Bullying issue

[efors]

Hello, Kevin!
In my 55gal I have the same 3 species you have plus Ps. socolofi albino. If as you say the largest lab is looking great, maybe he is the main aggressor; so watch him carefully. But IME, labs and aceis are my 2 most "docile" species; and the rusties chase a lot among themselves; so maybe the aggresor is another rusty and that's what I think is more likely to be happening. Also, as Wyomingite pointed out, the fact that the rusties are so small compared with the others, is one of major concern.
And don't get frustrated! Things will go better soon! Keep us updated so we can continue to help you.

 

[Kevin007]

My rusties are just dropping off one by one, I don't know what I can do, separate them and raise them in different tanks?

I don't know who the aggressor is but I hate loosing fish.

I never netted the 1st dead rustie and i can't find this one either...I don't want the dead body to mess with the water chemistry, any chance that they are already eaten? That'll explain the missing bodies.

 

[roadrunnermalwi]

thats a good chance also you may find small pieces when you clean your tank or when you move things around good luck

 

[Rbishop]

Good advice being given, but frankly, you need a lot more cover, IMO. You have plenty of rock, but it isn't stacked to create territories or provide ample hiding spots.

 

[Wyomingite]

...But IME, labs and aceis are my 2 most "docile" species; and the rusties chase a lot among themselves; so maybe the aggresor is another rusty and that's what I think is more likely to be happening...

That mirrors my experiences with all three species as well. That's why I was wondering about sex; if ya started with 2 or more males out of 5 total the largest male may be trying to scare away the competition as they all start into sexual maturity. And in the confines of the aquarium, the smaller ones can only go so far and therefore continue to get abused.

Try stacking the rocks differenty. I thought it adequate, Mr. Bishop disagrees. Regardless, it won't hurt anything, and I've been wrong before.

WYite

 

[efors]

Good advice being given, but frankly, you need a lot more cover, IMO. You have plenty of rock, but it isn't stacked to create territories or provide ample hiding spots.

:iagree:. I even think you should add a few more rocks if possible. A different stacking with a few more rocks providing a lot of hiding spots, should be enough to end your problem; IMHO.

 

[Pittbull]

hey kevin do you have a current photo if so post it aye so we can see what your seeing, later my friend..

 

[blue2fyre]

I was looking at my mbuna tank earlier this week and got to thinking about my rock formations. I had lots of rock but very few places that my fish could actually get into. I did a complete redesign and made sure to stack my rocks to provide larger caves and more places to hide. It's really helped the aggression in my tank since my fish have more of a variety of hiding places.
I guess what i'm trying to say is when I set up the tank I just add a bunch of rock because I knew I should, what I didn't think about was the fish needing caves more than just rocks. I hope this helps and good luck

 

[efors]

hey kevin do you have a current photo if so post it aye so we can see what your seeing, later my friend..

Looking Pittbull's comment, now I have this question: Is your current tank setup the same that appears on your link in post #6 of this thread or did you have changed it?

 

[Pittbull]

oh ok i see that you did post photos back when aye ok well buddy if it is setup like it is in the last photo with the sand and few rock piles which does look great by the way if so with the stocking you have mentioned well you definitely need more rock zones and or piles aye, and always remember mbuna are mbuna i know they say there are some species that are less timid but they all can be little terrors aye in my 22 years i have witness a few yellow labs be complete terrors from time to time and had to actually remove them from a setup due to aggression its obvious that there is a pecking order in your setup so the question should be do you add more rocks or remove a certain group of fishes, me i like the photo you have of the nice stratigically placed rock formations looks sweet so as for me i would remove the rusties and just stick with the acei's and yellow labido's, just my fore thought.. good luck buddy..