Overstocking cichlids?
- Thread starter Sym
- Start date
Overstocking South/Central American Cichlids induces aggressive behavior. This is due to they are very aggressive by nature, and will attack and often kill in a overstocked tank due to lack of territory.
Here are some ideas, just follow the link to the bottom of the page and there a couple of suggestions for a couple of types of Malawi setups for a 55 gallon.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php
The reason africans can be overstocked so easily is becuase they generally stay small, and have a live to fight another day attitude. Not to say they won't kill other fish, but it isn't anything like the lip locking fight to the death battle royale that CA and SA bruisers can engage in. Especially large ones, with no where to run, its almost sad.
In a LFS I once saw a 16 or 17 inch crenicichla, locking lips with some other fish, I can't remember what it was. Probably a large dempsey, or maybe even a Jag.. in a 4 or 5 foot tank, but, after the pike kicked the beans out of the other cichlid, it tried to turn and run, but it ran into the glass, stunned itself, and then got its eyes pecked out and rammed to death by the pike. All in a few minutes.
After I saw this incident, I decided anything but a Huge 200+ gallon aquarium, is inadequate for bruisers to live together in my home.
Lots of people do have successful large aquariums of bruisers, I just don't want to attempt a real group of bruisers, until I can provide at least 6 feet to run.
In a LFS I once saw a 16 or 17 inch crenicichla, locking lips with some other fish, I can't remember what it was. Probably a large dempsey, or maybe even a Jag.. in a 4 or 5 foot tank, but, after the pike kicked the beans out of the other cichlid, it tried to turn and run, but it ran into the glass, stunned itself, and then got its eyes pecked out and rammed to death by the pike. All in a few minutes.
After I saw this incident, I decided anything but a Huge 200+ gallon aquarium, is inadequate for bruisers to live together in my home.
Lots of people do have successful large aquariums of bruisers, I just don't want to attempt a real group of bruisers, until I can provide at least 6 feet to run.
The point about overstocking Africans is that by overstocking you prevent any one fish from claiming a large territory and defending it to the death, and also that the large amount of fish in the tank prevent any one or two fish from continuous harassment.
From what I gather of the larger SA cichlids this doesn't work, as their attitude is that 'I am claiming this territory anyway and now I must beat the tar out of all those who look like they are a threat to it'. So overstocking in the african style simply leads to murder by fish, as opposed to that wonderful schizophrenic 'balance' that a correctly over-stocked tank of e.g. mbuna achieves.
From what I gather of the larger SA cichlids this doesn't work, as their attitude is that 'I am claiming this territory anyway and now I must beat the tar out of all those who look like they are a threat to it'. So overstocking in the african style simply leads to murder by fish, as opposed to that wonderful schizophrenic 'balance' that a correctly over-stocked tank of e.g. mbuna achieves.
In some cases, even overstocking africans isn't an effective 'aggression control' technique.
Certain species of mbuna (particularly the highly conspecific aggressive ones) can totally disregard all other mbuna species (regardless of quantity) in the tank and 'lock on' to just that other fish which happens to be of the same species.
Certain species of mbuna (particularly the highly conspecific aggressive ones) can totally disregard all other mbuna species (regardless of quantity) in the tank and 'lock on' to just that other fish which happens to be of the same species.
Agreed. This method is said to work only for African cichlids, and specifically for Mbuna, I think. This will NOT work for SA/CA cichlids, and you'll have a bloodbath on your hands.