Verbal update, no visuals.
The fish are currently at 1.5' or so and had been doing as well as always until I added a few dozen of African cichlid rescues to their 240 gal for the lack of any other available tank. In a month or so I noticed they stopped feeding as vigorously as before and their fin tips were getting shorter. In another month it only got worse. Perhaps I only caught one or two times when the cichlids approached the barbels and the barbels pulled away or darted, which says the Africans were to blame. Off they, the barbels, went into another 240 gal.
There the story was a variation of the prior scene. For a few weeks they appeared fine but not feeding or not feeding well. Then came the hiding. Long story short, it was the 5 Maskoheros argentea that were bothering them, knocked out half of their scales while leaving the fins, to which I was paying particular attention, intact. Four Heterotilapia buttikoferi didn't bother them.
Off they went into a third 240 gal. So far ok. Been there a few weeks. Started feeding but still are afraid of me / skittish. I hope it is just the recent turmoil and they will get calm.