Anyone Have Success With This?

[Larkspur]

Background info (skip if you don't feel like reading a novel):

My bf and I have a 37 gallon tank that had 6 African cichlids in it. Well, it was fine and dandy until they grew on us and the aggression began. After a spout of bad water we lost a yellow lab cichlid and had to remove the other lab to the quarantine tank. It was down to 4 cichlids and the 3 males took over and the small (we think female...its blue with no egg spots) was unable to leave hiding unless feeding time. We had to get more cichlids to even out the aggression a tad.

We were waiting on the local fish store to get more african cichlids in. When he did they were WAY too small to add to the main tank. He only had 2 suitably sized ones he could sell us. He sold us an "albino wannabe" as he is diluted in color, but not albino. And he also sold us a true albino. (Very gorgeous!) He was originally not going to sell the albino to us because he said albinos are better for people who've dealt with african cichlids longer and have a more stable tank. I think he felt bad because he couldn't sell us any of the others due to size differences.

We added the 2 new ones and also readded the old one who had been out of the tank for 2 weeks. We figured 3 fish being put in at once would help disperse aggression. Well, the 3 "males?" chased the two new ones around, ignored the old tankmate (recognized him I guess? He's half the size of them and they never act truly violent to him!) The 2 new ones are both larger than the fish already in the tank. They were immediately chased around. The dominant fish, Bumblebee, (you can guess his species) made the new guys miserable! They seemed to chill out after a while so we turned out the light and called it a day.

What happened:

Went over to my boyfriends house this afternoon and the new albino cichlid was missing his ENTIRE tail!!! He was lying on his side under a decoration trying to hide. The other new one is missing about a 3rd of his tail, but he's settled in and is actually able to swim around the tank now as long as he avoids the bumblebee cichlid.

We panicked, my bf cursed out Bumblebee and said quote: "You're lucky you aren't any other type of animal because I'd spank you!!" We put the albino in the grow out, previously quarantine, tank. He laid around on his side some, but later he was sitting up right on the gravel and within 2 hours he was swimming with the cichlids half his size and coming to the top when we put a bit of food in there.

I'm afraid since he has nothing, but a nub he's not going to pull through! I've seen damaged fins, but a whole dang tail!! What to do? I added extra aquarium salt to the 10 gallon he is sharing with the six-ish young cichlids already.

Suggestions? Anyone have any personal experience like this?

Sorry for the novel. I tend to be one of those people that like to tell a story. I can never just get to the point.

 

[Ben M]

hi, have you put both of the injured fish in the quarantine tank? if so, they have a decent chance of them surviving now that there isn't a fish attacking them. if you keep the water really clean with regular water changes, and watch out for fungus, then they could pull through. i've had fish with shredded fins before that have been fine. once one of my SAE's managed to get stuck in the hole in the lid of my breeding trap. he took off loads of scales, and had a massive red patch, but pulled through and is fine now. i think fish are tougher than a lot of people think.

good look with them.

 

[Tolak]

Daily 50%+ water changes the first week, every other day the second week. This works better than anything you can add to the water. I've had countless torn up ciclids in breeding & pairing incidents, smaller tanks are easier to change lots of water on, moving the fish to the 10 gallon is a good idea.

 

[Larkspur]

Thanks for the input!

My bf has been doing daily water changes as it is on the 10 gallon, but only about 20-25% I believe. With 8 young cichlids and 2 small syndontis in there he has to keep up with the mess they make! We're power feeding them too as directed so they grow at a faster rate, but only adds more mess.

I'll tell him to up the water changes to 50% for at least a week. We won't be adding the albino back to the 37. What we'll end up doing is adding all the younger fish and him to the 55 once its set up the end of next month estimated. Then we'll add in the bullies after the others have had time to settle in.

We also invested in some pvc piping as we heard it makes great hiding spots for cichlids and helps them avoid conflicts!

And we're going to keep the other cichlid in the 37 since he's finally been accepted into the gang. They've stopped biting at him. His tail is damaged on the tip, but most of it is there. If it looks problemsome I'll move him too, but I think he's healthy enough he'd pick on the small cichlids in the 10 gallon. He's already defending himself when the others swim near him in the 37.