Feeding time

[Mudd]

I have two convict ciclids, one pleco, four neon tetras and an auratus ciclid. The last one seems to be the most aggressive of the bunch but is the smallest one. It eats all the food I drop in even if I use each end of the tank. Any advice on getting food to the others?

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

Now, some not too good news for you, sorry. You have a mix of fish that should not be together. I don't know the tank size, nor the aquascaping, nor the water parameters (hardness, pH, temperature) so my comments will be confined solely to the species compatibility.

The auratus I assume is the rift lake cichlid species, Melanochromis auratus. You will have on-going trouble with this fish and it really must be removed. More info on the species here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/melanochromis-auratus/

Convict cichlid...another species that is not a community fish. Best in a species tank; a pair may be kept in a 36-inch (40+ gallon) tank. In much larger tanks (over 6 feet) it may be kept with a few other Central American cichlids that are robust. This species is very aggressive and territorial, and when spawning becomes very violent to all other fish including much larger cichlids.

The neon tetra will likely get eaten by the convicts if left, once they are a bit larger. The auratus likely will not be nice to them either. Without the two cichlid species, a group of more neons might work (again, no idea about tank size and parameters), as this is a shoaling species and needs a group, no less than six or seven but the more the better.

The pleco...what species? Some get huge, up to 18 inches. Most are peaceful, but they can have a huge impact on the tank's biology.

 

[Mudd]

Welcome to TFF.

Now, some not too good news for you, sorry. You have a mix of fish that should not be together. I don't know the tank size, nor the aquascaping, nor the water parameters (hardness, pH, temperature) so my comments will be confined solely to the species compatibility.

The auratus I assume is the rift lake cichlid species, Melanochromis auratus. You will have on-going trouble with this fish and it really must be removed. More info on the species here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/melanochromis-auratus/

Convict cichlid...another species that is not a community fish. Best in a species tank; a pair may be kept in a 36-inch (40+ gallon) tank. In much larger tanks (over 6 feet) it may be kept with a few other Central American cichlids that are robust. This species is very aggressive and territorial, and when spawning becomes very violent to all other fish including much larger cichlids.

The neon tetra will likely get eaten by the convicts if left, once they are a bit larger. The auratus likely will not be nice to them either. Without the two cichlid species, a group of more neons might work (again, no idea about tank size and parameters), as this is a shoaling species and needs a group, no less than six or seven but the more the better.

The pleco...what species? Some get huge, up to 18 inches. Most are peaceful, but they can have a huge impact on the tank's biology.

So far the convicts have been fine with the tetras and pleco. Originally it had a large pleco that died so I replaced it. That one and the older convict lived together for 25 years. All other fish are new within the last year.

The tank is 55 gallons and has a filter sufficient for 100 gallons. Just from watching the interaction between all the fish maybe removing the auratus might be a good idea.

I am pretty new to this got the tank from a friend who couldn't keep it. Now if like to keep the convicts and get the tank to good spot for whichever fish I could keep in it. Possibly get another tank/tanks for the others.

 

[Byron]

So far the convicts have been fine with the tetras and pleco. Originally it had a large pleco that died so I replaced it. That one and the older convict lived together for 25 years. All other fish are new within the last year.

The tank is 55 gallons and has a filter sufficient for 100 gallons. Just from watching the interaction between all the fish maybe removing the auratus might be a good idea.

I am pretty new to this got the tank from a friend who couldn't keep it. Now if like to keep the convicts and get the tank to good spot for whichever fish I could keep in it. Possibly get another tank/tanks for the others.

The Convicts on their own in that tank is OK. Or you cold get minimum a 3 by 1 foot (90 by 30 cm) tank like a 50 gallon breeder for the Convicts and use the 4-foot for other community fish. More on this fish here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/amatitlania-nigrofasciata/

What seems to work today may suddenly change overnight, literally. I have been keeping fish for over 25 years and one thing I have certainly learned is that we should always assume a species will act normally, and not risk trying something. Fish that do not behave according to the norm for the species do exist, but often this abnormality is caused by some external environmental issue and may not be a permanent change. It simply is not fair to the fish to force it into what it considers the wrong environment; fish are living creatures that deserve better. I'm sure you will do what you can to achieve this.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Reiterating what Byron said, find another home for the Melanochromis auratus ASAP. They are one of the most aggressive small fish you will encounter. When the fish reaches sexual maturity it will kill the convicts and eat the neons. It might even beat the carp out of the pleco.

Byron also covered water chemistry, the auratus being a Rift Lake cichlid needing hard alkaline water and the others need softer neutral to slightly acid water.

Possibly contact your local petshop and see if you can trade the auratus in for some store credit and use that to get some more neons. And maybe grab another tank for the convicts. You can find cheap tanks on Ebay, Craig's List or Gumtree, and even at garage sales. Just check them for cracks, chips or white silicon. If the silicon holding the tank together is white or hard, then it is stuffed and will need replacing so best to avoid tanks like that.

You can also get double tier stands to hold 2 fish tanks one above the other. This saves space but still gives you more aquariums