Bully

[garcia2185]

I have a group of about 10 Malawi cichlids and 1 of the peacocks keeps harassing only one fish! What can I do it seems like he only does it when I have my light on during the night. Any suggestions??

 

[rusty386]

how large is your setup? overstocking can diminish the amount of aggressiveness in a setup, if there are more in there chances are a single fish will not be picked on all of the time. can be 2 males seeking dominance in there as well . i have 40 +/- in a 55 gallon you get the occasional spat but it is not too bad.
good luck

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I never had Malawi cichlids before but I've read on numerous occasions that you can remedy bullying by rearranging your ornaments and/or rocks so that it can break up established territories and create breaks in the line of sight. Or if your tank is quite barren, and if you have the room, try adding in some more decor (i.e. Rocks, caves, plants, etc.) to give them peace from one another. Some have even gone as far as to take the bully out and put him in a bucket for a "time-out" session. As strange as that sounds, they claimed it worked... LOL

 

[tiger terror]

I have 8 single varieties and lots of hiding places for them made out of lace rock..

 

[garcia2185]

I have just began my setup it is a 90gal that includes holey rock that gives them hiding spots. Right now I have about 10 fish and I am looking to add some more in the future. As funny as it sounds I did take him out and put him on "timeout" lol it did work but it started up again. I have noticed that it is only with the lights on bc the roles reverse when they go out. Thanks for all the input I am going to try to add more rock, plants, and rear arrange the set up. Here is a pic what do you guys think?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

It looks pretty nice. Are you thinking of putting a background? I would (but it's just me) put a dark (perhaps solid black) bg so that the colors pop. How recently did you get the cichlids? Some LFS would be nice enough to take the bully back if he's messing up the tranquility / peacefulness of your community. Maybe trade him in? That's funny that the "time-out" session didn't work... I never tried it myself, but it sounds funny and seems like it might work... haha

 

[garcia2185]

Thanks it is a work in progress I want to get a background but I am having a hard time finding a background for a 90gal tank I talked to the breeder and he said he would accept a return!!! I am just afraid to add one fish at a time and it get bullied and stressed I just got them last week so i will give it sometime. I think i will have to try timeout again!!!

 

[kay-bee19]

What type of 'malawi cichlid' is the one being harassed?

Can you post a photo of the 'peacock' and one of the bullied fish?

You may want to increase the number of cichlids you have (add 4+ at a time). You could easily double the current population. In addition to this, add more females that are of the same species as the belligerent fish.

Add more rocks (or objects) that can provide adequate hiding spots.

 

[bcurlacher54]

alot of cichlids have really bad aggresion towards their own kind or anything that is of the same coloring.

 

[kay-bee19]

...I talked to the breeder and he said he would accept a return!!!

Keep in mind that removing a 'bully' creates a 'dominance vacancy' that may be filled by one of the remaining fish (there will always be an alpha fish in a Lake Malawi set up). The new 'alpha' may sometimes exhibit similar behavior as the previous alpha (sometimes worse, which is kind of interesting).

However there are times when a particular bully isn't the alpha fish so removing it may be a solution if it has to come to that.

 

[garcia2185]

Thanks for all the suggestions and I am going to try everything I can! It is really hard to capture a picture of them but the peacock that is in the center orange color is the bully and the purplish one beneath him is the target, I will try to get a close up. Adding 4 at a time is that the max I can add at a time?? How many do you think I can fit in a 90gal?? I will get back to you guys when I try some of the suggestions, thanks again.

 

[garcia2185]

Keep in mind that removing a 'bully' creates a 'dominance vacancy' that may be filled by one of the remaining fish (there will always be an alpha fish in a Lake Malawi set up). The new 'alpha' may sometimes exhibit similar behavior as the previous alpha (sometimes worse, which is kind of interesting).

However there are times when a particular bully isn't the alpha fish so removing it may be a solution if it has to come to that.

I really don't want to remove him and I don't think I will unless it starts getting worse.

 

[garcia2185]

What type of 'malawi cichlid' is the one being harassed?

Can you post a photo of the 'peacock' and one of the bullied fish?

They are both OB peacocks of different colors but similar size

 

[kay-bee19]

Adding 4 at a time is that the max I can add at a time?? How many do you think I can fit in a 90gal??

Adding four at a time is the suggested minimum. You could probably stock a total of 15-25, maybe some more if you overstock.

 

[Lady_Alia]

I never had Malawi cichlids before but I've read on numerous occasions that you can remedy bullying by rearranging your ornaments and/or rocks so that it can break up established territories and create breaks in the line of sight. Or if your tank is quite barren, and if you have the room, try adding in some more decor (i.e. Rocks, caves, plants, etc.) to give them peace from one another. Some have even gone as far as to take the bully out and put him in a bucket for a "time-out" session. As strange as that sounds, they claimed it worked... LOL

Rearranging and breaking line of sight have never worked for me. Maybe my fish are just extra persistent. Lucky me....lol

 

[Lady_Alia]

Thanks it is a work in progress I want to get a background but I am having a hard time finding a background for a 90gal tank I talked to the breeder and he said he would accept a return!!! I am just afraid to add one fish at a time and it get bullied and stressed I just got them last week so i will give it sometime. I think i will have to try timeout again!!!

For a background on my frontosa tank, I used black wrapping paper. It's cheap and looks great and you would never be able to tell if I hadn't told ya. Take a look at my frontosa pics...don't look at my water spots

 

[Bl80]

Thanks it is a work in progress I want to get a background but I am having a hard time finding a background for a 90gal tank I talked to the breeder and he said he would accept a return!!! I am just afraid to add one fish at a time and it get bullied and stressed I just got them last week so i will give it sometime. I think i will have to try timeout again!!!

I too had trouble finding for a 90 g. I found mine on eBay. Other options are wrapping paper( foil kind works best), cheap party table cloths , the plastic kind or shower curtianl liner. Try a dollar store, walmart, target etc. For black I had used a drum liner trash bag.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

For a background on my frontosa tank, I used black wrapping paper. It's cheap and looks great and you would never be able to tell if I hadn't told ya. Take a look at my frontosa pics...don't look at my water spots

Wow your Frontosa tank is awesome! That black bg is exactly what I was talking about and recommended.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Thanks it is a work in progress I want to get a background but I am having a hard time finding a background for a 90gal tank I talked to the breeder and he said he would accept a return!!! I am just afraid to add one fish at a time and it get bullied and stressed I just got them last week so i will give it sometime. I think i will have to try timeout again!!!

Get a can of black krylon spray paint from Walmart and start painting. You might want about 3 cans. It took 1½ cans for my 40g tank

 

[Lady_Alia]

Wow your Frontosa tank is awesome! That black bg is exactly what I was talking about and recommended.

Thanks Brian! My frontosa tank is def my fave.