Bullied Cichlid

[canobe]

hi to all, im new to the forum and could do with some help.

i have a 2 major problems with my cichlids. i have resently set up a tropical fish tank and my choise in fish was the convict cichlid. i did my research first before buying and thought i knew enough about them to look after a few.

my tank is 100L and has 1200l/h filter, with a 150w heater, the tempreature of the tank is 23 degrees, and sits like this day and night. i have yellow rock and plants in my tank with two plant pots on there sides as little caves, this with the rocks give them grate hiding places for them.

i went to my local tropical fish suplier and bought a paired convicts for the tank, they said if they do breed they would take the fry for a little price so i belived this was a fare price. i didnt just want one pair so i also bought a pink convict from another pet shop as an impulse buy while i was buying food for them, i was told they should get on as long as my tank was big enough and there was plenty of hiding places. i also got an algyeater to keep the tank clean,

introduced the fish to the tank, they all seemed to find parts of the tank they liked and stayed around in there corners, every now and again the bigger (male) cichlid came from under his rock and ventured out to where the pink convict was and gave chase. it was intresting because he would go out of his way to chase the pink one. but the pink one always got away and everything seemed peiceful.

now i was told they could be agressive towards other fish if they were going to breed and i belived this was the case with why the male was going out og his way.

this morning i have come down to my tank and the males mate was dead in a plant pot with all the scales off it, i thought it was the pink one because the fish was bare, it was only when i saw the pink one i relised it was the female. but the pink one also looked battered and still doesnt look well with bits of fins missing and scales pealed off, its not a happy fish as it looks like its going to die, with hardly any movment just every now and again a fin waves and its mouth moves.
the male also has ripped up the plants in my tank.
ive now taken the agresive male out of the tank and put it in my sick tank, as when i came into the room an hour ago it was pulling the hell out of my algueater, he keeps trying to get out of the tank as he bangs his head against the tank.

now what do i do?

1. what should i do with the agressive one, he is well swims around the tank and has an agressive streak in him, even when i put my hand in the tank he has ago at me.

2. my pink cichlid looks bad, will the scales grow back if it recovers from the beating it had or is it past its best now.

3, should i take the fish back to where i bought it? when i bought this fish it was sound in the tank with loads of other fish. was the reason he was placide because there where more fish in the tank??

4, my neigbour says to flush him down the toilet, well both of them and start again. i dont want him to die unessorry im no the kind of person to kill something its not in me.

please help, give me your advise it would be much apreashated


sorry about the spelling not that good with wording things, if there is anything i can tell you to help with helping me just ask.

thanks and i look forward to hearing your responses

 

[talisker]

don't flush him down the toilet it's not a pleasant death for a fish and it's not the fish's fault convicts are an aggressive cichlid, you best bet would be to take it back to the shop.

 

[canobe]

update,

my pink cichlid died in the night, some how the male got out of the sick tank and into my main tank, this is one unit by the way, its a tank in the tank, but he must have swam up and over because there still is a 2 cm lip out of water for him to get over. he's inteligant for a fish.

was thinking of taking him back to the shop, but he is a health fish, his agression is one part of his personality, so i was thinking, is there any other fish i can put in this tank what wont get eaten bullied or what would calm him down. if i put more cichlids in the tank females of corse would he pair again or is the once it for them when they find there mate?

thanks

 

[ZoddyZod]

so you have a pair of convicts in there now?

Adding anything to the tank would be a risk. Convicts are exceptionally aggressive, especially when mating.

 

[canobe]

no just the one male left, he killed his mate and the pink convict, ive got in my tank now one male convict cichlid and one algueater, he is currenently ripping my plants up, dont think he likes been in the tank, and hes chasing after my algueater.

when i bought the pair, they where suposed to be a breeding pair, i even saw them with there fry, so i dont know why he's kicked of and done the damage he has done. everything in my tank is set up for the convicts so you would have thought they would have just found there own place in the tank. now he went out looking for the others, at first when it started happening i thought it was just the chase of the mates doing what nature intended, but after a night things where missing like fins, scales, one died the same night, and now another. my partner wants me to take it back to the shop and get a more piecefull fish. and im starting to think the same to be honest, cant keep buying fish just because one fish keeps killing the others.

 

[minnnt]

The problem is that your Convict is probably one of the most aggressive fish there is. The tank wasn't big enough for the female to escape the attentions of the male and he has claimed the whole tank as his own hence why he is chasing the 'Algae Eater' (what is it btw?)

The only rational outcome to this would be to return the Convict to the store and stock your tank more appropriately. Start a new thread in the Tropical Discussion section and get peoples advice for stocking and levels. Go to your LFS and see what fish they have in and then report back in that thread which fish take your fancy and let someone advise on whether or not they're suitable.