Male Peacock/Hap aggression, temperature control discussion

[NoCo tap water]

Hey everyone. I have an all male peacock/hap 75. Currently 11 cichlids, bnp and a redtail.

About a month ago I had a new tank boss (6in big mean angry guy) take his place. Since then it has been hell in that tank. I’ve triple checked and removed all females (there were 2 in my “all male” 10 pack). I’ve offered additional food. Nothing curbs this guys rage.

Im trying to lower the temperature in more than one way in the tank.

Does anyone keep their Malawi cichlids at 72-73? Anyone notice a reduction in aggression when these guys are cooler. There is so much conflicting information out there on what temp and no clear answer on the aggression observations.

Im lowering to 73 from 75, then to 72. I’ll keep an eye on them but I’m ready to rehome this guy . SAVE THE FINS

Photo of the jerk.

 

Edited October 21 by NoCo tap water

[NOLANANO]

Thats one pretty jerk. I have never kept African Cichlids so I can't really help but he is a show stopper.  I have a co worker who uses a breeder box when one fish get s aggressive. He will place the aggressor in the breeder box for a day or two until the tank hierarchy settles and then release the problem fish back into gen pop.  He says it works but like I said, I have no experience with it.

[NoCo tap water]

On 10/21/2024 at 8:50 AM, NOLANANO said:

Thats one pretty jerk. I have never kept African Cichlids so I can't really help but he is a show stopper.  I have a co worker who uses a breeder box when one fish get s aggressive. He will place the aggressor in the breeder box for a day or two until the tank hierarchy settles and then release the problem fish back into gen pop.  He says it works but like I said, I have no experience with it.

This is a great idea. I’ve just ordered a in tank net type, this guy is large. Thanks!!

Edited October 21 by NoCo tap water

[quikv6]

Have you tried rearranging the tank decor during a large water change to confuse / re-establish territory?

In regards to the above, you could bucket the fish for awhile while water-changing and re-arranging. Then, introduce him back into the tank, as if he is a new fish to the tank.

Edited October 21 by quikv6

[DallasCowboys16]

On 10/21/2024 at 8:50 AM, NOLANANO said:

Thats one pretty jerk. I have never kept African Cichlids so I can't really help but he is a show stopper.  I have a co worker who uses a breeder box when one fish get s aggressive. He will place the aggressor in the breeder box for a day or two until the tank hierarchy settles and then release the problem fish back into gen pop.  He says it works but like I said, I have no experience with it.

Solitary confinement for a week + a tank rearrangement is a great way to do this.

As far as temperature goes, generally keeping fish a little cooler tends to lower aggressive behaviors (in my experience this is especially true in some tetras and angelfish) but I do not know if that would hold true with highly aggressive fish like peacocks.

[NoCo tap water]

21 hours ago, quikv6 said:

Have you tried rearranging the tank decor during a large water change to confuse / re-establish territory?

In regards to the above, you could bucket the fish for awhile while water-changing and re-arranging. Then, introduce him back into the tank, as if he is a new fish to the tank.

I took this idea and ran with it. Re-hardscape, don’t tempt me with a good time !

Temp hasn’t dropped yet , still at 75

Has helped for sure, some sort of pecking order reset, though he still looks like he is on top.

They must have had a rough night , still super cloudy

 

Also looks like a fry survived from when I had discovered I had females.

I’ve also made a campfire in hopes they can work it out between each other .

Edited October 22 by NoCo tap water

[NoCo tap water]

On 10/22/2024 at 8:49 AM, NoCo tap water said:

I took this idea and ran with it. Re-hardscape, don’t tempt me with a good time !

Temp hasn’t dropped yet , still at 75

Has helped for sure, some sort of pecking order reset, though he still looks like he is on top.

They must have had a rough night , still super cloudy

 

Also looks like a fry survived from when I had discovered I had females.

I’ve also made a campfire in hopes they can work it out between each other .

 

Update - I did the unscientific thing and threw the sink at the problem, but the aggression appears under control.

Temperatures never dropped, still holding 75

Re-scape helped for a few hours, I added some more line of sight breaks and more Val which help a couple fish at a time escape the wrath of mean guy. I added an area where Mr grumpy can dig his hole for that lady to never stop by without locking eyes with anyone else. The rocks block much of his view. I used larger rocks to”train” him on where to dig, works every time.

After the rescape I had a ton of floaties, so I added a massive powerhead with a canister of filter floss. While having this run I noticed a huge drop in aggression from everyone.

The main thing that helped was redirecting the current from more of a surface agitator to pointed directly across the tank. This has done more than anything else for the aggression. I’ve removed the temp powerhead, redirected the flow from my oversized canister spray bar and increased the flow from the canister.

I used to run a circulator until it broke, but there is a plant growing in it now and I don’t want to remove it.

Bonus

 

 

Update- I’ve since added a skimmer for some more flow. It’s helping even more. They are sharing all of the tank again.

Edited October 26 by NoCo tap water

[NoCo tap water]

Update. Added a few more line of sight breaks. Aggression has leveled out pretty well.

 

Check out my planted Malawi cichlid tank

 

 

I use rocks to discourage digging in areas and hold down roots. Tried a “potted” plant too

 

 

Edited November 21 by NoCo tap water