Question

[JonZeigler]

I am just curious! Is the Red Zebra one of the most aggressive fish, or are there others that are worst???
Just a ???????:hmm:

PS: All seven of the fry are doing well:D

[fOx]

In my personal experience the zebra is bad for agression, but no where near as bad my Kennyi!!

just my 0.02 cents...

fOx

[Dave Schulman]

Red zebras are the most agressive cichlid ive ever had, but then again my psedotropheus tropheus is pretty bad off too. There are alot of mean ones to look out for though.
"The Angryfish":sygypsy:

[DG]

my male socolofi is worse than my red zebra. But my female aratus rules the tank!!!

[jonah]

I would rank red zebras in the middle of the pack for aggression. They're more aggressive than many fish, but I can think of a dozen that are far worse.

[Mbuniac]

Red Zebra (Maylandia estherae) like many other mbuna can have different personalities. My male was pretty mellow (til my wife murdered him). But Jonah is right, they are about in the middle of the pack overall.
"They aren't nearly as aggessive as some (e.g. Kenyii or Auratus).

[JonZeigler]

The one that I have now has been with me since the beginning. When all the other have come and gone, he thrives. He has always chase the other fish. I have a Red Top that grew up to be just as big and I looks like he's not going to make it. :( He chased him all the time.
What do I do about introducing the fry to the tank? How long should I wait. They're almost two months and in a holding tank. I am going to purchase a 55gal later, but I still have him in the twenty. I might have to wait until they out grow the holding tank.
Mbuniac - sorry about your wife.

[DG]

best to get rid of it. I had to get rid of one of my red zebra's because he was just to violent :(

[Mbuniac]

She will never admit it, but while I was out of state she was feeding the fish for me. When I got back my male Red Zebra was gone. Pretty sure he bailed out of the tank while she was feeding them and turned himself into a snack for our dog. The dog's philosophy for life is "No morsel of food shall reach the ground"!

[DG]

As the old saying goes "the needs of the many out weight the needs of the few/one". Its for the best (and serves him right :D)

[Mbuniac]

Maybe so, but I'm never going to let her live it down.

[JonZeigler]

I just can't get rid of him. Not only is he beautiful, but he was one of first fish I brought when I return to my hoppy. I just don't have the heart.

[DG]

Mbuniac - Actually that is a bit of a cheek. Make the woman PAY :D

[Tony]

JonZeigler :If any thing matters most in cichlids It is size.I had a few Livingstonii they were the same size as all the other cichlids in the 55 gal community tank. but they ran! all of them were cowards. When they became full grown adults..... they were the ones who were terriors.I had a Chipokee male in the same tank ,he was one cichlid that all the others just left alone. Not aggresive but his cave was his!My big vote goes to the Demasoni this is one cichlid that will not live in a community tank.They just chase and nip at all other types of cichlid. Once it gets a cichlid on the run it keeps chasing untill it hides all the time or gets stressed and is forced out of the tank. Just one very aggressive type of cichlid. Cheers..... Tony.

[DeadI]

I have an Aurata, Kenyii, Bumble Bee, Jewels, and a Scolfi (I think) and none of them are as bad as my Melachromis Johanni, I think he is actually a hybrid of the elec blue, He is definatly the most agressive in the tank, and by far the most colorfull.

[HazeGirl]

I had 2 red zebras in my tank, they were gorgeous! Especially the big one, he was also the meanie. However when I brought him to the lfs the smaller one took over. Imagine a little one inch guy ruling over fish twice his size, it was amusing, but really stressed out my electric blue.

[merlyn2221]

Originally posted by Mbuniac
Red Zebra (Maylandia estherae) like many other mbuna can have different personalities. My male was pretty mellow (til my wife murdered him).

Um...that sounds like an interesting story.

My vote is for the socolofi, too. My red zebra is fairly calm, but she's wicked! The lombardoi (kenyii) are next on the list. Topping them all, though, but not an mbuna, is my venustus. I still can't figure out if it's a male or female, but it sure is evil! :twisted: My husband calls it the "grim reaper fish."

Mbuniac and DG: You guys are RATS!!! :rofl2: And talk about cheek. Man, don't let me do anything wrong in front of you! :lol:

JonZeigler: can you get him his own tank? Like maybe a 20g long???

[JonZeigler]

merlyn2221, the one that I have is productive. I have the seven fry that are coming up on two months. I want to keep the same species together. I am getting a 55g, and will transfer them there. Leaving the Red Top in the twenty. Hummmm-wonder if a 55g and a 20g on a the same stand is a good idea, on a two floor apartment.:confused:
My wife stays away from the tank, so, I have no vote.:wink:

[merlyn2221]

Originally posted by JonZeigler
Hummmm-wonder if a 55g and a 20g on a the same stand is a good idea, on a two floor apartment.:confused:
My wife stand away from the tank, so, I have no vote.:wink:

Oh boy can I relate to that!! :rolleyes: You should see what I have to do to talk my husband into "fish stuff." :lol:

I don't know about the weight, but I know that if it's a metal stand, and you put some plywood on the bottom shelf, you can put a 20g there. I have a 55g with 2 10g and a 5g under it. I used to have a 20g, a 10g, and a 5g there before. Before that I had a 10g and 2 5g. My 20g is now in the bedroom.

