Is there a minimum fish size to ensure survivability?

[Shanimal67]

I have a fairly new, not-yet-finished cycling 75 gallon all cichlid tank with Peacocks and Haps. There are 11 fish, so obviously I'm not overstocked. All the fish are between 2-3" juveniles. There is your typical chasing and territorial behavior, but no nipping that I can see (and I watch closely).

Having said all that, I have now lost two fish due to what I think is essentially bullying, and the subsequent stress. The common denominator is that they were both smaller than the rest. They struggled to compete for food and eventually were forced into vacant parts of the tank until they finally just died.

I'm hoping somebody more experienced than me can tell me if I am doing something wrong and/or that this behavior is normal for these somewhat aggressive fish.

I'm feeling like there is a reason most people I see on YouTube and the like seem to only buy and keep fish that have made it thru fish puberty. Thoughts?

 

[SherLar]

Well, I should give the normal lecture on not adding any fish until the tank has fully cycled, but I won't, as you already have fish in the tank.
Cichlids will be cichlids; that's why we love them. While it's possible that your fish died from the stress of being bullied, it's also as likely that they died from the stress of being in a tank that wasn't fully cycled. I'm sorry if I sound preachy; I don't mean to.
AS to a minimum size, you wouldn't want to put 1" juveniles into a tank of fully grown peacocks, unless there were ample unused hides for the juveniles, and you added the new fish as a group. Some dominance issues will always occur when new fish are added, until all the fish figure out their place in the hierarchy. Normally this doesn't result in severe damage, but damage and death do happen on occasion. If you feel that aggression is a problem now, try rearranging your decor shortly before lights out. Often, rearranging decor will have your fish too bust looking for new territory to worry about dominance issues. Often, this can even change the overall dynamic of the tank, with an entirely different fish emerging as the tank boss, so to speak.
Now that I've been on my soapbox, I'll tell you that I often break the rules of fish-keeping, and in the case of my mixed Malawi tank, I usually just leave the fry in the tank with no adverse effects except overstocking, so that I find it necessary to occasionally remove and rehome several fry, usually Mbuna. The fry, when they first become free-swimming, are usually only about .3", and while they hid for a few days, by the time they're .75", they'll be swimming throughout the tank and intermingling with the adult fish.

 

[Shanimal67]

Well, I should give the normal lecture on not adding any fish until the tank has fully cycled, but I won't, as you already have fish in the tank.
Cichlids will be cichlids; that's why we love them. While it's possible that your fish died from the stress of being bullied, it's also as likely that they died from the stress of being in a tank that wasn't fully cycled. I'm sorry if I sound preachy; I don't mean to.
AS to a minimum size, you wouldn't want to put 1" juveniles into a tank of fully grown peacocks, unless there were ample unused hides for the juveniles, and you added the new fish as a group. Some dominance issues will always occur when new fish are added, until all the fish figure out their place in the hierarchy. Normally this doesn't result in severe damage, but damage and death do happen on occasion. If you feel that aggression is a problem now, try rearranging your decor shortly before lights out. Often, rearranging decor will have your fish too bust looking for new territory to worry about dominance issues. Often, this can even change the overall dynamic of the tank, with an entirely different fish emerging as the tank boss, so to speak.
Now that I've been on my soapbox, I'll tell you that I often break the rules of fish-keeping, and in the case of my mixed Malawi tank, I usually just leave the fry in the tank with no adverse effects except overstocking, so that I find it necessary to occasionally remove and rehome several fry, usually Mbuna. The fry, when they first become free-swimming, are usually only about .3", and while they hid for a few days, by the time they're .75", they'll be swimming throughout the tank and intermingling with the adult fish.

I appreciate the insight. Sincerely. I have successfully cycled several tanks with fish in.....and I am painfully aware of the debate of cycling. I think you are probably right BTW for what it's worth. I should have waited. My water quality has been monitored daily and I think I have done about as good a job as is possible all things considered. Frankly, the bioload is so light given the size of the fish relative to the tank, that the cycle is proving to be painfully slow. Aggression has not been a significant issue, and the points you make regarding leaving fry in the tank suggest the size issue is in fact not an issue. I guess I'll ride it out, hopefully not lose anymore fish thru the process, and refrain from adding any additional fish until the tank is showing 0/0/10-20. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts...much appreciated.