fish fights

[sofro friend]

Hello, I have 2 yellow lab, 1 discus, and 1 flowerhorn in my tank. They always fight. What can I do to decrease fights?

 

[BettaBettas]

by getting rid of the discus, and the yellow lab as flowhorns and discus are COMPLETELY not supposed to be together, same for the lab.

 

[luca1980]

if you want to keep African cichlids you really, really need to do research in terms of compatibility - not just water conditions but also levels of aggression and territorial tendencies. Africans do best in hard water with high water flow and with similarly assertive Africans. People who keep Africans often overstock their tanks to diffuse aggression, as each individual fish is less likely to be able to claim their own permanent space. Depending on what species you have, most love caves and rocky outcrops to hide in. But, you will need a BIG tank (I suggest 50 gallons as a minimum) and excellent filtration to deal with higher stock levels.

 

[NickAu]

I would not put just one Discuss in a tank, unless they are a breeding pair they need to be kept in groups of about 6 minimum.

How big is the tank?
Can we see a photo of the tank.
What are your water parameters? Especially hardness.

 

[luca1980]

The combination of fish is completely incorrect here. Even though all of them are cichlids, Yellow labs are African cichlids and the flowerhorn and discus are south American. This means that for a start, they have completely different needs in terms of water parameters - namely pH for a start and I'm sure Byron can provide more info on GH and KH.

I have never kept discus before but from what I have seen they are slow moving, peaceful fish. I have a 55 gallon mbuna tank and my yellow labs are quite the opposite - they are extremely active and although they are often considered on the peaceful side for Africans, they definitely hold their own and will not back down when challenged. I'd be willing to bet that if I added discus to my tank it would seriously end in a blood bath.

I don't want to sound rude or abrupt but it is in the best interest of your fish that either the Africans or South Americans are rehomed - you simply can't have both in the same tank and expect it to end well. It is inappropriate and irresponsible to try and house them together.

 

[Demeter32]

Yellow labs are African cichlids, which really can only be kept with other Africans because they are so aggressive. Flower horns get big and rather mean, should only be kept with equally big and mean NON AFRICAN cichlids. Discus are not very aggressive and like to be in groups. Depending on your tank size, it's best to just pick one type of fish you wish to keep and then return the others to the pet shop. I would definitely separate them ASAP because things will not end well.

 

[NickAu]

Slightly off topic.
Flowerhorns are quite friendly.

 

[luca1980]

Slightly off topic.
Flowerhorns are quite friendly.

kind of like oscars?

 

[sofro friend]

I have separated the flowerhorn. But now my bigger female yellow lab is bulling the smaller male yellow. The smaller male attacks the discus when not attacked by the female. During feeding the female becomes very aggressive. My tank is 111 litres and 29 gallons. I don't have a water parameter tester.

 

[NickAu]

The only thing you can do is separate the fish before one is killed.

 

[luca1980]

I have separated the flowerhorn. But now my bigger female yellow lab is bulling the smaller male yellow. The smaller male attacks the discus when not attacked by the female. During feeding the female becomes very aggressive. My tank is 111 litres and 29 gallons. I don't have a water parameter tester.

Rehome the labs.

111 litres/29 gallons is totally inappropriate for Africans and you will only continue to have this problem if you keep them in there. Aggression is part of the package when you take on African cichlids and if you are not prepared to set things up correctly from the beginning then don't try to keep them. This behaviour has nothing to do with water parameters but everything to do with the size of your tank and the type of fish you have in it. If you want to keep Africans successfully, research is your best friend.

As mentioned before, the discus is a South American cichlid and requires entirely different conditions to the labs.

If you continue to keep these fish together in your current setup, one or more is going to be bullied until it dies.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Slightly off topic.
Flowerhorns are quite friendly.

well if that's not one of the cutest things I've ever seen!

 

[sofro friend]

the bigger lab bullies the smaller lab.

 

[luca1980]

I understand the issue. Please read all above posts for the solution.

 

[sofro friend]

wow, yellow lab need 50 gallons tank? that's so big!! I suppose I have to separate all of them. I have 2 yellow but they can't be together in a 29 gallons tank?