Diagnosing the bully

[huntery18]

Hey guys, I have a 150 gallon aquarium that up until now I haven’t had aggression issues, in the tank is
1x arowana (6 inches)
1xsalvini (3 inches)
1xfiremouth (3.5 inches)
1xpeacock bass (3 inches)
1x geophaus sveni (was sold as a sveni but may be a threadfin acara)
1x bichir (3 inches)
8x silver dollars (1 inch)
2x clown loach (2 inches)

The other day I came home to one of my two peacocks with a chunk out of him so I quickly moved him to a hospital tank and he has recovered, the next day I found bites in my bichir, after inspecting the tank I removed my Texas cichlid to another tank as I believe he was the one causing aggression. Thoughts? I have been monitoring the tank to see if there are any other bullies but I believe it’s when the lights are off.

 

[jjohnwm]

I'd remove the salvini.

 

[huntery18]

I'd remove the salvini.

He is the smallest in the tank, the bites are pretty large to be from him but I will start looking for a new him from him, below is the bite the peacock bass had, now it is healed.
I

 

[HUKIT]

Wait, so did the bite on the peacock bass happened after the cyanoguttatus was removed?

 

[jjohnwm]

Sinister-Kisses duanes

 

[huntery18]

Wait, so did the bite on the peacock bass happened after the cyanoguttatus was removed?

The Texas was in there for both bites I believe he is my aggressor, the second most aggressive fish in there is the fish that was sold as the phagus but looks more similar to a Acarichthys heckelii, I haven’t had any bites since removing the Texas but it hasn’t been long. Been keeping an eye on my salvini, he is still very small.

 

[HUKIT]

In my experience heckelii seen to have more conspecific aggression than aggression directed at tank mates. I have a pair of salvini that are kept solo as they would have larger fish stuck in the corner of a 240g when spawning. The overall stock in that tank will need to be addressed at some point in the near future(at least the arowana).

 

[huntery18]

In my experience heckelii seen to have more conspecific aggression than aggression directed at tank mates. I have a pair of salvini that are kept solo as they would have larger fish stuck in the corner of a 240g when spawning. The overall stock in that tank will need to be addressed at some point in the near future(at least the arowana).

since removing my Texas the rest of the tank seems to be a lot more relaxed, I am seeing fish that normally hide, out front and center, the tank has a custom aquascape with tons of caves, nooks, cranny’s and tunnels, I’m aware how nasty a salvini can get once mature but this one has been pretty mellow at his size, I feed twice a day a mixed diet consisting of live crickets, frozen market shrimp, free dried mysis shrimp, blood worms, hikari carnivore food sticks, hikari cichlid gold and some Algee wafers, I supplement the crickets and shrimp as treats. I do a 30-50 percent water change weekly. I keep my water at 82

 

[duanes]

To me, you have two separate groups of fish that don't belong together, reguardless of who did what at the moment, and that in the future may cause grief..

There are the South American soft water, low pH species (pH 7 or below).
The sveni(?) which do best a shoal.
The Cichla
The SDs and Arowana.

On the other hand, you have the Central Americans, all hard water, high pH species (pH around 8,
the FM (which belongs in a shoal of their own kind (4 or more FMs), and tends to be aggressive if kept as a lone individual)
the Herichthys (also volatile)
The salvini (another volatile cichlid especially as it matures.

And of course tha others that (to me) don't go in either cichlid biotopes at all.

My choices ultimate would be based on the type tap water I have.

 

[FJB]

In addition to different water requirements, that is a lot of fish in a 150g. They may be small now and seem ok, but they are not, and things will get hairier, not easier. Even after having removed the Texas.
Just relating to the stocking levels I prefer, I have 7 adult Metynnis silver dollars in a 6” 125g, together with a few cories and Otto’s. The tank is heavily planted (yes, with silver dollars!). I consider that fully stocked. A 150g is not much larger.