tankaroo

Hi, I have a 55 gallon tank with:
5 Labidocromis
3 Blue Socolophi
3 Saulosi
3 Giant Danios
1 Bushy Nose Pleco

We just found one of our little Saulosi with a giant hole in the side of him, he is 1 1/2 inches long, and this is a 1/4 of an inch bite on this poor guy. I think he is a male, the tank is only a few months old and its still hard to tell who is a boy or girl. But this guy was just starting to change color to that beautiful blue the males are known for. He also has some long scrapes on him. This fish is always hiding, you usualy never see him, so I guess that was my first hint that someone in the tank hated him.

My question is, what should I do? I have another 10 gallon tank that I could set up just for him, but do you think that is needed? should I do a salt dip? anything will help, thanks

tankaroo

oh also, this is our first time with any aggression in the tank, I think they have been too young so far.

Amanda

I'd QT him with Strees Coat+, garlic guard & do a lot of water changes.
Could you post a pic of the wound?

aquarist48

hmmmmm it does sound like he may have been attacked but I can't say for sure because I'm not familiar with some of your other species. I don't think I would dip him in a salt bath since his wound sounds so severe....It just seems that would be like pouring salt into a cut...OUCH!!!! Is your water chemistry readings ok? ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Any signs of parasites?

tankaroo

Water levels are good, eveyone else in the tanks seems just fine, IF there are parasites, hes the only one who has got them. Hes seems very unhappy, dont know if Im even going to be able to catch him in all the rocks- you can barly find him as it is!

Ill try to get a photo, my husband is getting the 10 gallon tank ready now (with water from the 55 gallon- our pH is bad right out of the tap for these guys, we use crushed shells) Ill try when we net him.

tankaroo

Big wound on side and scraches above that (only dont think you can really see them in photo) hes just starting to turn blue too





My Tank



Healthy Saulosi in tank (gold one)- got her same time as him, much bigger (think this one is a female since it does not seem to be turning blue at all)

tankaroo

Sadly he just died he fought a good fight, but you really could see his insides Oh well, we got our QT tank up and running now like we have been meaning to do so if any good came out if this it was that.

Thanks to all who tried to help

tankaroo

heres a better picture of what happend to him- was I right in thinking that it was a battle wound? or should I be worried for the other fish and it was something else?
So sad, see his stripes coming in?

Amanda

Wow...that is one heck of a wound.

agabr123

wow...hopefully angela will be around soon and have some insight for you. i'm sorry you lost him

aquarist48

Sorry about your loss. I hope you can find an answer as to what caused it.

Angela_96

5 Labidocromis
3 Blue Socolophi
3 Saulosi
3 Giant Danios
1 Bushy Nose Pleco


Im sorry to hear that. When they are juvies it seems like they are too young to do anything bad to each other, and then all at once you will get casulaties.
I am betting between the Saulosi and the scolofi that the scolofi is the aggressor.
They are from the group Psudochromis, and they are competing right now. When you stock mbuna cichlids keeping to the one of each group can help avoid that, and putting one male with 2+ females will also avoid aggession.


When they get wounds that bad, melafix and super high quality water in a q tank is the only hope for them. I had a scolofi that had wounds like that 2 or three times that healed with treatment.

Melafix is a good thing to put in the tank about 3 days out of a month just because for the mbuna, they will have tiny fin nips, etc that we won't see from their fighting.


I would keep a close eye on the rest of the 2 psuedo groups and if any more aggression comes of it pull one of the two groups. Then with the other one get the ratio with one male and the rest female. The danios are in danger as well right now, all the mbuna will take their aggression out on them.

tankaroo

Thank you for your advice. We did a lot of research on our tank before we got them, and well, it seems that when it comes to fish- no 2 people could give us the same answer, even people who have had tanks 10+ years. We were told and have read so many conflicting things on Cichlids- even that what we picked out would work. (it was a local fish store- NOT PETCO- the nice ones with people who know what they are talking about, they only sold fish and fish supplies) We cycled the tank with the Danios- and were actually recomended to put them in with the Mbunas because "They are so fast that they can out run the Mbuna and help them take their aggression out that way. They do well together" So far the Danios have done pretty well (they are actually a bit aggressive themselves)

But again, thank you everyone who helped and for all the kind wishes