# Bad luck/help with new direction



## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

I have had some bad luck mixing tankmates in my 75. I have tried combos of firemouths, convicts (singly and as a pair), Jack dempeys as well as a few others. Every time it seems something goes wrong. As of now I have a firemouth, convict and 2 jds. All male, jds are about 2.5 inches. Only have 2 because the first s getting picked on and not eating, got another hoping to be able to pick the one that thrives and return the other. If this doesn't work out I think I'm gonna clear the tank for a single wet pet as to avoid this mixing and matching. My question for you guys is what would you recommend? Red devil, Oscar, keep one of my jds, Texas, flowerhorn...what's the best wet pet out there for a 75? I'd love to hear your opinions/stories


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## hauntingurcoma (Dec 19, 2011)

i'd go any severum species with some rams or festivums or both and some dithers.I have a green male sev with 3 male bolivians and a festivum.They all get along great.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Have you thought about adding target fish maybe? It might channel the aggression away from the fish you want to keep.


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

skurj said:


> Have you thought about adding target fish maybe? It might channel the aggression away from the fish you want to keep.


Yes actually I have 4 giant danios, 4 Buenos Aires tetras and a red tail black shark. None of the cichlids have ever paid any attention to them as far as chasing then goes...They only harass each other


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

Tried rearranging the tank, keeping them in complete darkness for a day...Neither has worked and the firemouth is still crazy dominant. I feel like if I remove him for a couple days it will just give the convict a chance to reclaim his top spot then I will be in the same position just with a dominant convict.


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

So your current stock is..

4 Giant Danios
4 Buenos Aires Tetras
Redtailed Black Shark
1 Firemouth
1 Convict
2 JD's
... Correct?

Can you post pics of the setup? Territorial aggression is normal and is to be expected in a cichlid community. What kind of aggression are you talking about? Are they just displaying or are they actually beating each other up -- torn fins, lost scales, ect?


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

Yep you got it... With one of those dempseys going back whenever one settles in. It's more than just like a pecking order it seems. There is no 2nd place here... The firemouth chases and nips at everyone else, and he's not just defending his spot. He goes after anyone the second they come down to the bottom. A little torn fans, the only scales lost are on the shark... But he seems to be doing fine believe it or not.


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

I know it's hard to tell, but there are hiding spots under the piece of driftwood, inside or behind both piles of rocks, as well as the spot between the two piles of rocks and on the far right near the glass... Each of these spots provide a little "privacy" from the spot next to it. But it doesn't matter, the firemouth is relentless. Is my setup ok to you? I'll take any advice/tips I can get


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

Oh and just so you have the whole story... I do have a 20 gallon long running that I was using for the convict pair. Until the male started harassing the female badly. So I separated him so that she could recover. I could switch the firemouth to the 20 and put the female in the 75 giving the firemouth a few days to get confused... But I hate to keep switching them back and forth, especially the female con who had already been switched a couple times. What are your thoughts?


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

Have all of these guys grown up together or introduced at different times? This can make all the difference..


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

Yes that it where the problem lies... The Jacks were just introduced within the last week or two. And the male con as I said was in the 20 long with a female. They were originally in the 75 with the firemouth but I decided a separate tank would be best for a breeding pair. They pretty much got along fine before...BTW what do you think of my scape? OK?


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

Any other suggestions?


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

if most of these fish are new additions it may take some time to work things out....


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

Unfortunately sometimes you just get a group of fish that can't coexist peacefully. Each fish differs from the next when it comes to personalities, which is why stocking suggestions should be considered only a starting point. What works for one person, may very well be a disaster for the next.

If you're currently not happy with the current situation, I say start from scratch. That way you can start with a clean slate and introduce everyone at the same time, as well as size/age.

Your setup looks good, but you certainly could create more line of sight breaks by adding additional driftwood, twigs, and larger rocks.


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm gonna leave it go for at least a few days and see if they settle in a bit...Yeah unfortunately it seems once you have 1 fish that doesn't fit in it can really throw things off. Return that one fish and get a replacement... But then the replacement is a target, and so on... If this does not work I will start from scratch and probably do a single fish. Or maybe a single surrounded by some community fish...


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

As far as twigs are concerned, are you talking just any twigs? I mean I can pick up anything that has fallen off a tree in my yard and clean it up and toss it in? Won't it rot?


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

Most dead twigs should do just fine. I try to use a hardwood, usually Oak. You also of course want to collect them from a place that hasn't been doused with fertilizers or pesticides.


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

Red Devil's make really nice wet pets.

Nandopsis haitiensis are nice also. A full grown male is too big for a 75, but you could house one in a 75 for a long time before it get's huge.


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

spotmonster said:


> Red Devil's make really nice wet pets.
> 
> Nandopsis haitiensis are nice also. A full grown male is too big for a 75, but you could house one in a 75 for a long time before it get's huge.


Thanks spotmonster, I think if I go that route I'm leaning toward red devil... But over the last 24 hours things have started to settle back down in my current setup. The male convict has been challenging the firemouth and I think has taken back over top spot. He now claims the spot the firemouth had occupied. The dempseys both seem to be doing OK. The first one I had had finally started eating and is actually showing a little aggression (which is a good sign I think) as he was very very timid for the first 10 days I've had him...


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

In terms of keeping what you have, I think I'd add some more rock or wood to break things up, and then you just have to wait as others have said.

Sometimes in the cichlid world, somebody's going to take a beating before calm can happen. And sometimes, that beating is too much for us to wait it out. It's a fine line we walk


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

I have a few mone of those rocks, I will add them tonight when I do a water change...As far as the bullying, yes it's very tough to watch and I typically don't want to let it go on any longer than it has to do I just resort to taking one of the fish back. Maybe I have to learn to just let it be to a certain point. Thanks for the advice!


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

OK I take back my previous post...few hours ago did a water change and added in a few more rocks and rearranged a bit. Figured it would help to even things out even more. This firemouth is just nuts! He now has the male convict, and both dempseys baked into a corner and is pretty much controlling 95% of the tank. I'm thinking about putting him in the 20 gallon long for a few days and re introducing the female con into the 75. getting real frustrated... This firemouth is a beaut, but man did he get tough out of nowhere.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

every time you rearrange they have to work things out. Leave em alone for a couple weeks and see what happens.


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