How long will it last? *Now with pics*

[severum mama]

who should be removed, the agressor, or the one getting beaten up?

The aggressor. IME if you move the fish that is getting picked on, the aggressor will just choose another fish to pick on.

I plan on upgrading to 150 gallons or more (I do have a school of clown loaches involved here lol). So you say length is more important for the cichlids? (good thing to keep in mind when shopping) But the width would be better for the clowns, right?

I don't think so. A 125 is still 18 inches wide- it's by no means a narrow tank. I think all your fish will appreciate a 6 foot tank.

purchasing a large cichlid as opposed to growing one out will not be a problem for me later on down the road.

That's cool, but just remember that there is a good possibility of things going wrong even in a 6 foot tank. By all means, it's worth a shot as long as you know you can return the fish, just in case.

 

[Michael]

If the pictures you posted in your original post are the fish in the tank you have another thing to consider. Weather Loaches are cold water fish and should be kept below 70 degrees. Max at 72. With the Clowns in there I am sure you are keeping your tank much warmer than that. They have a life span of 10 years and if you keep them warm their life span will be shortened greatly. They also should not be kept with aggressive fish, they can not defend themselves and will be killed.

 

[hsherman1986]

severum, yes I can return any fish at any time to one of my lfs. They give store credit for tradeins (before I got the con and sev, I had three firemouths...that didn't work out so well, so the other two went in for store credit. Got $6.50 for both )

Michael, thanks for the words. Everyone leaves them alone right now, and all of my tanks stay at the same temperature. I live in Texas, and keep my apartment a little on the warm side, so all my tanks stay warm without heaters (around 76* F). I do keep goldfish (not of my own personal choice, they were a gift) at this temperature, and they are thriving (were just over 1" when I got them, and now are almost 3", had them 5 months). I have had the spotted dojos in this tank for over 6 months, and they have grown a lot since then. I have had the gold since christmas, and he has even grown a little since then. If it becomes a problem, or they start getting picked on, I will defintly make other arrangments for them.

Now, back on topic, everyone is still doing ok. The sev is getting picked on a little more than the con, so I seperated the firemouth, and the convict both for a bit. I Figure, let her get more established in the tank than anyone else, and start over from scratch (also, give her fins some time to heal, she got nipped a little bit). Who should I add back first when it comes to that time. The 2.5" con, or the almost 4" FM? The FM is DEFINTLY the most agressive of the three fish. So he should go last, right?

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

The least aggressive goes in first, the most aggressive goes in last.

 

[hsherman1986]

how long should I wait to reintroduce the FM after I put the con back in? a week or so, right? Or longer?

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Yeah, a week would probably be enough time for everyone to get settled in.

 

[hsherman1986]

ok, so I moved the shrimp out last night (on y'alls word, and on some information that i found on the web last night). He seems to be making the adjustment ok.

Now, the sev is doing much better. She has darkened up (more of a turquiose now than a green) and doesn't hide as much. She is still a little battered up from the FM picking on her, should I wait till she fully heals until I put the FM back in? That is what I am inclined to do, honestly. And we have decided we are not going to keep the con. We are taking her back this weekend. With that being the case, could I get another sev?