"NetMax" wrote in message
...
"Gill Passman" gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk wrote in message
.. .

"Gill Passman" gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk wrote in message
.. .
Hi All,

I had 3 Iodotropheus sprengerae (Rusty Cichlids) in my Malawi
tank.....two
have gone - one female I found, the male has just vanished...I guess
there
must be some carnivores in the tank....I stripped it down...

The remaining female was very distressed and I expected a death
tomorrow/overnight without any action....

From my reading I understand that the Rustys are more peaceful than
the
others and can become victims quite easily....rest of the tank
contains....

4 Pseudotropheus Saulosi Juvs (sold to me as something else but still
not
convinced)
2 Aulonocara Hybrid OB Peacocks
4 Maylandia Lombardoi
3 Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos (Electric Blue Johanni)
2 Yellow labs
1 Snowball Plec

What I have done is move the remaining Rusty (she would have been dead
by
morning I'm sure) into my ex-isolation tank. I've provided her with a
cave...the occupants are one betta, two platy fry and two otos....

Will this work.....I'm thinking unless for some bizarre reason it
works
she
goes back to the shop.....I don't believe I can put her back into the
Malawi
tank...

Gill


She'll need to back to the shop :-( Everything is peaceful at the
moment and
she is regaining her confidence.....feeding is a nightmare - I'm not
sure a
Cichlid Stick eating Betta is really going to be good for his long term
health...


Nothing in your Malawi tank really stands out as an aggressor, so I would
chalk it up to routine mbuna in-fighting. The Rustys don't have a
reputation as being the mildest or most aggressive. It just depends on
where in the pecking order they fell.

I don't think some Cichlid pellets would harm your Betta, just mix it up.
Rustys do need more veggy-based diets than Bettas or your typical
omnivorous cichlid, and eventually I can see trouble in paradise with a
Betta and a Rusty in the same tank ;~).
--
www.NetMax.tk


No kidding - I get nervous every morning and night about looking in there.
I'm counting down the days until Saturday when I can return the Rusty to the
shop.

The Betta is not happy...but antagonises things by swimming into the
cave....the Rusty is too contained - she is not feeding (which I suppose
could mean she has a mouthful or could be down to her not being happy where
she is). She also can't figure out the plants and doesn't realise that she
can swim round them.

Quite funny watching 1/2 inch Platy fry sucking on cichlid sticks though :-)

I had to do it to save her - the other two rustys got picked off in what you
so nicely term "mbuna in-fighting". I hope I don't ever have to do it
again..

Gill