help with fin nipping

[dougmac]

hi everyone, i'm absolutely gutted to report that i've spotted some foul play in my tank a few days ago - a couple of my sp44's and a few other fish have had their fins nipped, one of the sp44's was quite badly damaged with a broken dorsal fin so i spent ages trying to catch it to put it in the hospital tank. its a lot smaller than the others so i guess it's not eating much. one of my jacobs has a split in its tail, is that likely to be from a nip? i've been thinking that it might be one of my ndumbi red tops that's the culprit - he's always chasing the other fish around but i thought it was just a game and no harm was being done, usually they give him a chase in return. lately the red tops have been playing in the rockwork a lot where i can't keep an eye on them, then last night 2 of my sp44's came out for food with damaged fins.

i've cut feeding down from twice a day to once a day to try and reduce aggression as they should be hungry and on the hunt for food, but i'm not convinced it's worked. i read somewhere that feeding them 4 times a day can reduce aggression - but won't that just fill them up and make them aggressive because they're bored and full? i'm really frustrated that my tank has these problems - i spent so much time and effort getting the fish from south Florix8 to the isle of skye so it's not like i can just return them, i'll have to set up another tank for the offender.

any advice or tips would be great, i really appreciate it.

[pupdog]

I've been thinking about your tank setup and I reckon the problem lies with mixing victorkento4s and malawi's together, they just don't get on. You've got Sp. 44 and other dominant species in there, that's a recipe for disaster, they're bound to clash. And I see you've got multiple Alunocara species, that's just asking for trouble, not just with aggression but also with them interbreeding, it's a big no-no.

[dougmac]

I've been thinking about your tank setup and I reckon the problem lies with mixing victorkento4s and malawi's together, they just don't get on. You've got Sp. 44 and other dominant species in there, that's a recipe for disaster, they're bound to clash. And I see you've got multiple Alunocara species, that's just asking for trouble, not just with aggression but also with them interbreeding, it's a big no-no.

my sp44's seem to be pretty chill, not really involved in the aggro. i've got a bunch of auloncaras, yeah i know it's not ideal but loads of people run tanks like this, last night was pretty peaceful though, no chasing around. i'm wondering if maybe it's mating season or something?

[slyzen]

Aulonocara can be right pests when it comes to nipping, they'll start and stop for no reason, it's like they're just trying to keep you on your toes. It could be pecking order, breeding, or just wanting a bigger share of the space in the tank. I'm not saying you can't run a tank like yours, lots of people do, but every fish is different, every tank is different, so you can't always compare.

Pupdog was a bit harsh with the feedback, but I've got to agree, keeping multiple groups of Aulonocara is a recipe for disaster when it comes to cross-breeding. You don't want to end up with a tank full of fish nobody wants. And if I'm being honest, I think the inclusion of females is probably the main cause of the aggression you're seeing.

[dougmac]

I've been thinking about your tank setup and I reckon the problem lies with mixing victorkento4s and malawi's together, they just don't get on. You've got Sp. 44 and other dominant species in there, that's a recipe for disaster, they're bound to clash. And I see you've got multiple Alunocara species, that's just asking for trouble, not just with aggression but also with them interbreeding, it's a big no-no.

Thanks for the tips, really appreciate it. If the aulonocaras do cross breed, I'm happy to keep the young myself - I know they might not be desirable to others due to mixed colors, but for me, it's about seeing them thrive and grow. The main troublemaker seems to be my firtideflow ice aulonocara, it's always been a bit of a handful.

[daxton6]

Hey Dougmac,

Sorry to hear your tank's not running as smoothly as you'd like. I recall when I first added my initial batch of fish, one of my Cyno Afra had its tail bitten off, but three weeks later it had fully grown back. I've not experienced any serious aggression, just the occasional chase, nothing too severe.

I'm no expert on mixed fish, so I won't comment on that. I've now got 27 fish in my tank, here's the list:

I've gone all Mbuna, with:
- 4 Metriaclima Estherae - Minos Reef - 3 males, 1 female
- 3 Cynotilapia Afra - Minos Reef - 2 males, 1 female, I think
- 3 Cynotilapia sp. Hara - Gallireya Reef - 3 males, I think
- 3 Labidochromis caeruleus - Nkhata Bay - no idea on sex
- 3 Labidochromis sp. "Mbamba" - Mbamba Bay - 2 males, 1 female, I think
- 3 Pseudotropheus Flavus - 2 males, 1 female, I think
- 6 Pseudotropheus Saulosi - 2 males, 4 females
- 2 BN

I've got a higher male to female ratio in most, despite reading it's not supposed to work, but mine seems to be okay so far.

As for cross breeding, you can't stop it. I'd just let them spawn in the main tank and the others will eat the fry. If you're sure there's no cross breeding, you can put them in a separate tank.

[dougmac]

Hey Dougmac,

Sorry to hear your tank's not running as smoothly as you'd like. I recall when I first added my initial batch of fish, one of my Cyno Afra had its tail bitten off, but three weeks later it had fully grown back. I've not experienced any serious aggression, just the occasional chase, nothing too severe.

I'm no expert on mixed fish, so I won't comment on that. I've now got 27 fish in my tank, here's the list:

I've gone all Mbuna, with:
- 4 Metriaclima Estherae - Minos Reef - 3 males, 1 female
- 3 Cynotilapia Afra - Minos Reef - 2 males, 1 female, I think
- 3 Cynotilapia sp. Hara - Gallireya Reef - 3 males, I think
- 3 Labidochromis caeruleus - Nkhata Bay - no idea on sex
- 3 Labidochromis sp. "Mbamba" - Mbamba Bay - 2 males, 1 female, I think
- 3 Pseudotropheus Flavus - 2 males, 1 female, I think
- 6 Pseudotropheus Saulosi - 2 males, 4 females
- 2 BN

I've got a higher male to female ratio in most, despite reading it's not supposed to work, but mine seems to be okay so far.

As for cross breeding, you can't stop it. I'd just let them spawn in the main tank and the others will eat the fry. If you're sure there's no cross breeding, you can put them in a separate tank.

Cheers for sharing the update, would love to see some pics of your tank now it's all set up.

[daxton6]

cheers for the link mate, just checked it out and your tank is lookin sweet, love the layout and the variety of fish you've got in there