robertmarda
Aquarium Advice Freak
On 17 Jan 2004 I put my first aggressive fish into my 55 gallon tank. At that time a number of community and semi-aggressive fish including 2 diamond tetras, 1 emperor tetra, 1 black neon tetra, 1 silver lyre-tail molly, black molly, blue powder gourami, 2 cherry barbs, 1 dawn platy, 1 pleco, 2 guppies, 1 fiddler crab, 1 albino tiger barb, and some tiger barbs.
The aggressive fish I added was a half inch long convict cichlid. When I put him in the tank he was the smallest fish in the tank and always hid out for the first few weeks or so.
Later I added a firemouth cichlid and a rainbow cichlid. A good balance was established even though the convict cichlid grew to 6 inches and the firemouth to 5 inches. They did not bother the smaller fish. Then I put in a 5 or 6 inch salvini cichlid (22 July 03) and a 4 inch long red eared slider. The salvini decided he wanted to be king of the tank.
In December 2003 my experiment began falling apart. I believe the salvini cichlid was my undoing. There was a balance with the salvini on one side of the tank and the convict and firemouth together on the other side. In early December I found my turtle eating the firemouth cichlid. I believe the salvini beat him up and then the turtle moved in. The convict cichlid was wounded. I moved both of them to a secondary tank to recover. The firemouth died 13 Dec 03. I put the convict back in the 55 gallon tank in early Jan 2004. I found him beat up badly the next day and so moved him to the secondary tank again. He died 24 Jan 04.
Among the fish that out lived him in the tank (meaning he nor the firemouth killed them): a diamond tetra, a number of mature mollies that were born in my tank, 7 tiger barbs, and 1 green tiger barb.
The last of my semi-aggressive and community fish died when my 3 year old and 5 year old dumped all the shrimp pellets (from a new can) into the fish tank and no one informed me until the late afternoon. The children did this in the morning.
My experiment continues, but with aggressive fish that many would say are not compatible. The salvini cichlid (I think he is 6 or 7 inches long now) mentioned above is still in my 55 gallon tank and basically claims the entire tank as his territory. He doesn't kill the other fish, but they run if he chases them and he is the only aggressive fish that goes where he pleases in the tank. The only other fish that goes where ever it wants is my 9 inch long pleco. He never respects territorial boundaries. I have a red devil that is about an inch longer than the salvini, but he always runs if the salvini takes an aggressive stance against him. I also have a 4 inch long rainbow cichlid, 2 three inch long female convict cichlids, and my 6 inch long red eared slider. Recently I added a 5 inch long male convict cichlid.
He has paired off with one of the females and they are trying to clear a space for eggs and the male has tried to establish a territory. One day the male convict was moving gravel when the salvini decided to swim in there. The convict ran, abandoning his hole in the gravel.
The turtle and pleco always squabble over the food that falls to the bottom. I have in seen the pleco and red devil circling each other as if to attack each other. The red devil recently has decided he doesn't like the pleco and has begun chasing him. The pleco has started avoiding the red devil when he takes an aggressive stance.
Sorry if I rambled too much. This post is mostly to show that you can mix seemingly incompatible fish if you do so with a bit of care and planning.
The aggressive fish I added was a half inch long convict cichlid. When I put him in the tank he was the smallest fish in the tank and always hid out for the first few weeks or so.
Later I added a firemouth cichlid and a rainbow cichlid. A good balance was established even though the convict cichlid grew to 6 inches and the firemouth to 5 inches. They did not bother the smaller fish. Then I put in a 5 or 6 inch salvini cichlid (22 July 03) and a 4 inch long red eared slider. The salvini decided he wanted to be king of the tank.
In December 2003 my experiment began falling apart. I believe the salvini cichlid was my undoing. There was a balance with the salvini on one side of the tank and the convict and firemouth together on the other side. In early December I found my turtle eating the firemouth cichlid. I believe the salvini beat him up and then the turtle moved in. The convict cichlid was wounded. I moved both of them to a secondary tank to recover. The firemouth died 13 Dec 03. I put the convict back in the 55 gallon tank in early Jan 2004. I found him beat up badly the next day and so moved him to the secondary tank again. He died 24 Jan 04.
Among the fish that out lived him in the tank (meaning he nor the firemouth killed them): a diamond tetra, a number of mature mollies that were born in my tank, 7 tiger barbs, and 1 green tiger barb.
The last of my semi-aggressive and community fish died when my 3 year old and 5 year old dumped all the shrimp pellets (from a new can) into the fish tank and no one informed me until the late afternoon. The children did this in the morning.
My experiment continues, but with aggressive fish that many would say are not compatible. The salvini cichlid (I think he is 6 or 7 inches long now) mentioned above is still in my 55 gallon tank and basically claims the entire tank as his territory. He doesn't kill the other fish, but they run if he chases them and he is the only aggressive fish that goes where he pleases in the tank. The only other fish that goes where ever it wants is my 9 inch long pleco. He never respects territorial boundaries. I have a red devil that is about an inch longer than the salvini, but he always runs if the salvini takes an aggressive stance against him. I also have a 4 inch long rainbow cichlid, 2 three inch long female convict cichlids, and my 6 inch long red eared slider. Recently I added a 5 inch long male convict cichlid.
He has paired off with one of the females and they are trying to clear a space for eggs and the male has tried to establish a territory. One day the male convict was moving gravel when the salvini decided to swim in there. The convict ran, abandoning his hole in the gravel.
The turtle and pleco always squabble over the food that falls to the bottom. I have in seen the pleco and red devil circling each other as if to attack each other. The red devil recently has decided he doesn't like the pleco and has begun chasing him. The pleco has started avoiding the red devil when he takes an aggressive stance.
Sorry if I rambled too much. This post is mostly to show that you can mix seemingly incompatible fish if you do so with a bit of care and planning.