My yellow mbuna is being harassed

[nautilus83]

I have a 29 gallon tank with a blue zebra mbuna, a golden mbuna, and a jewel cichlid. All of them are about a year old.

The jewel cichlid doesn't seem to care about the mbunas. It turned bright red and laid eggs once, but even then it wasn't overly aggressive.

The two mbunas are a different story. The blue zebra keeps chasing the golden mbuna around the tank. The golden mbuna has its own little corner under some rocks, but it keeps getting chased out of it by the blue zebra. It is never left alone.

The only time they are at peace is when I turn the lights off. They get along when it is relatively dark in the tank.

I've added three giant danios to the tank to act as dither fish, but they are still small and the other fish ignore them completely. Any other ideas?

 

[CraigMac]

Your tank is too small. The mbunas are territorial and there is not enough territory in that tank for them. You need to upgrade to a 55 IMO.

 

[Convict2161]

Your tank is too small. The mbunas are territorial and there is not enough territory in that tank for them. You need to upgrade to a 55 IMO.

This^^^^^^^^^

Seriously your tank is tight quarters for them. There gonna battle non stop. It happened to me I upgraded to a 75g. There all happy now. Just don't put your hand in the tank lol.

 

[dmk6]

Fish places dont often ask important questions such as tank size ect. before people buy fish which is lame.
Most people new to the hobby learn thing the hard way and not until lack of succes do they get a book (that is what happened to me) or go on forums to discover their problems only too late to do much about it.

 

[missie]

Agreed. Upgrade your tank size or rethink your stock.