How to Handle Aggressive Fish

[A. Scott]

I have some Mbuna's terrorizing the tank. Any suggestions for ways to
chill them out? Or is there a market for trades among enthusiasts?
They either need to mellow out or go...and I'm not up for any kind of
extrermination. I'm willing to just give them to my LFS if they will
take them, but I'm hoping for others options. If you have ideas to
share, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks.

[Amateur Cichlids]

"A. Scott" > wrote in message
...
>I have some Mbuna's terrorizing the tank. Any suggestions for ways to
> chill them out? Or is there a market for trades among enthusiasts?
> They either need to mellow out or go...and I'm not up for any kind of
> extrermination. I'm willing to just give them to my LFS if they will
> take them, but I'm hoping for others options. If you have ideas to
> share, I'd really appreciate it.
>
> Thanks.


Mbuna for the most part are very territorial fish. They're algae grazers
from Lake Malawi and spend the major portion of their day, grazing algae
from the rocks. Not much algae grows on rocks in a single day, so these fish
have developed to protect their territories fiercely. You'll find that most
algae grazers are highly territorial. Pseudotropheus acei from Ngara may be
one of the exceptions you'll find. Most Mbuna, and IMO all Mbuna, are not
suitable tankmates for any of the normal tropical fish. Most Mbuna should be
in a tank of 75 gallons or larger. Many of the insectivorous Labidochromis
species will do well in a 55 gallon. If you don't meet these requirements
for tank size or tank mates, you'll most likely continue to have problems.
Here's an article I wrote for people who were talked into buying "Mixed
Africans" from their LFS.
http://www.fishaholics.org/articles.php?ArtId=1
Good luck with your tank.
Tim