Tail Nipping Mystery

[DustinGerard89]

I had a small tail nipping problem in my 55 gallon and figured it was my skunk loach because they are known for agression and fin nipping, but i got rid of him a few days ago and it seems worse... As of now I have:

2 white skirts
A 1 inch EBJD
A 3 inch Blue Acara
3 clown loaches
3 corey cats
1 festivum
A 1.5 inch severum
A 2 inch kribensis
A 1 inch albino pleco

Does anyone have an idea of which of these fish are most likely to the culpit? Ive heard less than 5 white skirts can be a problem, but it seems odd for them to mess with cichlids.

 

[MBOU]

Who is getting nipped? Personally I would say its bullying going on between cichlids...

 

[BigFish01]

is that 2 white skirt tetras? if so they should be in groups of 6 or more and they COULD be the ones nipping. My black skirt tetras when i had 2 were very nippy

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

I'd say the kribensis is the culprit. Small, alone and everyone thinks they're good tankmates lol

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I had a small tail nipping problem in my 55 gallon and figured it was my skunk loach because they are known for agression and fin nipping, but i got rid of him a few days ago and it seems worse... As of now I have:

2 white skirts
A 1 inch EBJD
A 3 inch Blue Acara
3 clown loaches
3 corey cats
1 festivum
A 1.5 inch severum
A 2 inch kribensis
A 1 inch albino pleco

Does anyone have an idea of which of these fish are most likely to the culpit? Ive heard less than 5 white skirts can be a problem, but it seems odd for them to mess with cichlids.

Stocking with 5 different cichlid species in a (55 US gallon?) is pushing it, this will be a tank of stress the older they get, nipping you have now could just be the minor beginnings of trouble.
 
The skirt tetra could well be nippy in such low numbers, if you had stocking space I would be upping these to 8-10 specimens.
 
Clown Loaches will quickly need a bigger tank than a typical 55g (they should rapidly reach ~15cm and be active), a 5-foot tank would keep them going for a few years, but long term they need at least a 6x2x2. They also should be kept in higher numbers, they form a complex hierachy like many loaches, so should be kept in 6s at the very least but 10+ is far better. In such low numbers, they could be nipping at others.
 
Which Corydoras species? Very few are suitable to mix with loaches, which tend to heavily outcompete them for food that reaches the tank floor, with the odd exception like "Kuhli" Loaches. Again, these are social fish and should be kept in at least 6s, ideally 10+.
 
There is every possibility that your "albino plec" is from the Pteryglopichthys family ("common", "Sailfin" etc.) that exceed 45cm and need a 6-foot tank.
 
You have a lot to sort out here IMO, for both the short- and long- term welfare of your pets.