Does anyone know what type of fish this is?

[Juejue2005]

Hi, I'm new here, I was just after a bit of your expertise please!






We bought a 250L tank a few weeks ago, which came with some beautiful fish. We know what most of them are, but aren't sure about this guy (top 2 pics) or the 2 smaller ones (bottom pic). He's around 3.5in long, with a little humphead.







We've had to put him in an isolation tank today as he's relentlessly bullying the two smaller fish pictured, who also came with the tank. One of these, has become incredibly stressed.







So firstly, I was wondering if anyone knows what type of fish he is? Secondly, does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop him behaving like this?







Thanks

 

[Byron]

This is a cichlid species, as are the two smaller (different species) but one of the experienced cichlid members will know which...let's start with @Wills.

Wills will fill you in, but I think you have no choice but permanent separation, perhaps a local store will take them? The larger is exerting his "right" and he does not want the other two in his space. This is not "bad behaviour," it is inherent in the genetic makeup of the species so you cannot somehow discipline the fish.

 

[Wills]

Hi welcome to the forum we're not too far apart in the world either!

Thanks for the tag @Byron. The fish with the bump on its head is either a Geophagus Stiendachnari or a Geophagus Pellegrini, I can't remember how you tell them apart though. The two smaller fish are females of the same species which is probably why he is paying particular attention to them. If they have all just been moved together he may just be asserting his dominance in the new place - even a re-organisation of the decor will amount to them re-asserting themselves, it can act as a reset button but I'd probably avoid doing that this time as it isnt a guarantee which way it will go.

Just as an FYI on the other species in the last photo you have a rope fish which can grow to 3 foot long, an albino Threadfin Acara in the top left corner and I can see what I think are Corydora Sterbai in the back of the tank.

If you've inherited these fish and in turn perhaps someone else's mistakes it might best to nip it in the bud now and rehome some to make things a bit easier all round plus just make sure you like all the fish that you keep as its the best way to stay motivated in the future when the newness can wane and the waterchanges feel a bit of a chore... we all get there at some point haha!

Hope you don't mind the extra pointer but its particularly important in this tank - that kind of gravel I think is Fluval Stratum which is quite a rough gravel and is known for harbouring a couple of nasty bacteria overtime. It is important here as you have Cories who really should be on sand otherwise their barbells around their mouths wear down and they can get mouth fungus but doubly important is with the Geophagus and the Threadfin Acara as they will naturally want to sift the sand through their gills looking for food and grains this size can get stuck causing real injury - this group of fish has the nickname earth eaters and when you keep them on a sand substrate you can really see why.

Wills

 

[Juejue2005]

Hi Byron,

Thanks for your reply. It made me laugh, the thought of disciplining the fish

 

[Juejue2005]

Hi welcome to the forum we're not too far apart in the world either!

Thanks for the tag @Byron. The fish with the bump on its head is either a Geophagus Stiendachnari or a Geophagus Pellegrini, I can't remember how you tell them apart though. The two smaller fish are females of the same species which is probably why he is paying particular attention to them. If they have all just been moved together he may just be asserting his dominance in the new place - even a re-organisation of the decor will amount to them re-asserting themselves, it can act as a reset button but I'd probably avoid doing that this time as it isnt a guarantee which way it will go.

Just as an FYI on the other species in the last photo you have a rope fish which can grow to 3 foot long, an albino Threadfin Acara in the top left corner and I can see what I think are Corydora Sterbai in the back of the tank.

If you've inherited these fish and in turn perhaps someone else's mistakes it might best to nip it in the bud now and rehome some to make things a bit easier all round plus just make sure you like all the fish that you keep as its the best way to stay motivated in the future when the newness can wane and the waterchanges feel a bit of a chore... we all get there at some point haha!

Hope you don't mind the extra pointer but its particularly important in this tank - that kind of gravel I think is Fluval Stratum which is quite a rough gravel and is known for harbouring a couple of nasty bacteria overtime. It is important here as you have Cories who really should be on sand otherwise their barbells around their mouths wear down and they can get mouth fungus but doubly important is with the Geophagus and the Threadfin Acara as they will naturally want to sift the sand through their gills looking for food and grains this size can get stuck causing real injury - this group of fish has the nickname earth eaters and when you keep them on a sand substrate you can really see why.

Wills

Hi wills, thanks for your reply and for all the advice and info.

The Corydoras were from our old tank and they're my favourite so I want to make sure they're happy!

My husband is researching sand for the tank as we speak!

I'll post a pic of the full tank so you can see the set up we have. We also have 2x blue acaras, a red tip shark, and 3 types of catfish. I'm hoping the tank isn't too crowded as this is how it came (other than the corys)

Thanks again

 

[Ichthys]

They’re Geophagus steindachneri. Pellegríni is a yellowish fish with yellow lips.

By the way, Rope Fish do not grow to 3’ long. 14” is about maximum. In the original description of the Ropefish, the size was written as 30 inches. This was a typo, and was meant to be 30 cms. Some websites are still blindly copying that error, as is the way of the internet.
They do require the company of their own kind though, and shouldn’t be kept alone.

