Hi All

Can any of you tell me if there is any fish i can keep with an aggressive lone male Convict Cichlid (reason he is lone is he killed off four others in tank including his mate???) or could anyone tell me why he has turned on the rest of the convicts - i am new to fishkeeping and but i have never seen such aggression from a fish - i dont want to keep him alone but also dont want to put any other fish in harms way :-(

oh he is 2.5" in size

well first, convicts are not african lol but anyway when it comes to aggressive fish, a lot of the time the more fish there are the better it is. that way, the aggression is spread out between the other fish. i have a very aggressive jewel, oscar, 2 adult convicts and about 15-20 smaller convicts swimming around in my tank and it is fine for all of them even when the convicts are breeding. fins get nipped but its nor really a big deal. i do however want to get rid of some of my fish because the tank is getting crowded, but aside from that, aggression isnt really a major problem.

Sorry i know they are from central America just saw Cichlids and posted then i realised it said african lol. I had about 9 originally a couple died :-( and then the rest were bullied to death by him i can get more of them as my mum breeds them, just scraed he might do the same to them

try getting him a female

He had a mate, she laid eggs then he started bullying her and killed her a couple of days after he fertilised the eggs!! thats one part of the equasion i really dont understand, i am at my whits end, i love convicts and have more in my community tank which are fine, they still have that cocky streak but nowhere near as agressive as him, even tested the water levels (i use the API master test kit) to make sure nothing affecting him that way stress etc, water is perfect :-( maybe he is just destined to live alone

How big is the tank? And what kind of tank mates did he have? I've read that they can hold their own against Oscars and Jack Dempseys three times their size and even win in a fight and I believe it. Though if his tank mates are bigger than him and as tough as he is like those breeds, they might keep him in check. If the tank is too small or there arent enough hiding places they will show more aggression. Jacks and Oscars need a huge tank though- at least 75 gallons. Worse comes to worse you could keep him by himself. I had a convict in a 20 gallon by himself. The tank was free and he was a rescue, that was about all I could do for him since I didnt have more room or money. Im sure he was bored in there at times, but he did just fine with some stimulation every once in a while. Sometimes he'd chase my hand back and forth but sometimes not.

as stated already there should be plenty of hiding and tank size matters. Ive had dozens in a 55 with lots of hiding and they were fine. Ive kept mine with all kinds of fish from aggressive to tropical. each fish will have a different personality and temperment. try rearranging the tank when you add more fish with him and maybe take him out and add the others for a while then put him back in so he has no territory claimed as his. when I had aggression problems I would use a breeder net for the aggressor and rearrange the tank and let the others make themselves at home for a day or two then release him, usually worked.

__________________
55 Gallon Planted dirt bottom,Reproducing colony of Heterandria Formosa(Least Killifish), 2 Dwarf Puffers, 5 or so Gambusia, 2 Swamp darters???, Several Wild P. Latipinna(Sailfin Mollies), a handful of Jordanella Floridae(American Flagfish), 1 Lepomis Macrochirus(Bluegill fry)