Wehomitch
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Hello fellow fish enthusiasts. I'm a new member and have already found much needed advice and information. I have a 60 gallon cichlid tank with one large, around 12" long, Pleco that I purchased three months ago. He was less than 3" long at the time but grew much faster and larger than I had anticipated and outgrew his original 40 gal home that houses nearly 100 other fish. All fat (too fat) and happy. Enough about him. LOL I seldom lose fish. Until the past week or so I had lost 4 fish out of around 150 or so of varying types. I have gradually introduced a few more varieties into the cichlid tank and all peacefully coexist except two tiny bullies, one being from the original stocking. I am new at the cichlid game, so please feel free to laugh but only behind my back. I have electric blues, Texas greens, red parrots, albino Jacks, buttakofris, yellow somethings, bla bla bla. The problem fish, and by far the least appealing visually have remained small (around 3" length) but are little S.O.B.s! I have absolutely no idea what kind they are. The have a very long dorsal fin that extends the length of the body, they are greenish/yellowish and striped. There is a band of yellow edging the dorsal fin and tails. When I introduced the second one to the crowd, the two squared off, and I was pretty sure it would be a battle to the death. Each has since staked out their territory at opposite ends of the tank. While the much larger Jacks and parrots lumber through just enjoying life, as to the rest, all are subject to attact. Even the large pleco. During the past week or so I have discovered three of the smaller cichlids dead - mutilated. I have not witnesses such severe attacks, but somebody in there has a shank and is cuttin' some folks. I hate to point fingers, but it has to be one or both of those little unidentified devil fish. I've tried to net them, but they ain't stupid. While it would be no problem to catch any of the others, these two scramble into a cave or under the nearest rock like Bin Laden and always on the lookout for my approach with net or disapproving finger pointing, which actually makes them stop whatever bad thing they are doing at the time. It's actually kind of funny until I leave the room and an unsuspecting passerby gets dragged behind a rock and carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Any advice? How do it catch the two short of removing all the rocks, draining the tank, and disrupting life for the peacefuls?