Cichlids are jerks!!!

[Hannibal]

Since about November I have been on the go non stop and my water change schedule has suffered greatly. It's not a huge deal as my tanks aren't terrible overstocked and I only feed about 3 days a week.

With the holiday this past weekend I had some down time that I could actually do some major water changes and filter maintenance. I guess the water changes with cooler water was the equivalent of playing Barry White as pure breeding chaos ensued.

Tank 1 = A trio of Ruby Green Cichlids and a colony of Ameca Splendens. Mr. Green decided he wanted to spawn, beat up one of his ladies and slaughtered a number of goodeids.

Tank 2 = A trio of Taiwan Reef and some random Mbuna. Mr. Reef decided he wanted to spawn, beat the ever loving crap out of the other male who didn't make it through the ordeal.

Tank 3 = (I am most pissed about this one) A group of 6 Star Sapphire (apparently was a 5M-1F ratio) and other random fish. Mr. Sapphire decided it was time to spawn and murdered his 4 other counter parts. I came downstairs to the 4 other males floating and him flexing by his lady. I have dealt with breeding aggression before but this one is top of my list.

At first I thought I might have screwed up during the water changes but with the exception of the goodeids only the other males were harmed. But in all fairness to Mr. Green the goodeid fatalities could have been their own doing as well as they can be some snarky suckers as well.

I guess that will teach me to do a major water change and then not really check on my fish for the next few days.

 

[jonclark96]

Sorry about the losses.

Maybe it had something to do with the rain over the past couple of days as well. I've pulled 3 dead fish out of 3 different tanks in the past couple days, all killed by aggressive males...

 

[Hannibal]

Thanks, but no worries. It comes with the territory when keeping a-hole fish.

I didn't even think about that. I guess I created the perfect environment for terror. Water changes plus rain, I was asking for it. Ha!

 

[FishEggs]

At least it was due to the fish themselves and not due to something you did like fill the tank too much so there was no surface agitation and therefore no oxygen exchange and suffocating a group of cichlids you have been growing out for a year and finally starting to color up.

 

[jonclark96]

At least it was due to the fish themselves and not due to something you did like fill the tank too much so there was no surface agitation and therefore no oxygen exchange and suffocating a group of cichlids you have been growing out for a year and finally starting to color up.

That sounds like a story that is coming from personal experience...

 

[FishEggs]

That sounds like a story that is coming from personal experience...

It still stings when I think about it. So much time, effort and money just flushed down the toilet.

 

[jonclark96]

Matt, you aren't the only one with similar stories.

 

[dogofwar]

They're a-holes. But we love them

Matt

 

[Wet Sleeves]

It still stings when I think about it. So much time, effort and money just flushed down the toilet.

I recently did something similar but I didn't over fill, I filled way too fast. I add my Seachem to the aquarium instead of premixing it. Unfortunately, I lost a really nice male who was coloring up beautifully, and 2 female peacocks, both proven breeders. It still bothers me that I couldve been so careless. I've lost tons of fish to aggression in the 10+ years I've been keeping them but when they die because of my own neglect/carelessness, it really sucks. I feel your pain Matt