# Auratus Cichlid Taking Things Personally?



## rules (Nov 18, 2014)

i have a 36 gallon tank with 4 african cichlids and 1 south american. i know what you guys are gonna say. tank too small, mixing regions, etc. ...the tank is only temporary for a few weeks and the five cichlids are all under 1 inch in size. and the jack dempsey is the least of my problems...it doesn't bother anyone or get bothered. it's the rest of the fish that are confusing me.

2 auratus cichlids, 1 kenyi, and 1 fairy cichlid.

the fairy cichlid has claimed his territory and chases off the other africans that come too close but doesn't pursue them or do much else. everyone gets chased a few times. the one auratus in question honestly gets chased the least out of all of them but for some reason has decided that he's going to sit at the top of the tank and avoid everyone in the tank. physically he's perfectly fine, color is just a little off because he's obviously stressed. all the rest of the fish get their share of the chase when they get too close but seem to otherwise be normal. but the auratus has isolated himself seemingly for no reason.

is there anything i can try doing here?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Welcome to the forum...

The JD is actually from Central America, not SA.

Any fish that is hovering at the top of the tank is trying to hide from the others. It is not allowed to freely swim around and finds the least amount of hassle at the upper reaches/corners. This fish is stressed, and it's immune system is/will be compromised.

What size tank are you upgrading to? You've chosen 2 of the most aggressive species commonly available in Auratus and Kenyi. The fairy cichlid(Neolamprologus brichardi?) will likely not do well with it's tankmates. With this mix, you'll probably end up with only one fish once they start to mature.

I'd suggest hitting the books and looking for a group of cichlids that will work together, but that certainly depends on the new tank dimensions. Very important.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

All Iggy said is true. If the 36" tank is for 2 weeks until you get a 75G AND the fish is truly less than 1" with tail I'd put him in a breeder net until you get the big tank.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

i have auratus and kenyi together in a 6ft tank, if you could get a tank that size i would start with 15 kenyi and a dozen auratus. my kenyi males are very tolerant of each other so i've never needed to sex them out and remove aggressive males. with your auratus you wont want more than 2 males in the tank. and you could also add http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/l_fuelleborni.php x12 that would be a cool group together. i don't know the tank requirements of the fairy cichlid or the dempsey


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## rules (Nov 18, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Welcome to the forum...
> 
> The JD is actually from Central America, not SA.
> 
> ...


i'm upgrading to a 75. i used to have a 75 in the past with a mix of african and central and south american and for the most part all went well. first time i have any auratus though. the kenyi i had were always even tempered but i believe they were female.

is there any reason the fairy cichlid won't do well with companions?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Brichardi tend to kill everyone in the tank when they spawn and are therefore often kept in a species tank. For now since you only have one individual, not a problem.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

kenyi have an aggressive reputation i peresonally have also found them to be an even tempered fish but my kenyi tankmates are very aggressive mbuna. auratus males can be very aggressive as they reach maturity. 75g may not be enough room for him, auratus can work in african tanks if they have plenty of room and kept in a harem.


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