Boss doing his parrot thing again, 007 spy...
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More tank pics, updated
- Thread starter FINWIN
- Start date
Brick comes up close, waiting for his head pats and body tickles.
Great pics as always. I glad Rex the Syno Cat is okay. He looks good, nice colors.
Bricks your O colors just get more more vibrant. His colors really pop.
Chip your Severum's colors are really cool
too. That is a good pic of him next to your Blood Parrot Boss.
Your Severum has grown well in the short time you have him! Your Synodontis too.
Brick, 11 inches ---getting to get big. Good fish care.
Bricks your O colors just get more more vibrant. His colors really pop.
Chip your Severum's colors are really cool
too. That is a good pic of him next to your Blood Parrot Boss.
Your Severum has grown well in the short time you have him! Your Synodontis too.
Brick, 11 inches ---getting to get big. Good fish care.
Thx. It was a close call with Rex. Fortunately he has lots of hiding spots and generally gets along. His nicks and scrapes are healing nicely. Chip and Boss are like the odd couple. They can squabble (mostly Boss chasing) or be calm around each other. Brick generally is an even tempered O, but still an O. He's a bully and sweetheart all at the same time. Stubborn beyond belief, but loves his head pats and body tickles. Definitely moody about the water changes but once its finished he pops up like nothing happened. All of the fish have grown. Boss is pretty much the same size as Kong and Patch now. Rex is around 6" and thicker. Chip eats very well and is thicker too.
I notice with some of my fish; that they get shy or one of mine sulk too for a while when their space is invaded. Others are not bothered and revel in my induced little 'waterfall.'
That is so darn cute the way Brick likes his pets like a loyal puppy.
Because Brick is definitely a moody O, I have two methods of dealing with him. Pats and tickles, treats, or I show him the stick. The "stick" is an extended black plastic net handle. When he acts "off" I tap it against the glass which makes him scoot back to his area and stop fighting. So now all I have to do is show him the 'stick' and he closes his fins and goes back to his side. It's a new form of training I'm using to ease some of his aggression fits. I don't know if he's in breeding mode or what but at times his aggression flares up randomly.
Chip got a split tail mysteriously the other night (you can actually see it in one of the pics). The next morning he had a nick on one side. Brick is also sporting a tiny nick on his head and another on his gill. The only fish with no battle marks is Boss (BP). Rex is likewise healing from being roughed up days ago.
I don't doubt some of my tinkering to improve territory/reduce stress has caused this while they 'reorganize' but then things seem to settle. Brick tends to overreact when he perceives a crowded area, so I let him open his spaces the way he wants. It seems to settle him. I make sure he has a combination of open space and sheltered areas to explore.
I also have a delusional 6 inch severum that thinks he can take on an 11 inch, still growing O...despite all of the places he can go to 'get away' or relax he refuses, following the O or staying out in the open to challenge. Now I'd give him a decent shot at full size but right now it's just plain crazy. Maybe he's going through puberty or hormones.
So the fish that can't fight the O (Sev) wants to start trouble, and the fish that can fight the O (BP) avoids trouble. Makes sense, right? Go figure cichlids.
Brick gets annoyed at the constant trailing/attention, plus the fact that even when chased, Chip will go right back to his area. So eventually the O charges at him. Now Boss uses his brains. He challenges when he has the tactical advantage, not just for kicks. If there's no advantage he retreats and goes to chill in his area. Or he'll just cruise around the backside and go to where Brick just left.
Not Chip. While I appreciate my Severum's spunk, its going to get him on a platter if he doesn't quit. For whatever reason he wants to prove himself against the O, but runs from the BP. He absolutely can't handle Boss. He tests the BP and gets punked each time.
I'll be looking into some fish this weekend probably. I may even go back to my 'favorite' LFS with the ugly and foul tempered manager. I never cut off my nose to spite...its hard to order some fish online at a decent size the O won't eat. Since I don't have to talk to him I can still go his store. Money's green, and fools are fools.
And yes, Brick is adorable when he wants his pats. He'll float to the top and cock his eyes 'up'. That's the signal.
Chip got a split tail mysteriously the other night (you can actually see it in one of the pics). The next morning he had a nick on one side. Brick is also sporting a tiny nick on his head and another on his gill. The only fish with no battle marks is Boss (BP). Rex is likewise healing from being roughed up days ago.
I don't doubt some of my tinkering to improve territory/reduce stress has caused this while they 'reorganize' but then things seem to settle. Brick tends to overreact when he perceives a crowded area, so I let him open his spaces the way he wants. It seems to settle him. I make sure he has a combination of open space and sheltered areas to explore.
I also have a delusional 6 inch severum that thinks he can take on an 11 inch, still growing O...despite all of the places he can go to 'get away' or relax he refuses, following the O or staying out in the open to challenge. Now I'd give him a decent shot at full size but right now it's just plain crazy. Maybe he's going through puberty or hormones.
So the fish that can't fight the O (Sev) wants to start trouble, and the fish that can fight the O (BP) avoids trouble. Makes sense, right? Go figure cichlids.
Brick gets annoyed at the constant trailing/attention, plus the fact that even when chased, Chip will go right back to his area. So eventually the O charges at him. Now Boss uses his brains. He challenges when he has the tactical advantage, not just for kicks. If there's no advantage he retreats and goes to chill in his area. Or he'll just cruise around the backside and go to where Brick just left.
Not Chip. While I appreciate my Severum's spunk, its going to get him on a platter if he doesn't quit. For whatever reason he wants to prove himself against the O, but runs from the BP. He absolutely can't handle Boss. He tests the BP and gets punked each time.
I'll be looking into some fish this weekend probably. I may even go back to my 'favorite' LFS with the ugly and foul tempered manager. I never cut off my nose to spite...its hard to order some fish online at a decent size the O won't eat. Since I don't have to talk to him I can still go his store. Money's green, and fools are fools.
And yes, Brick is adorable when he wants his pats. He'll float to the top and cock his eyes 'up'. That's the signal.
