# j. transcriptus bully



## lilith1 (Aug 8, 2008)

I recently purchased 2 j. transcriptus juveniles. One very quickly became dominant and is pushing the other around. The smaller less dominant one is clearly very scared and hiding allot. These are the only fish in the 29 gal tank. I have plenty of rockwork so there are plenty of caves but I do not want the poor fish to become sick due to stress. Should I exchange the less dominant fish for a larger one? Should I leave both in the tank and purchase a couple more to diffuse the aggression? Should I exchange the subordinate fish and add 2-3 different transcriptus? Is there something else that I am not doing that could help? Since I have only had the fish for about 2 days I don't know that rearranging the rockwork would help much since there is more than one rock pile and the more dominant one has claimed the entire tank as his territory. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

give them time to settle down and then find out whats happening.
in a tank, there will always be a dominant fish. so even if you switch him, theres still going to be a dominant fish


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## lilith1 (Aug 8, 2008)

Thanks. Sometimes I tend to get a little too worried. It doesn't have torn fins or any physical damage. It just seems to be quite pale and stressed and the dominant one chases it around quite a bit. If you think it will be alright I will just give it a little bit of time. I just feel bad for the little guy.


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## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

if things go out of hand, then you can step in and take the larger one out.
put him in a time out for a bit. maybe add more julies. it spreads out the aggression


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

I would quickly add more julies. The way to pair these guys up is to start with 5 or 6, and then remove the extras once a pair/trio forms. I agree with multies, exchanging either fish won't change this expected behavior from julies.

When introducing new fish, redo the layout of rocks and things in your tank so that the aggressive fish doesn't have a defined territory. Keep the lights off, and don't feed until the next day.


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## daniel4832 (May 8, 2004)

Triscuits advice is excellent, another option is to add a pair of Neolamprologus. I have found that by doing so, it increases the pair bonding both of the Julies and the Lamps.
Thanks,
Daniel


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## Alleycat (Dec 2, 2006)

triscuit said:


> I would quickly add more julies. The way to pair these guys up is to start with 5 or 6, and then remove the extras once a pair/trio forms. I agree with multies, exchanging either fish won't change this expected behavior from julies.
> 
> When introducing new fish, redo the layout of rocks and things in your tank so that the aggressive fish doesn't have a defined territory. Keep the lights off, and don't feed until the next day.


 :thumb: Advise that's bang-on !!


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## lilith1 (Aug 8, 2008)

Thanks for all your help guys. I think I'm going to add 2 or 3 more and hope I can get a good pair. It is a 29 gal. tank and looks pretty empty with only 2 in there. They are still pretty small only about 1 1/2" right now. I ultimately would like to add a small colony of l. similis to the tank. I know I should have added the similis first but those little suckers have proven hard to get so it looks like I am going to have to wait awhile and I don't think I can stand to look at an empty cycled tank for months. When I can get the similis I think will put the transcriptus in the quarantine tank for a week or so to let the similis adjust to their new home then reintroduce themto the 29 gal. Does this sound like it will work alright? Does anyone know where to find the similis around Houston, TX?


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## daniel4832 (May 8, 2004)

You may want to re-think your choice, I don't think they will be able to hold their own against your transcriptus,when they get larger. 
When I suggested putting in a "Lamp", I was thinking more of something like Neolamprologus pulcher "Daffodil", which I have kept in a 29 with both J. transcriptus, and J. ornatus. Another plus for the pulcher is that they, unlike alot of other "Lamps", will use the extra height of the 29.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Daniel


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## lilith1 (Aug 8, 2008)

I actually set up the tank for the similis. I put in the julies because numerous people told me that they would make good tank mates for the similis. I know this combination has worked for other people but if the julies beome too aggressive with the similis I will have to remove them from the tank. Is there anything else you would suggest to go with the similis instead of the julies?


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

There's no room in the 29 for another pair of rock-dwellers, and singleton Neolamps can cause trouble... they have nothing else to do!

Shellies and small julies are a common and usually successful mix, but as with any situation, there are some fish who don't behave like we expect them to. :roll: I have no doubt that similis can hold their own against J. transcriptus. If your julies are already breeding (which sounds like a possibility) you may have some chasing and territory spats. Make sure to add 5 or so similis all at once so that they all can share the aggression. Re-landscaping again will also ease the transition when you add them.


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## daniel4832 (May 8, 2004)

While I would agree that some shellies and julies would make good tank mates, I do not agree that similis would work, they are just too peaceful of a fish. I think that in your size tank that the best case would have your similis hiding in the rocks most of the time, the worst case is the julies kill them when they get ready to bred. My advice, if you want to enjoy similis to their fullest, would to not have any other cichlids in with them. Just my experience with this fish over the years.
Thanks,
Daniel


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## Longstocking (Aug 26, 2003)

Can I agree with both of you? :lol:

In my opinion you both are right in some aspects 

I don't agree in others :lol: A lot comes down to how you set your tank up and experience.

Daniel... you have a lot more expereince than most. I agree with putting another lamp in there. Granit... I do not agree with putting a pulcher in. They can take over a tank too easily. Now Julidochromis are very good fry hunters so this might help this but in all honestly I don't think it is worth the risk. I'd opt for a different lamp such as leleupi or calvus. I really like these combinations. They always seems to work out well for me.

The above situation can be tricky to pull off in small tanks such as this but is possible. Both fish usually thrive and the compitition helps with pairing off and spawning. Both Daniel and I use this trick quite often. It's an old trick of trade :wink:

Now in terms of what Triscuit suggestions. L. similis are very peaceful fish as Daniel said. This might or might not work. I wouldn't take the chance on this one either. Personally I'd pick a hardier shelly such as Ocellatus.

To the original poster.... keeping fish is not a science. Some things work for some people and won't work for others... as you can tell :lol: All three of us have different opinions and all three of us don't agree. Take it all with a grain of salt and try some things out for your self. If need be you know where the net is


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## daniel4832 (May 8, 2004)

Sarah,
Well said! :thumb: 
This is still more of an art then a science.
Thanks,
Daniel


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## lilith1 (Aug 8, 2008)

I am really set on having the similis. I would be ok with the occies but would think that because they are so much more aggressive amongst themselves I would only be able to keep a pair (or a trio if I'm very lucky) in my small tank. I have also considered stapps but think they will be aggressive like the occies. I like that I will be able to keep a small colony of the similis. I'm a member of a shellie group and know of quite a few ppl that have had success with similis and transcriptus in tanks of similar size to mine. Now, like you said, it is different in every tank so it could go horribly for me but like you said I always have a net. I think I'm going to take my chances and hope it works for me. I'll just make sure to put the julies in a hospital tank for a couple weeks while the similis settle in and then when I reintroduce the julies hopefully the similis will have bonded and be able to hold their own and defend their shellbed. Also the julies are still juveniles and shouldn't be breeding for a while so hopefully that will keep the aggression down a bit.


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## lilith1 (Aug 8, 2008)

Also, thanks to all of you guys for all your responses. I have been keeping and breeding south american cichlids since I was a kid but this will be my first Tanganyika tank and I always like to hear the opinions of others who are more knowledgable than I am. You guys are awesome and any further advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.


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