Stressed Auloncara

[lilcris]

Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting and I'm a new cichlid owner. Last weekend we added a large Otopharyx "Spots" to the tank - he is by far the largest fish and although he's not aggressive, he is a bit of an oaf. The other fish tend to stay away from him, including the most aggressive in the tank. In fact, since his introduction our Sulfurhead Auloncara has found a sheltered spot and does not move much during the day. He will not eat and is far less active than he used to be. Perhaps it was a mistake to add a considerably larger fish to a tank full of mostly juveniles? Any suggestions on how to help the Aulonocara? Will he venture out over time or will he simply wither away?

A bit about my tank:
55 gallon Malawi
Temp: 78F
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: .05
Nitrate: 2.0
Nitrite: 0.0
Gh: 107.4
Kh: 214.8

Tank mates: I'll do my best to name them all
1 Auloncara stuartgrandotti (wild, same size as Sulphurhead, not aggressive)
2 Haplochromis Fire (I think 1 male, 1 female, both very timid, neither seem to be thriving)
1 Aulonocara Eureka (mildly aggressive)
1 Pleco
4 yellow labs
2 Melanochromus joanjohnsonae
2 Powder Blue (1 male, 1 female - demonstrating tons of spawning behavior, male was boss of tank and most aggressive)

There are others, but I can't identify them all. I think we have about 23-25 juveniles in the tank. Most are very peaceful.

Any suggestion are welcome. This is actually my husband's tank, but the Sulphurhead is my "baby" and I'd be pretty ticked if he died.

 

[mattrox]

Shy behaviour is sometimes a sign of disease. Make sure you can get a good look at him and make sure he is eating.

It also might be just a change in the pecking order.

 

[lilcris]

Thanks mattrox. He looks perfectly healthy, but is very "quiet" in the tank and hasn't eaten in three weeks. No sign of bloat, no color changes, no weird film on the scales. We added two new Auloncara last week and they aren't eating either. There is very little aggression in the tank, but the otopharynx is full-grown and may be upsetting the others.

I don't know. I'm about to give up. At $50 a pop for each of the unhappy fish, I can't afford this hobby!

 

[Oblivion]

if things were good before you added the last fish i'd say theres a good chance he is the problem with your tank at the moment.

i guess its one of those things, i have little 2 +1/2" maingano's and if pushed they put the fear in some of the bigger fish like my electric blue

then i have other fish like the electric blue, and when breeding their movements/body language and the larger size seems to intimidate smaller fish and they tend to feel uncomfortable around the bigger one, and move away for some quiet space.

i always go by the rule that any new additions have to be no bigger than the average sized fish in my tank or smaller.
i wont add adults that are larger and upset the top of the heirarchy (start wars), and i dont add little juveniles that'll just get bullied or stressed..
of course that can make finding your favourite's that will fit in quite tough