Bull of a convict cichlid scared of a tiny loach

[Jack17]

Hi everyone. I have a 125l tank with 2 breeding pairs of convict cichlids, the breeding pairs are very aggressive to all my other fish if anything approaches their nest including my hand, they will bite and attack me and anything else. Both pairs the males are around 4inches long and not far off an inch thick. I have a yoyo loach thats around 2inches long, its not aggresive ive never seen it attack. But the cichlids will allow it into their nest and eat their eggs from right under theirs noses. You can see how cautious the convicts are of the loach as they gently try to hesitantly nudge away the loach, i just dont understand what they are scared of. You can see by the convicts behaviour they are not happy about the loach eating the eggs but they are to scared to attack. If anything else goes within a fews inches of the nest the male and female team up and brutally attack it, including a 6inch long unknown huge malawi. The loach will also steal food from the mouth of the most dominant fish in the tank which is strange because nothing else would dare try

 

[Metalhead88]

Cichlids are defiantly most aggressive towards other cichlids because they are seen as competition...... I can't make sense why they would allow the loach to in and eat the eggs though.

 

[Jack17]

it cleans them out right under their noses. You can see them scared to bite almost like they think his venomous. Im wondering if its natures intent. A yoyo loach has stripes stripes in nature normally meam danger. I didnt know if there skin maybe contained some kind of irritant. The cichlids will enlarge their mouth and knock theirs head against him but wont attack.

 

[Retired Viking]

I had African Cichlids years ago in a 55 gallon. They were a rescue and ended up attacking the other fish. I had a red/black striped loach that had his own hiding spot. They pretty much left him alone. They ended up taking over the tank and breeding like crazy. Started with like 8 and ended up with over 50 that year.