 

[Juejue2005]

Hi wills, thanks for your reply and for all the advice and info.

The Corydoras were from our old tank and they're my favourite so I want to make sure they're happy!

My husband is researching sand for the tank as we speak!

I'll post a pic of the full tank so you can see the set up we have. We also have 2x blue acaras, a red tip shark, and 3 types of catfish. I'm hoping the tank isn't too crowded as this is how it came (other than the corys)

Thanks again

They’re Geophagus steindachneri. Pellegríni is a yellowish fish with yellow lips.

By the way, Rope Fish do not grow to 3’ long. 14” is about maximum. In the original description of the Ropefish, the size was written as 30 inches. This was a typo, and was meant to be 30 cms. Some websites are still blindly copying that error, as is the way of the internet.
They do require the company of their own kind though, and shouldn’t be kept alone.

Thanks, we have a pair of rope fish. I'm relieved they don't grow to epic proportions as they're sweet little things and entertaining to watch. I was thinking I might have to donate them to a huge aquarium!

 

[Wills]

They’re Geophagus steindachneri. Pellegríni is a yellowish fish with yellow lips.

By the way, Rope Fish do not grow to 3’ long. 14” is about maximum. In the original description of the Ropefish, the size was written as 30 inches. This was a typo, and was meant to be 30 cms. Some websites are still blindly copying that error, as is the way of the internet.
They do require the company of their own kind though, and shouldn’t be kept alone.

Like the man in the orthopaedic shoes I stand corrected

@Juejue2005 no probs at all really glad to hear you are open to swapping to sand, if this tank has recently been moved I'd possibly wait for a few weeks before changing the substrate just to give the bacteria in the filter enough time to recover but after that I wouldnt be too worried about a full change.

So at the moment your stocking is

1x Threadfin Acara
3x Geophagus Steindachneri
2x Electric Blue Acara
1x Red Tail Shark
2x Rope Fish
?x Corydora Sterbai
3x Catfish TBC

If you can post pics or describe the catfish we might be able to help. I would probably say 7 territorial/aggressive fish is too much for this tank so I'd choose between the EBAs and the Steindachneri (personally I'd go for the EBA's). I'm not sure how the Red Tail Shark will get on with some of the other bottom dwellers, some of them can be quite problematic overtime.

Overall though I don't think its that bad but I'd probably consider it a work in progress Depending on the catfish I'd probably consider a mid water schooling fish but otherwise in a 250 litre it sounds ok.

Wills

 

[emeraldking]

Welcome to the forum...
Hope you'll follow the advice given overhere. And hopefully, you'll enjoy that tank for a long time...

 

[Juejue2005]

Like the man in the orthopaedic shoes I stand corrected

@Juejue2005 no probs at all really glad to hear you are open to swapping to sand, if this tank has recently been moved I'd possibly wait for a few weeks before changing the substrate just to give the bacteria in the filter enough time to recover but after that I wouldnt be too worried about a full change.

So at the moment your stocking is

1x Threadfin Acara
3x Geophagus Steindachneri
2x Electric Blue Acara
1x Red Tail Shark
2x Rope Fish
?x Corydora Sterbai
3x Catfish TBC

If you can post pics or describe the catfish we might be able to help. I would probably say 7 territorial/aggressive fish is too much for this tank so I'd choose between the EBAs and the Steindachneri (personally I'd go for the EBA's). I'm not sure how the Red Tail Shark will get on with some of the other bottom dwellers, some of them can be quite problematic overtime.

Overall though I don't think its that bad but I'd probably consider it a work in progress Depending on the catfish I'd probably consider a mid water schooling fish but otherwise in a 250 litre it sounds ok.

Wills

Hi Wills,

Catfish-wise we have 3x corydoras (we were thinking of getting 3 more but worried we might overcrowd the tank). We have a huge one that I don't know anything about, 1x bristlenose, and 3 spotty ones, two of which have an orange tip to their tails. I'll try and get pics but as you'll know, they like to hide!

 

[Wills]

Hi Wills,

Catfish-wise we have 3x corydoras (we were thinking of getting 3 more but worried we might overcrowd the tank). We have a huge one that I don't know anything about, 1x bristlenose, and 3 spotty ones, two of which have an orange tip to their tails. I'll try and get pics but as you'll know, they like to hide!

Ooo that sounds interesting with the orange tips to the tail... I can think of a few Plecos that might fit that category? As for the huge one have a google for Humbug Catfish and Featherfin Catfish - often good contenders for unknown big catfish.

In terms of the Corys, once you have a sand substrate I'd recommend getting more of them they are not big fish and really do their best in groups of 10 or more. Make sure you get the same species though as they are all pretty unique fish so they wont recognise other Cories as their own and won't get the benefit that they do of being in a larger group.

Have you decided what to do about the Geophagus yet?

Wills