It took a while to get the rocks in just the right formation where I liked them and they were stable. I got lucky since an aquarium store was going out of business nearby so I got most of those rocks as a batch for about $5 (as well as getting an Eheim filter for more than half retail and getting tons of food and other supplies for dirt cheap).


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## KMNL (Sep 4, 2008)

SomeRandomGuy said:


> KMNL said:
> 
> 
> > This has nothing to do with your question, but I do like your tank arrangement
> ...


I could imagine. Good work though.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

As long as you aren't seeing serious injury, there shouldn't be a problem. I heard (and thought) this exact same thing. My Labs whack the front glass when they get rowdy but I have never seen them run headlong into it.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

The only real problem area I see is that you may be having excessive aggression because you're trying to keep the demasoni in too small of a group...They should be kept in groups of 10-12 at a minimum _because_ of their aggression level.


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## SomeRandomGuy (Aug 19, 2008)

cichlidaholic said:


> The only real problem area I see is that you may be having excessive aggression because you're trying to keep the demasoni in too small of a group...They should be kept in groups of 10-12 at a minimum _because_ of their aggression level.


Interesting. I wanted to get more of them anyway so I will add some more soon. Thanks.


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## SomeRandomGuy (Aug 19, 2008)

cichlidaholic said:


> The only real problem area I see is that you may be having excessive aggression because you're trying to keep the demasoni in too small of a group...They should be kept in groups of 10-12 at a minimum _because_ of their aggression level.


FWIW, they quit bumping the glass a while back.

But today I put more in, so I have 11 of them in there now. So far the new ones are getting chased a lot. I redid the rocks to try to reset territories, but they are still not especially welcoming of their new friends.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Give them a few days to settle down.

If the aggression issues continue, you might try removing some of the rocks or positioning them differently in your tank.

I kept demasoni in a 55G. I was really lucky and had a great male/female ratio...5 males to 15 females. As they became sexually mature, there was a fair amount of stress and chasing in the tank - I had a rock "wall" much like the one you have across the back and on both sides, with just the front and center wide open. I removed a ton of the rocks and made 3 seperate small rock piles in the tank and it worked beautifully from then on.

Just keep in mind that what works for one person might not work for you with your stock!

You've got a good sized group now! Good luck with them! I wish I had mine back - biggest mistake I've made in this hobby getting rid of those guys!


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