[Xanthius]

For some reason my fish are always hiding unless its feeding time . . . and no one is standing in front of the tank. ;0)

I've had these fish for 6 years / including in 55 gallon tank are: one male parrot, one female parrot, one male jack jempsey, and one placostomos algae eater [only had for several months] - not sure one spelling of that one . . . all good size fish. I have several large fake plants and small smaller ones, several broken terra cotta pots [edges were smooth down] on a sandy colored graveled bottom. Blue background.

They have always been this way. I have heard that adding schooling fish will help the group be more sociable. The issue with that is since these fish are so big and most fish I see are smaller . . . well . . . you can imagine what happens next. Is there a way too make fish more sociable other than removing everything in tank?

Thanks . . .

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[fishfinder]

which fish is the one that hangs in front of the glass? Could be he is bullying the rest into hiding.

 

[Stellaluna]

A 55 gallon is a tricky tank size. It seems like plenty of gallons, yet it is an extremely narrow tank, and this makes the typical territory kept by your average cichlid awkward to say the least. I have kept a 55 gallon for many years and have decided it is my least favorite tank. My 40-gallon breeder is a much better tank for the fish because it has a bigger footprint and allows for more horizontal territory, which the fish utilize very well.

I have found that dither fish are a great solution, or at least something to try. You may need a completely different stocking plan since you are not getting what you want from your current stock.

If you do not have a planted tank, Buenos Aires tetras are marvelously tough and vigorous schooling fish that can handle themselves in a cichlid tank. I have them in with rockdweller Africans and they convince the cichlids that everything is okay for them to come out and swim around. At the same time, they are tough enough not to be picked on and vulnerable to attack. They will eat plants down to the nubbins, though. I have kept turquoise rainbows with Africans also in a planted tank, for the same purpose, and with great success.

After all that, you might just consider catching the dempsey and selling him off - you might be surprised at the change in the other fish once that one is out of the picture. There is a good reason for their name. ;-)

 

[aconrad]

Yeah, I have to agree with Stellaluna. I am keeping the Jack dempsey I had with other cichlids in a 29 gallon by himself. Also, with the ditherfish, good fish for that are giant danios. The buenos aires have bit the fins of some of my cichlids which is the problem I had with them. Although I now have a black angel with buenos aires and several other tetras and the angelfish has beautiful long fins, so there is always an exception to a rule. I wouldnt imagine its a planted tank either because cichlids wouldn't go with the plants very well.

 

[Xanthius]

Hi All . . . thanks for the great imput. I do agree that a bigger tank is needed [width wise] but as far as the Jack . . . h-m-m . . . ;0) . . . believe it or not the female parrot and her boyfriend keep him in line most times and its he that usually is the one in back. They do tangle once in a while but no one has gotten hurt thus far. I have thought of giving him up if I ever bought a bigger tank and added other fish because although the parrots seem to handle him others may not. The parrots and the jack have been together since they were bought and were smaller. I wonder if this helps the community get along if they grow together as other animals in the mix do?

Another thought . . . do you think that maybe since I only turn on the tank lights at night [during day it is well darkened where its located] it has caused this sociable issue?

I do agree with the facts that the tank is not the right size and that I do need some tough schooling fish.

Again thanks to everyone . . . and go STEELERS . . . #6 baby!. [Sorry . . . I had to add that since I was born and raised in the six-burg. ;0) ]

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