How to Manage Cichlid Aggression

[@emmanuelV37]

Great video and tips! And I use to keep electric yellow cichlids and found that rockwork mimicking their natural habitat always helped with aggression and overall health of the fishes. Beautiful tank and fish shots too!

[@SlimTim_dirty_aquatics]

Fired Up Video!!! Thanks for these tips and info. Currently have mbunuas overstock 90 gallon with sump/canister filtration. Plan on setting up an American cichlids tank soon.

[@CichlidBros]

That's awesome! Thanks for watching

[@HaYNFishKeeper]

🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 Banger boys!

[@CichlidBros]

Thanks man! 🤙🏼

[@twistedadjust]

Love the tips

[@AquariumFishEnthusiasts]

Beautiful fish and tanks 🙌🏻

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you!

[@jrasistores]

Not sure if you guys were watching but JVG gave you a shout out on ESPN. Nice job!

[@CichlidBros]

Yep, we heard it! Very surreal moment and awesome for the aquarium hobby!

[@bdaquatics7584]

Adding silver dollar dither fish to my central American tank changed the game! I added a red spotted severum to it and my blood parrot "who is the same size" would not leave him alone! Then I added the silver dollars and now it's a peaceful tranquility 😎 I love your guys tanks man. Your 180 is my inspiration

[@mastercago3361]

same here, silver dollars changed the game, And aside from being dithers, they are really interesting fish in and of themselves.

[@biggaizbetta]

I had Silver dollars but they are very skittish and would make Cichlids scared as well i regimes the Silver Dollars and now looking for a different kind of Dither fish to add to the tank

[@mastercago3361]

@@biggaizbetta that's interesting. I have 6 spotted dollars and they were out and about from rhe koment i added them.

[@biggaizbetta]

@@mastercago3361 mines were out and about and whenever anyone would enter the room or move to quick they would get scared and swim really fast and crazy and sometimes nip themselves on the driftwood in the tank

[@mastercago3361]

@@biggaizbetta That is sad, maybe get them younger next time? got miune as juvies and they act like my oscars when they see me and eat out of my hands.

[@amariadore1618]

I came for the Bros.®️ And the Bros came for us!!!!! Wonderful vid guys. You make the world and it’s waterways a better place.

[@CichlidBros]

Haha thank you! Appreciate it!

[@jeffdaigle5487]

Thank you for this. It was very informative.

[@markbaumgardt2868]

Hi I've kept Malawi chichlids for over couple of decades I've had 300 gallon tanks and medium sized tanks at the moment I have a 5 x 18 x 18 with a few predators and smaller haps 14 fish in total with only a sand substrate I've had these fish together for a couple of years and I can tell you it's a peaceful tank with minimal fin damage I prefer my smaller tank love your uploads 🙂👍👍

[@williamblansett5786]

All those tips are great advice. Ihave used rearranging tank to be very successful but usually on a temporary basis.The fact is a large enough tank will always greatly limit aggression and reduce though not eliminate predation.

[@brucewashington5564]

Thank you for sharing

[@taryndeclyn1474]

I’m about to take my first venture into a large freshwater set up. I have been a marine Aquarius for 26 years. Obviously many of the points you all made are consistent with fish weather marine or fresh. This tank is gonna be 650 gallons. Fish that I have interest in at this point are a shoal of Oscars, green terror, Jack Dempsey, severums, bichir and perhaps a black ghost knife. I would love your feedback on that list as well as any other fish to consider or possibly take off the list. Also not 100% sure on stocking levels especially when it comes to the Oscars. Really appreciate your guy’s channel!

[@CichlidBros]

Thanks for following along with the channel! That stocking and tank set up sounds great. I’d recommend plenty of driftwood and rocks for some hiding spots, especially for the ghost knife and bichir. You could probably do a decent amount of these fish in a 650. Best of luck with the freshwater tank!

[@timmiller2252]

Have u done Ur set up yet!?

