One cichlid acting strange? Hiding it a weird place

[SunBear]

I have a 30g tank that I've had for almost a year now, in it I have three Malawi cichlids. The tank levels are right and the temperature is correct, and they have five hiding places. However when I went on vacation and a relative watched them the lights were always on, I guess that stressed them out and the larger one seems to have really beat up my blue cichlid. He healed up, but hid in the corner of the tank most of the time. About two weeks ago he finally started coming out so I figured all was good again, but now he is hiding at the surface between the lip of the filter and the tank. He just flops there all day. I don't even know that he is eating enough because he barely comes out.

I don't know what to do. The other two fish are acting as they always do (although the larger cichlid has claimed two hiding spots now, even after I moved things around).

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

its only there because it has no territory. by the sounds of it you may have an all male tank and this one in the unlucky one.
i think malawis mbuna etc need colonies, especially in tanks over 25g since they claim territory if they have smaller numbers and get way more agressive.

what i suggest is put the two bad fish in a breeder net or QT tank for a week
then rearrange the tank FULLY to destroy all claimed territory
then add about 5 or 6 new malawis of similar type that u r pretty sure are female. if any are male, or very aggro, take them back simple as.
then after another day or two reintroduce the prev fish, so they have to get more territory again but will find it is basically too hard with all the new fish also going for territory.
overstocking = less agression, as long as you remove the meanies if they are untamable x

 

[amanda23]

u should remove them beacuse it will end up dying

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

i had a similar situation, thats why i suggest the thing that may save its life x

 

[SunBear]

I'll have to try to get a net and section off the tank. My local fish store has some cichlids, but they are all so tiny in comparison. I just hope they don't end up dead because of the bigger fish.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

what about another shop then? i think they defo need to be similar size x