haplochromis nyereri

[deepesttthinker]

is this species aggressive by nature .... i just picked up a four inch male and holy crap is he bitchy ... within two minutes of introducing him .... my peacock male has scales missin from a massive bite ... hoping dominance
will be established and things will settle down...

[RustyNut]

They are on the high end of aggression for a Vic. It might take a little while for him to establish his rank, so keep an eye on things.

[deepesttthinker]

thanks Rusty .... and the problem has been solved, one of the smaller cichlids had enough ... the tough guy is now doing a headstand in the behind powerhead tube lol

[shell696]

I have a female lab doing that right now and I am starting to get worried about her. Any suggestions?

[deepesttthinker]

i will share a trick taught to me 30 years ago .....make a dummy fish of about 4 inches long ......... attach a thin stick to it .... chase prick fish until he hides ... immediatly remove dummy fish and repeat as neccessary ... only takes like 3 times .... the aggressive fish knows that the only time that dummy killer fish appears is when he is aggressive .... problem ususally solved ... good luck

[cichlidfanatic]

I have a female lab doing that right now and I am starting to get worried about her. Any suggestions?

I have three labs and I know for sure one is male the other 2 are too small to tell (I'm almost sure the light colored one is female, though). Anyway, the male is constantly chasing the female into the corner... so, the other day I had a little fun and picked up a Demasoni. The male lab sure doesn't chase him around! It's funny, now he's gettin' picked on every so often. Although, the Demasoni isn't a bully, he just chases the others away when I'm close to the tank. Poor guy, I think he was starting to get bloat today. He wouldn't eat, so I put some salt in the tank and pick up some parasite clear. Seems to be swimming around better now. I read they have sensitive digestive systems.


i will share a trick taught to me 30 years ago .....make a dummy fish of about 4 inches long ......... attach a thin stick to it .... chase prick fish until he hides ... immediatly remove dummy fish and repeat as neccessary ... only takes like 3 times .... the aggressive fish knows that the only time that dummy killer fish appears is when he is aggressive .... problem ususally solved ... good luck

That sounds like a neat trick. What do you make yours out of?

[deepesttthinker]

i make mine with a block of dense foam (non-toxic) ......the only thing i do is paint eyes on it ... general shape is fine

[shell696]

All she is doing is hiding. She is getting picked on by my male lab and a few other fish in the tank. I just know that I need to get my new tank now they have way outgrown my 55 and I am hoping that once they get in the 90 they will settle down. She is my biggest female lab and I don't want to lose her. I am wondering if I should catch her and put her in my empty 20 long.

[RustyNut]

I would isolate her if they have her abused and hiding like that....

[shell696]

I found out today I watched her up in the corner. She has a mouth full of eggs and she no longer has her hiding place. So I am setting up my 20L upstairs to try and catch her so she can be by herself and eat what she wants. I just need to become a better fish catcher. :)

Now for the 20L that she is going to be in. Should I put gravel in it or just a hiding spot for her. And also should i put in a Marineland Penguin 200B (I have seeded filters already since I have 2 400's on my 55) or just a powerhead with a sponge filter on it or should i go with the hob?

[cichlidfanatic]

It's virtually impossible to catch a Lab if there's a lot of hiding spots in your tank. They are very fast.

I would just go with a powerhead and seeded filter media. No need to use a lot of gravel, maybe just put some in a corner along with a hiding spot.

[RustyNut]

No gravel makes cleaning a lot easier, esp. once you have fry in there.... go with the sponge filter.

[shell696]

sorry for asking so many questions I have never done a fry tank. What size powerhead should I use with the sponge filter. Can I use a Maxi-Jet 600 or would that push too much water and blow the little fry everywhere. Would one powerhead with a sponge filter be ok for a 20L with a fish in it. That will be enough filtration?

[6stang9]

You dont need a power head. Just a sponge filter if its seeded. If its not and you have seeded filters, I'd go with the hob. And try catching her at night after they're sleeping.Good luck

[shell696]

what is just a sponge filter. The only thin I have seeded is from my 2 400's running on the back of my tank.

[nascar2]

A sponge filter uses an air stone to pull the water thru the sponge. You will need a small air pump if you don't have an extra one. Since you already have the hob and cycled filters, I would use the hob.