sharknado 4 Report post Posted July 28, 2018 Recently picked up a 4ft tank that had the following 3 x electric yellow, 1 x jewel, 1 x cobalt zebra, 1 x black banded leporinus, 4 x oscars, 1 x angry african. I've since rehomed 3 oscars and the angry african that was constantly chasing the yellows. The tank doesn't seem overstocked anymore (though I do plan on getting a red severum) however 1 of the electric yellows is super aggressively chasing the other 2 slightly smaller ones day and night and those 2 are constantly hiding in upper corners of the tank. What do you think would work better to stop this aggression ..remove the dominant yellow or introduce maybe 2-3 more adult yellows in similar size? All the other fish are super mellow and dont cause dramas ..well the oscar was cranky for a day or so when he lost his mates so had to snap at everyone for a while to reassert his dominance I guess but he's back to being chill again I think. But yeah I feel sorry for the 2 yellows they look like someone's been beating them with a stick all day .. always in fear for their lives. I know a lot of people cure african aggression by overstocking but I'm worried that introducing more yellows might actually increase the chasing and perhaps they'd gang up on my other fish too incl the oscar? Edit: Forgot to mention ..there's a big artificial reef with lots of caves in the centre of the tank but the aggressive yellow doesn't let the other 2 get anywhere near it most of the day. Planning on adding a much smller few (fake) live rocks for some extra hiding spots. Not sure if that's gonna do it but worth a try I guess. Don't wanna add much more crap to the tank as it's only 4 ft Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billfish 381 Report post Posted July 29, 2018 Maybe he is defending his so called territory , ive read on numerous occasions that if you change the tank around it could stop it as the piece of turf he regards as his is no longer there and territories have to be re established..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackayman 33 Report post Posted July 29, 2018 If he dont settle down soon he will stress the other two to death. I always found a hammer works well for troublesome fish. :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharknado 4 Report post Posted July 29, 2018 Been doing a lot of research today and I think one of the bullied male labs may not in fact be a lab at all (no black stripe on the top fin) and could be a Saulosi which is a dwarf mbuna. I'll have to confirm tommorow but if that's the case I'd be happy to rehome the 2 electric yellows and get a small school of saulosi females instead ...if I can find some for sale. Maybe even one male ..but I dont want them breeding and associated tank aggresion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jase86uxb 337 Report post Posted July 29, 2018 Keep eye on Lep man they are pricks! You may not see it but he will be snipen everyone while you ain’t watching. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharknado 4 Report post Posted July 29, 2018 been watching for hours and he has never shown any aggression or nipping other than in self defence ..stands his ground pretty well. My favorite fish along with the cobalt .. I love the way the lep sifts through all the gravel, stirs it up enough that by noon most the shit gets sucked into the filter, thanks lepo! I think I read somewhere that they're primarily herbivores and nip a lot if no algae etc for them to eat .. I give them all spirulina and sprinkle some crushed algae wafers for him to find when sifting the gravel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
