One of the things I always advise anyone who wishes to set up a cichlid tank is to make sure that you have a spare tank, ready for emergencies.
Just because the fish all get on ok to start with does not mean it is going to remain so. One of my tanks contained 3 juvi blue acara, living happily with the other fish for a couple of months or so now. Tonight at 6pm I fed the fish, all was well and the little ba pictured below was in perfect health and ate greedily. at 8pm I noticed something not right in the tank and discovered this little ba under attack from the other fish, including catfish and the other two small ba!! He has been bitten all over, most of his tail has gone and chunks missing out of other fins. His mouth is all torn up and bites all over his head. I have no idea why this fish was attacked and never will.
This is how fast cichlids will have a go at each other! 9 time out of 10 a squabble will be over in minutes and there maybe a torn fin or a couple of scales missing, but on occasions the attack is relentless. Thankfully in my years of keeping cichlids this is the first savage attack I have had in my tanks of this kind, but I know it can happen. The fish below would have been dead if I had not removed it and I am hoping it does not have any internal injuries or dies of shock. Another 15-20 mins in the tank and it would have been killed.
Be prepared, keep a spare tank, filter and heater!
Just because the fish all get on ok to start with does not mean it is going to remain so. One of my tanks contained 3 juvi blue acara, living happily with the other fish for a couple of months or so now. Tonight at 6pm I fed the fish, all was well and the little ba pictured below was in perfect health and ate greedily. at 8pm I noticed something not right in the tank and discovered this little ba under attack from the other fish, including catfish and the other two small ba!! He has been bitten all over, most of his tail has gone and chunks missing out of other fins. His mouth is all torn up and bites all over his head. I have no idea why this fish was attacked and never will.
This is how fast cichlids will have a go at each other! 9 time out of 10 a squabble will be over in minutes and there maybe a torn fin or a couple of scales missing, but on occasions the attack is relentless. Thankfully in my years of keeping cichlids this is the first savage attack I have had in my tanks of this kind, but I know it can happen. The fish below would have been dead if I had not removed it and I am hoping it does not have any internal injuries or dies of shock. Another 15-20 mins in the tank and it would have been killed.
Be prepared, keep a spare tank, filter and heater!
He's in the best hands though, so fingers crossed he'll pull through 