[@taryndeclyn1474]

The tank, plumbing and filtration are 90% done. Still not quite there yet

[@thenelsonbruhs722]

@@taryndeclyn1474how’s it coming along?

[@harryurban4219]

Great video. Very useful tips !!

[@CichlidBros]

Glad it was helpful!

[@henrybowman7887]

I do a water change every 7 to 10 days in my mbuna tank and rearrange the rocks as well.. It has done quite well for the aggression..

[@CichlidBros]

Very nice

[@dhammaboy1203]

Another really helpful video Cichlid bros! 👍🏻👌🏻 A quick question: I have just set up my 90g with (juveniles): 5 Geos, 3 Angles, 1 Eliot cochlid and 4 Acaras. So 11 fish in total. Would it be risky to add any more while I still have the 90g? What’s a safe number of 5-6’’ fish for the 90 given the fish will be in it probably 6 more months? I will be upgrading to a 180g (once our new house I built) at which point I’ll be adding fast growers like the Chocolate cichlid - which I think is an amazing looking water puppy! : )

[@precise3291]

Good video. I'm curious now, what do fish do during complete darkness? Do they stay in the water column? Sink to the bottom?

[@brianmasterman4492]

Lovely tank, may I ask where did you get your plants from. Keep up the good work 👏

[@blackpantherkingscorp3963]

I got my eyes on a 120 gallon I’m definitely getting Jack Dempsey but what else should I put in there?With them

[@jsn1228]

I have a central and south american tank currently set up and my firemouth goes after all the other fish unprovoked. I have added more hardscape and tall plants in hopes of the aggression subsiding..

[@apss5736]

Awesome video

[@CichlidBros]

Thanks!

[@goodtimes2556]

I dropped the water temp from 80 degrees to about 77 degrees and it def slowed down the aggressiveness. Not completely gone but a big difference

[@HadEnough745]

I bought a pair of Blue Acaras to keep in a 75 gallon. The only other fish in the tank are a school or corys which mostly stay on the bottom. One Blue Acara constantly chases the other. It is so frustrating to watch. I'm almost at the point to get rid of the aggressive one.

[@colin6109]

i have a severum and a dark night ram in the same tank and they have been getting along until recently, today i noticed them fighting over an algae wafer on the bottom of the tank but even after the wafer was eaten they still would chase each other around the tank. the tank is a 75 gallon. any advice ? (edit) i also have tetras, rainbowfish, cory cats, a pleco and a festivum

[@vladababic3352]

Can i put together Geophagus Balzanii, Green terorr, El. Blue Acara, and parrot? Thank you. 🐟

[@CichlidBros]

Would likely be fine if the tank is large. The Balzanii usually require a cooler temperature at times throughout the year, so id look into that one

[@natparisi184]

I have question about ph and water hardness. My area of the country has very hard water. My African Cichlids do really well. I would love a American Cichlid tank like yours. How do you manage the water parameter for ph and hardness. You have some species that have different requirements in the same tank? Thanks, Nat P.

[@CichlidBros]

For most American cichlids, I would recommend keeping parameters consistent rather than chasing different levels. There are a few South American fish - like Discus for example - that may not do as well. But I have hard water and high PH and all of my South Americans have done really well

[@chefl6681]

Question how does a cichlid know what itself look like?

[@coachlisbona3107]

can i add a pleco alage eater with a flowehorn?

[@danmedina383]

How much do Jack Dempseys and Green Terrors dig and try to rearrange their surroundings?

