# Fish aggression



## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

I just got 8 new fish added to my mixed African Cichlid tank. There is now a huge amount of aggression with everyone. I took out a eureka peacock because he was getting constantly bullied. Do I need to wait out the aggression to let a hierarchy form?almost half of them are being aggressive. I'm tempted to get a new tank.. it's. 75 gallon with a mix of mbuna, peacock and haps. It appears to be mostly the peacock and haps being the aggressors. Any suggestions on what to do? Do I get rid of fish? Separate them? Wait it out.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

List the species and genders of the whole tank, as well as numbers of each.


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## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

I have....
2 yellow labs (not sexed)
5 OB Mbuna(not sexed)
1 yellow tale Acei Male(mbuna)
1 zebra male(mbuna)
1 red zebra male(mbuna)
1 Kenyi male(mbuna)
1 williamsi blue lips male(Mbuna)
3 red cheek - 1 male, two female
1 ruby red peacock male
1 albino dragon peacock not sexed
1 mdoka white lip male
1 blue Dragon peacock male
1 eureka peacock male
1 giraffe hap male
1 Lawanda Peacock male
1 Texas Cichlid not sexed
1 pundamilia nyererei hap male
1 lemon Jake male 
1 placidochromis johnstoni hap male
I'm sorry I do not have the scientific names for most of them..

I just got the 60 gallon and am setting it up now. Any suggestions on how to split everyone up, would be great. I'd like to keep the mbuna on their own and everyone else in the 60... but It's not the mbuna that have been a problem, yet..


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You have some fish that are too big for a 75G...what is your plan for them.

What are the dimensions of the 60G?

With the kind of variety you have, you want to stock only males and none that look alike. Rehome all the females to start.

Put the nyererei with the mbuna.

Why the texas cichlid?


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## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

I intend to use this as a grow out tank until it's time to get a larger tank. I'm looking at a 300gal that will go into my kitchen. But I am saving for that still. Okay. I'll work on rehoming the two I know are females. The Texas was in a 125 with blood parrots and an Oscar. But the Texas was harassing the parrots relentlessly and I just recently moved him to get him away from them and just see how he might do in this other tank. Any suggestions on sexing the OBs? 4 of them are still two inches or smaller. Also, out of my two labs, I got them as 1inch fry and now one is nearly four inches while the other is closer to two. Could that be a sign the smaller is female?


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## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

The 60 gallon is 48.5x12.75x25 inches


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

For some of these fish if they are 1.5 inches, it is time to get a larger tank. For the rest when they are 3 inches it is time.

If you are going all male, rehome any duplicates as well.

For the 60G mbuna male, get rid of the duplicates. Do not add fish, you are fully stocked. You have many Metriaclima, watch for fighting among them:
1 pundamilia nyererei hap male
2 yellow labs (not sexed)
5 OB Mbuna(not sexed)
1 yellow tale Acei Male(mbuna)
1 zebra male(mbuna)
1 red zebra male(mbuna)
1 Kenyi male(mbuna)
1 williamsi blue lips male(Mbuna)
1 red cheek a.k.a. Tropheops sp. Red Cheek

For the 75G. You have a lot of hybrid and closely related peacocks, watch for aggression. I would expect the Ruby and the White Lip to be victim fish. I would add a couple of haps like Placidochromis electra and Protomelas Taiwan Reef and Sciaenochromis fryeri:
1 ruby red peacock male
1 albino dragon peacock not sexed
1 mdoka white lip male
1 blue Dragon peacock male
1 eureka peacock male
1 giraffe hap male
1 Lawanda Peacock male
1 lemon Jake male
1 placidochromis johnstoni hap male

The giraffe and the johnstoni and the white lips and the taiwan reef will need the 72 inch long tank.


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## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

That is interesting, because so far, both the ruby and white lip are some of the most aggressive. I know to avoid duplication of male fish of the same species, but I wasn't sure if it needed to be the exact species or how that worked exactly. The OB's I am waiting to grow out so I can hopefully identify at least one male and then will trade or sell the others. What will adding the extra haps accomplish? Thank you so much for your input. You are always very quick to respond and very knowledgeable.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

There is a certain level of overcrowding (more is not better) that helps manage aggression. For a 75G I like 12 males that mature <= six inches. You have chosen aggressive fish overall, so the specific ones I mentioned are different genus and not timid, so they will have a chance with your existing fish.

How big are the oversized haps and how long is the wait for the 300G? Hopefully it will be 72" long. You can get a 72" tank that is only 125G if you prefer (I do).

The 60G has a 55G footprint so 8 males that mature <= six inches. What kind of OB mbuna are they? Are they all colorless like flesh colored with spots?

You see you have lots of red peacocks, so they are expected to compete. Try removing the ruby.

In an all-male tank the less related and less similar in appearance, the better your odds for success.


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## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

The giraffe is approximately 3 inches. The johnstoni is 4inches and the white lip is 2inches. Hoping to have the tank by December. I have a 125 gal already for my south/Central American tank. I would happily have another 125. But the 300 is a goal..

Some of the OBs are flesh colored and some are orange base. I believe they are also zebra mbuna. But I'm not sure.


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## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

I have the females removed now and the rest are separated how you suggested. For whatever reason, my white lip (the smallest fish I have) attacks any of the other fish, to the point they hide and a few I've removed because they were getting their fins chewed. I have a eureka peacock who gets bullied in every tank I put him in.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Those we would not have predicted. It is what it is...sounds like neither will be a fit for your tank.


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## Jana.bernard (May 27, 2020)

I had the feeling I was going to have to regime them. I'm going to try separating the white lip on his own for a week or so.. maybe this will give time for the new tank to develop a hierarchy. I hate loosing the eureka, he is beautiful.


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