Malawi Peacock/Hap Aggression

[batson325]

Hi,

I have a 100 gallon tank with malawi peacocks and haps. None of them are aggressive to the point that they are killing other fish, but I have noticed some fins that have been nipped. I dont know if it is possible to completely eliminate aggression, but I would like for my fish's fins to look nice. They are not too bad yet, but some are starting to look a little shredded. I usually add 5 fish at a time, and when I add them, I take everything out of the tank, then put it back in a different arrangement. I also bought a breeder net to hang on the side of the tank, and when i notice a fish acting aggressively I put him in there for a day or two this usually helps the aggression. I also have all males in the tank (as far as I know). Are there any other tips to help keep aggression down? Any help is appreciated. I have added a video of my fish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DdJ6wAnYJE

[Andrew_B]

Add more fish, more packed in they are, less aggression. Add more filtration to make up for the more fish.

[SteveCGG]

Ditto! Fish look good too..

[alexrex20]

Add extra filtration and extra circulation. You gotta have good turnover to ensure proper oxygenation of the water. That's a common problem I see in "overstocked" tanks.

[batson325]

Add extra filtration and extra circulation. You gotta have good turnover to ensure proper oxygenation of the water. That's a common problem I see in "overstocked" tanks.

I have a 2217, a bubble wand (think thats what you call it), and a fan under the water. Dont really want to buy another cannister filter, but I could probably afford one that hangs on the back if necessary.

[alexrex20]

Well, after seeing your video, I would say you're already overstocked. I'm not a fan of overstocking to reduce/disperse aggression. Another way to reduce aggression is to remove your rocks so that there's no territories to fight over. Or trade in your fish for smaller and/or less aggressive fish.

[armthehomeless]

Cichlids are territorial and aggressive fish by nature. It doesn't look too bad to me. Rearranging the scape to eliminate the territories as Steve mentioned should do the trick.

You could always add so much flow that the fish have to fight the current, and not each other.