I would do that but sometimes they go behind plants and driftwood to sleep. I've been trying to catch them for 2 hours and they're too smart and know i'm trying to get them. I'm about to lose my mind.
Keyhole Cichlid aggression
- Thread starter Ravynn
- Start date
I would do that but sometimes they go behind plants and driftwood to sleep. I've been trying to catch them for 2 hours and they're too smart and know i'm trying to get them. I'm about to lose my mind.
change 80% of the water and they'll be much easier to catch
also what I have is a piece of acrylic that is as long as the width of the tank and about 10" high. so I get the water level below 10" chase the fish into a corner and slide in the acrylic piece in front of the corner the fish is hiding in. so now instead of a 6 foot long tank the fish finds himself in a 1 foot tank and is very easy to catch with a big net
also what I have is a piece of acrylic that is as long as the width of the tank and about 10" high. so I get the water level below 10" chase the fish into a corner and slide in the acrylic piece in front of the corner the fish is hiding in. so now instead of a 6 foot long tank the fish finds himself in a 1 foot tank and is very easy to catch with a big net
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This could be the issue.
Keyholes tend to form groups in the wild and keeping these type of cichlids in low numbers can result in the type of behavior your experiencing.
I would keep the pair, or add a few more to dilute aggression. No guarantee of success but I think those are your best options.
I often do this. Some fish are easier to catch than others (I have some tame enough I can practically hand catch them) or some are large or calm enough to catch with two nets, but otherwise I do this method.
Water level can vary, but I reduce by at least half, then use a divider of some sort (I use expandable window screens) to shepherd fish (or those you want) into one end of the tank so you don't have to chase them. If plants and stuff make it hard to maneuver a divider exactly how you want, lowering water level and cutting off whatever portion of the tank with a divider still helps.
Dark tank/dark room works also, but while some fish stay sleepy a few minutes, I've had some that freak going from dark to sudden light. Personal preference somewhat, but the above method doesn't depend on time of day or lighting.
I've been at it for 4 hours and I just had to stop. I put a towel over the tank and i'll try it again tonight. They're very good at hiding/camouflaging, sometimes I literally can't find them. I don't have anything to use as a divider so i'm screwed.
How did it go?
Here's what I'm talking about to cordon off part of the tank. Not expensive, comes in different sizes, I use them for tank dividers (wood framed version, so it doesn't scratch glass. I get a size that fits the tank I want to divide -- if necessary I cut and/or plane a wood spacer when screen width is a bit small-- but as a temporary barrier to shepherd fish into a smaller area exact size isn't critical.
Here's what I'm talking about to cordon off part of the tank. Not expensive, comes in different sizes, I use them for tank dividers (wood framed version, so it doesn't scratch glass. I get a size that fits the tank I want to divide -- if necessary I cut and/or plane a wood spacer when screen width is a bit small-- but as a temporary barrier to shepherd fish into a smaller area exact size isn't critical.
I haven't tried to catch them again. I turned the lights on today because I do have live plants and i'd rather those not melt; they went absolutely ballistic towards the other 2. I really can't emphasize ballistic enough. I have to wait to drain the tank (i'm going to do 50-60%) because I need help getting rid of the water.
Honestly, i'm more worried about what they're going to be like towards different species that I plan on adding.. kind of making me nervous that i'm going to have to get rid of 3 of them instead of 2. They don't care about the pleco but he's not always visible anyway.
I've tried searching around for the wooden window screens but I could only find fiberglass ones here and they're $30.
They will always be more aggressive to their own kind than other fish.
If you had more confirmed males you could just rehome the females and the males would probably coexist in the tank. I keep all-male tanks of SA fish with little issue -- if there's no female's attention to compete for, they don't seem to have much of a reason to fight.
If you had more confirmed males you could just rehome the females and the males would probably coexist in the tank. I keep all-male tanks of SA fish with little issue -- if there's no female's attention to compete for, they don't seem to have much of a reason to fight.