I am very new to the world of cichlids and I have been staring at my tank for the past couple minutes and wondered what 'aggression' really means when it is applied to fish.
My thinking is that aggression is easy to point out in humans and even other pets like dogs and lizards, but when a fish is aggressive, what does it really mean?
Can one fish kill another fish just by chasing it around the tank? Sure, I understand how a piranha can kill a fish, but I mean as far as cichlids goes, they dont seem to have huge teeth capable of taking a chunk out of another fish.
Right now I have P. kennyi and M. auratus in my tank (9 total) who are just small little things, about 2 inches at the most. The first comment I get from everyone I tell about my tank says "Ooooh, they are mean fish!". Still, I just dont really see it.
Dont get me wrong, I have posted in other areas of this forum about my tirals with keeping eels in the tank as well as a chinese algea eater, who both got beat up pretty quickly. But is this aggression mostly going to be exhibited on other, more relaxed, fish or will it become a problem within the same species?
I kept four rainbow sharks before also, which I have come to learn that they are aggressive toward fish of their own species or ones that look alike. But the highest extent of anything I saw was some chasing around the tank, much like I am noticing now with these new fish.
What should I look for? nipped fins? constantly hiding fish? How will I be able to recognize who the culprit is?
Yea, I know, dumb questions probrably, but I have never really thought about it before or known what to look for.
My thinking is that aggression is easy to point out in humans and even other pets like dogs and lizards, but when a fish is aggressive, what does it really mean?
Can one fish kill another fish just by chasing it around the tank? Sure, I understand how a piranha can kill a fish, but I mean as far as cichlids goes, they dont seem to have huge teeth capable of taking a chunk out of another fish.
Right now I have P. kennyi and M. auratus in my tank (9 total) who are just small little things, about 2 inches at the most. The first comment I get from everyone I tell about my tank says "Ooooh, they are mean fish!". Still, I just dont really see it.
Dont get me wrong, I have posted in other areas of this forum about my tirals with keeping eels in the tank as well as a chinese algea eater, who both got beat up pretty quickly. But is this aggression mostly going to be exhibited on other, more relaxed, fish or will it become a problem within the same species?
I kept four rainbow sharks before also, which I have come to learn that they are aggressive toward fish of their own species or ones that look alike. But the highest extent of anything I saw was some chasing around the tank, much like I am noticing now with these new fish.
What should I look for? nipped fins? constantly hiding fish? How will I be able to recognize who the culprit is?
Yea, I know, dumb questions probrably, but I have never really thought about it before or known what to look for.
