My American Cichlid Stock Question

[Ian14]

Have a 125 gallon tank with

2 3" Oscars
6 2" silver dollars
9 inch Jack Dempsey (very old, keeps to himself)
5 inch tire track eel
8 inch rope fish
3 inch green terror

Everyone has seemed to be getting along except the green terror. He/she has been chasing everyone around and nipping fins, especially the Oscars. one of the Oscars is even missing some fins now. I'm pretty sure im just going to take the green terror out. Will the fin nipping stop or am I doing the right thing by taking the green terror out?

 

[Aquaenthused]

I have a similar 150g set up- here's a little tip- change your decorations around and give them their favorite treats and add a small school of brightly colored dither fish- this should help curb the aggression a little... Keep changing your tank around every time they start fighting. If the meany greeny still insists on slicing oscar fins I'd move him. It's really truly hit or miss in cichlid communities.

 

[Aquaenthused]

Yikes- I just read the size of your smallest fish and it's no wonder they are torn and frayed!!! Your Dempsey is likely to make a nice snack of them pretty soon if you don't separate the little ones until they are around 5 inches (which will not be long at all)

 

[josh7]

I would rehome your green terror. I would also personally trade out either the eel or rope fish because your tank Is really overstocked... Not trying to be rude just saying in the long run its gonna be bad.

 

[Ian14]

What kind of bright fish do you have in mind?
The tank should be fine for a while. If I need to make adjustments in the future I will

 

[Ian14]

Yikes- I just read the size of your smallest fish and it's no wonder they are torn and frayed!!! Your Dempsey is likely to make a nice snack of them pretty soon if you don't separate the little ones until they are around 5 inches (which will not be long at all)

. The dempsey wouldn't even eat the feeder fish I'd put in the tank. He's so old now iguess. He won't bother anything in there. If it were a few years ago he would kill every fish in there haha

 

[Aquaenthused]

. The dempsey wouldn't even eat the feeder fish I'd put in the tank. He's so old now iguess. He won't bother anything in there. If it were a few years ago he would kill every fish in there haha

My big oscar, Gino, is like that- I currently have large rosy barbs, though I have found schools of medium/ large bodied tetra do great with older NW cichlids. Most of them calm down rapidly after they are grown... I love emperor and copelandi tetra, a school of 6 or 7 usually works nicely- just over pay for any dither fish- choose ones that are cheap and make sure to disinfect them so you don't wind up giving your Dempsey parasites if he decides to go on the attack.

 

[HUKIT]

My big oscar, Gino, is like that- I currently have large rosy barbs, though I have found schools of medium/ large bodied tetra do great with older NW cichlids. Most of them calm down rapidly after they are grown....

I'm not sure where your getting the information about fish calming down as they age because that's utter nonsense, aggression starts to peak when the fish reaches sexual maturity which depending on species is 6-18 months on average. This behavior doesn't change as the fish ages, it starts and continues until death.

 

[Aquaenthused]

I'm not sure where your getting the information about fish calming down as they age because that's utter nonsense, aggression starts to peak when the fish reaches sexual maturity which depending on species is 6-18 months on average. This behavior doesn't change as the fish ages, it starts and continues until death.

Yes, but they asexual without the presence of a spawning atmosphere, hence people 'venting' their oscars.... My information is coming from what I have experienced with this species. When they are fry up to 3 inches they are actually pretty social with others of similar size. They start maturing after 3 inches, like a tweenager, and become aggressive at feeding time to start with, around 5 or 6 inches they start displaying, claiming territory, wanting to spawn, after they reach their "slow grow" period, usually at about 10 inches, they become sub adults and stop most of their wild aggression calms down quite a bit- as long as you are keeping perfect standards for species. I've raised and nursed back to health this quickly evolving pet. My Gino used to massacre everything I tried to keep him with, he's now in my 150g black water cichlid community tank- I use kepata leaves, black water extract and/or bog wood tea, depending on what's available to me, hence the tea colored water. I got him a friend once he stopped ripping the skin off my fingers at feedings, her name's piggy, she got stuck in an ornament and had to be chiseled out- regardless, she was 4 1/2 inches at the time and is now 7-8 inches, all I have to do to stop their mating aggression is alter the temperature by a couple degrees and move my decor around. Yes, I have witnessed the forever growing aggression of some ca/ sa cichlids, but to be perfectly honest, my personal experiences have taught me that most of the bad rep these lunkers get is from their African counterparts. I have been keeping amazon exotics for the better part of 25 years, my eldest oscars are in a 400g indoor pond, I have 2 that I raised from eggs, oscar and bob, they are both about 18-20 inches, and are 9 years old. So I may not have any written documents substantiating my info, I know what I've experienced I get my prized fish for free because they are "dead" when I take them home- I'm sorry you haven't had the chance to witness the less aggressive side of older NW cichlids. They are wonderful biotope showcases!!!