[@leviice8578]

I’ve literally done everything except finding a new home for them and I have a baby green terror about 2 inches a fire mouth about 2 inches and a convict about 1inch and 3/4 in a 75 and there not getting along there’s marks on all three of them

[@Vikingsroar]

Great tips! I believe all fish 🐠 have different personalities just like humans lol quite hard to predict when they go crazy 🤣..like my 9" flowerhorn is ok with the parrot fish but is bullying the hell out of the smaller Oscar pushing him to the corner ..and Oscar not eating for 2 Days now ..looks like I got to remove the Oscar asap ..😅

[@kodygroves5466]

Hey i really hope you can help me here because I cant figure it out in google, i just got a Pseudotropheus socolofi and the people i bought it from said it was an omnivore but i keep seeing two different things either it’s just a herbivore or it’s a omnivore, can you please let me know what it actually is and what i should feed it/where i should buy it? Thanks so much been very stressed want to make sure he stays healthy

[@d33rex64]

Wow I was just contemplating this issue as I realized my cichlids were breeding this morning. Guess my lfs will be getting some ladies soon as I figure it out

[@Gwendeezie]

Lol...Troy did you refer to the aggressor as the jerk?

[@CichlidBros]

Yep 😂

[@Superdimensional]

What I found was, grow them up from babies all together and you’re usually ok

[@jasonmaceyko1902]

My Convict Parrot Cichlids ate my dither fish. I had 10 Rosey Barbs. The Convict Parrots were eating 2-3 a night.

[@ericstone1642]

👍👍👍

[@precise3291]

How does a fish know what it looks like?

[@OgDj2024]

👍🏾

[@MrYankees1321]

What type of fake plants are those in the intro clip? They look great

[@precise3291]

Some say having more fish is good for minimizing aggression. Which is it?

[@CichlidBros]

Depends on the species.

[@bjg6775]

I have a 40 breeder with silver dollars and rainbows as dither fish. Once my juvenile flowerhorn established dominance. He just harassed my oscar and the rest of my tank. Chasing everyone. I just removed him

[@bjg6775]

I meant to add there sizes in the comment. They are both about an inch maybe 2 at best.

[@bryanbeall3051]

Ha...nice u of I swestshirt...that's where I went

[@CichlidBros]

I-L-L

[@voctorfloud9341]

It’s all about the species , Oscar’s and severums acara are semi aggressive, should not be kept with Red Devils, red terrors Black nasty, black belts these are nasty fish . I do agree large tanks with separate territories

[@mikejejenich7116]

I should have watched this video earlier……. I brought home a chiclid. To add. To my mbuna tank……. Next morning he was dead…… his tail was nipped off. Fins nipped off….. they must have bullied him chased him around all night……. Stress will kill

[@chrislecky710]

Nature does strange shit when placed in strange circumstances, when dealing with such things being a creature of habit will ensure you have no realisations at all beyond shared common knowledge learnt from another purely because you have been conditioned to never question anything your told.

[@missifreed1559]

OMG🌪🔥 🔥☺

[@occichlids1700]

Have you ever tried edge decor with the center open? I did this recently and it totally reduced aggression and nipped fins: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4anoohma6ehiK8

[@Native_fish_aus]

I make a big school of cichlids so the nasty one can’t attack all of them.

[@gizzyguzzi]

Oscars, Severums? Agressive? haha. Not so much. I had a cichlid collection back in the day, in a 110g. Try finding tank mates for a Red Devil. One of the most interesting and beautiful fish, but as it got bigger there was no fish that could survive with it. I don't think any of these tips would have worked. It tried to kill me when I came to the tank; it would ram the glass and you could hear the crack as he smashed against it. So ornery.

[@CichlidBros]

I wasn’t claiming them to be overly aggressive but as with any cichlid, sometimes there’s issues. And I think the Red Devil fits into tip #2 of doing research before buying. There are many larger cichlids that would likely do best alone or in a breeding pair. Also think Red Devils can have tank mates if you have a very large tank, which isn’t realistic for most people

[@gizzyguzzi]

@@CichlidBros Sorry. I'm just reacting to the title of your vid. I checked it out to see what you had to say about managing aggressive cichlids, if there was something I could have done better. I guess not owning them at all is "aggression management" in this case? These are good tips, but they apply to all fish, not just cichlids. Maybe it should be called 'managing aggression in community tanks' or something. BTW- I don't think Oscars and Severums are more aggressive than, say, Angel fish and Discus. I never had an Oscar beat up a tank mate, of a different variety at least.