But my house is built on a concrete slab, so it's a little different! :eeek:

[DG]

Originally posted by merlyn2221


Mbuniac and DG: You guys are RATS!!! :rofl2: And talk about cheek. Man, don't let me do anything wrong in front of you! :lol:



A mans fish (or anything else) are sacred. You just cant mess with them. Its the unwritten law!!:razz:

I'll put my vote as well for my socolofi.

But you know what i've noticed in the tank since this thread. The only fish which are vicious are the ones who have claimed a hiding space. The rest of them (no matter how big) just mind their own business.

[JonZeigler]

DG - I don't know if that applies, because, when I sometimes rearrange that rock formation, he just take over the new caves anyway. He might just be use to being the dominant fish!
merlyn2221 - Are your tanks on the second floor?

Any suggestions on how long I should wait until I introduce the fry? Should I wait until I get the 50g. The Red Zebra and the Red Hat or kind of big, but I have a Zebra and a Cuminous(not sure of the spelling) that are just twice the size of the fry - they're growing fast.:)

[DG]

Originally posted by JonZeigler
DG - I don't know if that applies, because, when I sometimes rearrange that rock formation, he just take over the new caves anyway. He might just be use to being the dominant fish!


Thats what i'm talking about. The fish's that keep on trying to claim some rock space are the ones that willattack other fish. Then you got the fish which never bother to claim any space no matter how big or how many times you move the rock around.

[JonZeigler]

Now I agree with you 100%.

[JonZeigler]

Dg -
The fish's that keep on trying to claim some rock space are the ones that willattack other fish. Then you got the fish which never bother to claim any space no matter how big or how many times you move the rock around.

I Agree 100%. That is my experience, and it seems that once established, he calms down a little. Since starting this thread, (I indicated that the Red Top was the same size,but was getting beaten up - fins and tail are starting to go) the Red Top seems to be hanging in there.

[merlyn2221]

If the "Red Top" submits, there may be somewhat of a tentative peace.

The "hidey holes" are of primary concern to any and all rock dwellers. My socolofi will chase fish clear across the 120g if they are even remotely close to her cave! Even after rock rearranging she does this and always chooses a spot right in the middle of the front of the tank.:rolleyes:

[DG]

:D

Another thing i noticed was when i had to do tank repairs, i had to put all the fish into a 3ft tank. All i put in was some sand + a few plants. aThey were in for about 1 and a half weeks. After a bit of chasing in the first 2 days, non of the fishs were chasing or fighting. It was calm because there were no rocks to claim. So when i had my big tank repaired, i thougth i'd do the same (just a few big rocks), and there was no fighting at all. But the problem was the tank looked dull. So i put all the rocks back and my big socolofi, johanni and aratus claimed their spaces and nip at anyone who comes close.

merlynn - its funny how they always pick the middle spot :)

[merlyn2221]

Yes, it is. I am getting new fish today, so took out all the rocks last night. The socolofi has been an angel since I took away her cave!

[DG]

I remember when i was finding out about malawi, the guy at the fish shop told me to jam up my tank with rocks or else there would be hell!! Seems the complete opposite in my experience.

And another time i was in the fish shop, i was looking at some malawi and there was a guy and his wife next to me who said to me 'its funny how in the shop, the fish are so peaceful. But as soon as you get them home, they'll fight like mad'.

I reckon ist all rock related in some way.

[JonZeigler]

OK - since starting this thread, I have notice that all the fish in my tank have gone MAD. The Red Top is still being chased by the Zebra, and now the two little ones are getting into the act. The Metriaclima Callainos - Demon (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/photocontest/images/4d61747265787a430.jpg) (I finally got the species) is starting to chase the little Zebra, and the dominate Zebra is chasing everyone else; even the little Zebra. Boy it's catch'n hell.
The little Zebra has the blue tinge on its lower fins and lower body. I don't see any egg spots. Maybe female????
I don't know, it may have something to do with not doing water change( I've been lazy lately). :rolleyes:

[DG]

One of my red zebra's started turning blue and was really aggressive. I took him back to the shop because i had bought the fish for its orange colour. He will eventually turn blue (the body). So i got him swapped. I think only the males turn blue in later life.

Might be worth you trying for a day with no rocks inside the tank. It helped calm mine down.

[JonZeigler]

To late. I check this morning and the little Zebra is dyeing. Exhausted!

[DG]

Poor fish. Since this thread i've been watching closely for different behaviours. Another thing i've noticed (since adding a monster 5" yellow lab who makes my 3" red top look like a fry) is that he only chases fishs that swim away. So if he gets close t another fish and that fish swims off, he's give chase. But if the fish ignores him, he wont chase.

[Tony]

JonZeigler : Have you tried putting more caves or rock work or other hiding places then all your males could keep track of. This would also mean making some very small spaces for your smallest cichlid.
If your large cichlids bump in to a few smaller holes they will slow down and will think they have driven off the offending cichlid.I think you could go with almost no caves (breeding spaces) or lots of them.Either way they will fight. You want to create a hidding place for the females or small cichlid who gets chased and chewed all the time..... Tony.

[cjbots]

I had a red zebra, and a ray in the same tank, and the zebra just kept on picking at the ray till his death :( So in my eyes VERY EVIL! :twisted: but now I have a different zebra with a few other types of cichilds, and we are just one happy family :dance: