I have a 75 gallon aquarium that houses about 30 Tropheus duboisi alongside Julidochromis transcriptus and Synodontis petricola. These Tropheus have been in the tank for 2.5 years. They were only about an inch long, including tail, when I first got them. Up until the past month or two, I had not recorded a single death, but since then, I've lost three, and I just moved another into a hanging net box in the tank after finding him (or her) lying on his side in a fake plant this morning. He is now holding himself upright but is still resting on the bottom of the net box as I write this.
Aggression/stress, perhaps amplified by the tank size, is my theory for these deaths. I had witnessed fights numerous times over those 2.5 years but did not note substantial injuries, and certainly no deaths. They have laid eggs multiple times, though only one set was held to term. But in the past few weeks, at least four different males have been staking out areas which they have dug out little sand pits in, and aggression seems to have increased considerably. In the morning I'd wake up and find a fish dead with chunks out of its tail. This has happened three times in a month or two, and I fear it will not cease.
Given the tank size, I think the two possible solutions are either to greatly decrease the Tropheus population size or try to sell the entire population altogether. I don't know how to vent a fish and it sounds like a daunting task, so I don't know if trying to keep one or two males and the rest females will be a good idea, especially since I don't know if the females will just get attacked incessantly once they're part of a smaller group. I'm leaning toward the second option. FWIW, given how much I paid for them at my LFS as juveniles and how much I've seen them go for at this current size at the same LFS and on online marketplaces, I think I would make a profit even after costs of raising them, if I can find a buyer. I just want to know if the situation is salvageable.
For context, filtration is via a Fluval Fx6, which also contains Seachem Matrix. Water changes about 30% once every week or two. System has been running since mid-2016. The newest fish to the system were the Tropheus, and none died for most of the 2.5 years, so I don't think disease is playing a part (unless sudden bloat??). pH high 7s (haven't tested it in a while), hardness unknown, nitrates 30 or below for the span of the 2.5 years.
Any advice? Is parting with the entire Tropheus group the best possible move? Thanks in advance.
Aggression/stress, perhaps amplified by the tank size, is my theory for these deaths. I had witnessed fights numerous times over those 2.5 years but did not note substantial injuries, and certainly no deaths. They have laid eggs multiple times, though only one set was held to term. But in the past few weeks, at least four different males have been staking out areas which they have dug out little sand pits in, and aggression seems to have increased considerably. In the morning I'd wake up and find a fish dead with chunks out of its tail. This has happened three times in a month or two, and I fear it will not cease.
Given the tank size, I think the two possible solutions are either to greatly decrease the Tropheus population size or try to sell the entire population altogether. I don't know how to vent a fish and it sounds like a daunting task, so I don't know if trying to keep one or two males and the rest females will be a good idea, especially since I don't know if the females will just get attacked incessantly once they're part of a smaller group. I'm leaning toward the second option. FWIW, given how much I paid for them at my LFS as juveniles and how much I've seen them go for at this current size at the same LFS and on online marketplaces, I think I would make a profit even after costs of raising them, if I can find a buyer. I just want to know if the situation is salvageable.
For context, filtration is via a Fluval Fx6, which also contains Seachem Matrix. Water changes about 30% once every week or two. System has been running since mid-2016. The newest fish to the system were the Tropheus, and none died for most of the 2.5 years, so I don't think disease is playing a part (unless sudden bloat??). pH high 7s (haven't tested it in a while), hardness unknown, nitrates 30 or below for the span of the 2.5 years.
Any advice? Is parting with the entire Tropheus group the best possible move? Thanks in advance.