Establishing Territories

[andyG44]

I have read a lot on cichlids malawi because I was trying to choose what fish to put in the 350 lt tank. Those Cichlids as well as other fish try to "defend their territory" and there are bits of advice for example "re-arrange the ornaments and rocks so as to erase the zones and let the fish start again" etc.
 
So I was looking at pictures of cichlids tanks, filled to the brim with fish of course, and also my 180 lt community tank, and I cannot see any territories or any reasonable way of them being established.
 
For example I have 4 golden barbs which like to chase eash other and they dart from one end to the other in a second, upheaving everything else in the process. I have a group of much smaller galaxy rasboras that seem to school with the neon tetras and many times in between the leaves of a large plant, but again not always. Other fish come and go all over. The 3 mollies visit every corner of the tank and the 13 or so guppies also go everywhere.
 
I cannot see a practical way for a fish to hold on to some territory because there are so many fish all over the place.
 
Maybe if I had say 2-3 fish in a very large tank it might make more sense, but with many fish, eg community or Cichlids it does not.
 
Am I right?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Fish behavior is different from species to species.  None of the species you described - barbs, galaxy rasboras, neon tetras, mollies - are territorial.  The barbs do set up a pecking order and continually have 'spats' to reestablish that, but not a distinct territory, as they are largely mid water swimmers.  The same is true of the rasboras, although they are far less aggressive with one another and you may not see any such signs.  The mollies are mainly into breeding... and males will harass females constantly or spar with other males for breeding rights.  
 
 
Now cichlids, on the other hand, are bottom dwellers (by and large) and have very unique breeding rituals - which include clearing off a specific area for them to breed on - lay eggs, fertilize, and raise the young, etc.  So, when comparing cichlids to other species, it doesn't really work.  
 
 
African cichlids DO set-up territories... and that's why you need to have a lot of rocks, etc in the tank.  These are the territorial markers.  

 

[Vethian]

I have 3 dwarf gourami and I can see where their zones are.  I have a temple that is hollow with entrances.  One stays in and out of it.  Another stays in a mat of java fern.  The third stays around a group of taller plants on one side.  If any crosses into the other zone...i see flashing and chasing.  during feeding time, however, the walls are down.  when the food is gone, they return to their zones.
 
this only applies to the gourami.  i have other fish in the tank and they are left alone to go where they please.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yup, dwarf gouramis are territorial fish.

 

[Akasha72]

I see the territorial thing mostly from my angelfish. At one time (back when I had a Rio 180) I had my breeding pair of laetacara curviceps, a breeding pair of Bolivian rams and a pair of angelfish that someone gave me. The problem with cichlids is they release hormones into the water when they are ready to breed and so in my case curviceps would set things off. They'd start their breeding ritual and then the rams would pick up on it and they'd start too ... by this stage curviceps had already laid eggs in their territory at the right side of the tank. A couple of days later the rams would lay eggs in their territory at the left side of the tank ... but then the angels would decide to join in and because the other two cichlids had each side the poor angels had nowhere to go that was safe from aggression. In the end I had to re-home the angels as the war was just too much to bear.
Once the angels were re-homed all was fine. Curviceps had their territory and so did the rams ... provided no-one stepped over the line things stayed calm ... ish!
 
Now things have changed. I have a bigger tank and the rams have passed on and the new angels were their replacement but the angels want the whole tank as territory and my poor male curviceps doesn't really have a territory now. He just bimbles about the tank, comes out into the open to eat and then goes back to bimbling about in the plants staying out of the angels way. I am considering getting male curviceps a new mate since his Mrs died but there are times that I watch the territorial behaviour from my angels and wonder if I'd just be creating a war zone by adding a new female cuviceps.