Was it a mistake?

[Brian716]

I had a very well established environment in my aquarium consisting of assorted tetras, barbs, and angelfish. Then earlier this week, without doing any research, I introduced two yellow lab cichlids in my aquarium. This afternoon when I got home from work, I found one of my very healthy angels laying dead on the bottom. Could this be the work of the Cichlids dhowing their aggressiveness? Should I remove the cichlids from my aquarium before any more of my fish mysteriously die?

 

[sweetpickles7]

Yes! you picked out African cichlids, which need harder water than the rest of your fish and are alot more aggressive then the rest of your fish. Remove them as soon as possible.

 

[d3sc3n7]

Yeah, those cichlids will make that tank their own. Allowing no others to live in there.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Which is why you should never buy fish without research...

 

[brian1973]

Welcome to the tank

Yea you made a big mistake but alot of us here seem to have come here because of similiar experiences so dont beat yourself up to bad.

Just remember not to make impulse buys and research before you buy anything.

 

[Brian716]

Thanks everyone for your help. The two troublemakers are now gone. In the future, I will stick with the tride and true that I have always trusted.

 

[TabMorte]

Or you can research ALL Fish and be welll armed with information next time you want to impulse buy! (I have liveaquaria.com's fish database book marked on my cell phone for quick information while in the shop!)

 

[Orion]

In the future, I will stick with the tride and true that I have always trusted.

That will lead to a very boring hobby

We've all screwed up sometime or another. No biggie. Don't beat yourself up to bad over it. But don't be afraid to branch out into other areas though. Research fish, and this will arm you with all sorts of information that will be usefull.

 

[TabMorte]

I agree. Try new things just... look them up on the internet first.

You know a lot of us go and browse the fish store armed with our cell phones and digital cameras. Then we snap pictures of the fish we want to get and come home, look them up with the pictures to refer to and then decide if we want to buy.

It's a good habit to get into. And saved me from inadvertently buying a pair of poor dyed blue kribs not too long ago. The poor poor things.

 

[pwrmacG4]

read this compatibility chart.. fairly accurate.. but remember all fish are different.. and so are their temperament
Freshwater & Brackish Compatibility Chart

 

[MadridKid]

wow, honest mistake i bet..... cichlids are notorious for beating up other fish. especially non-cichlid fish! take em out man!

 

[Orion]

Really? I can't really say I've seen a discus beat down other fish on a normal basis. I've had barbs 10 times more aggressive then many species of cichlids I've kept.

 

[pwrmacG4]

Really? I can't really say I've seen a discus beat down other fish on a normal basis. I've had barbs 10 times more aggressive then many species of cichlids I've kept.

I totally agree with you orion. sometimes agressive fish can be dolcile as hell in the right conditions. and dolcile fish can be agressive. it is all about their temperment. sometimes a crap shoot! (no pun intended)

 

[kay-bee19]

"Cichlids" is a vast general term covering a myriad of species, each with different levels, capabilities and motivations for aggression. Tank set up and tank mates provide even more variables to outcomes.