[TailorO]

According to the species profile Pseudotropheus Socolofi (albino) is only suposed to mildly aggressive but lately mine has started chasing everyone in the tank like crazy. It doesn't seem to actually hurt any of them but i'm worried about it stressing my other fish. how can i tell if my other fish are bothered by it? They just seem to run away then kinda go back to wandering around. Should i be worried the Socolofi may hurt them eventually or is it just harmless chasing?

 

[Dewdrop]

What size tank is it and what's the stocking list with numbers? It could make a difference.

I have 3 albino P. socolofi in my overstocked 55g. tank. I'm sure one is male, one is female and the third I'm not sure about. The male has his own cave and is very protective of it. He chases all the other fish away if they get to close. He's really very cocky and acts like he's twice the size he really is. He really doesn't hurt anybody though and the other fish have learned to kinda over look him. I'd keep a close eye on him because with mbuna it's hard to say for sure but I think it will be fine if the tank is big enough and the tank mates are compatible.

 

[TailorO]

the tank is a 55gal. and it sounds like mine is doing what yours did. it dug a hole under a rock and chases anyone away that gets to close. i don't know if it is male or female

 

[CichlidWhisperer]

I had one of those that was a simple terror. I was also very surprised because the profiles say he is not that bad, but IME he was super aggressive. I would bet you have a male.

 

[DJRansome]

You can tell if it is bothering the other fish because they will hover at the surface or hide behind filter intakes and heater. Also if their fins/scales are being nipped. Otherwise, it's all in good fun.

 

[TailorO]

the other fish don't seem to care that he chases them. they just run away then go back to wandering around the tank

 

[tropheus duboisi breeder]

Profiles are more of guidelines or to give you an idea how fish may act. Any fish could be a crazy fish. What other fish do you have in there and how many of each?

 

[Dewdrop]

I've read that other people have had the albino socolofi and think they are really mean so I guess some can be. Mine hasn't hurt any fish or frightened them so bad that they hide ALL the time. Like I said I have 3... the one that thinks he's hot stuff (pretty sure it's male), one I know is female because I saw her drop eggs one time and the third one I'm really unsure about but I think it might be submale. When the "king" first started showing off, the one I think is a submale hid in a plant in the corner of the tank for a couple days but soon realized that the "kings" bark was bigger than his bite so they are all fine now.

I also have 3 red zebras, all male, and one of them is the same way. I'm going to keep the red zebra king but trade in the other 2 males and try to get some females. I'd like to get more female albino socolofi too. Funny but the 2 kings have never butted heads as far as I know.

I really like the albino socolofi.

 

[TailorO]

i really like my albino too. i don't want to get rid of him. he seems to have calmed down a bit today so i'll have to just wait and see

 

[Dewdrop]

yeah I'd say give him a chance. Just keep an eye on him. You never did say what your stocking list is so I clicked the "Your Tanks" button. It doesn't give a list there either lol. I can only see one albino socolofi in the pics. I bet it's a male but can't be positive ya know. If he's making a nest it means he wants to breed (I think) so if you have any females in there you might have one holding before long lol.

What are the fish that you have the most of, the yellowish ones with black bars?

I really like the driftwood in your tank. Especially the piece on the left, the taller one, not the root looking one. Is it real drifwood or that fake kind? Would love it for my 75g. when I get it. Maybe if it's the fake kind I can find it in a LFS :wink: . Nice looking tank you got. Would still like a list of your fish cause they all look good together from what I can tell.

 

[TailorO]

Wow, that tank pic in my profile is old. I need to put up some new ones some time today. Judging from my tank pic that you saw it looks like the orange fish with the bars are my clown loaches. The driftwood stumps were fake. very nice looking. i am still using them in my other tank right now. I got them at petsmart. My tank now has black sand and a combination of Texas holey rock and red lava rock. As for my stock list it's a bit overcrowded but for the most part everyone gets along pretty well so far. i know i will probably have to get rid of a few as they get bigger.

3 Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (unknown) 2in
1 Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos "Maingano" (male?) 3in
1 Pseudotropheus socolofi "albino" (male?) 3in
1 Metriaclima greshakei "Ice Blue" (male) 5in
2 Metriaclima estherae "OB" (unknown) 2in & 3in
1 Iodotropheus sprengerae "Rusty" (unknown) 2.5in
1 Metriaclima callainos "Cobalt" (female?) 3in
1 Melanochromis auratus (male) 3in
2 Metriaclima lombardoi "Kenyi" (female) 3in
1 Pseudotropheus crabro "Bumble Bee" (female?) 3in
3 Labidochromis caeruleus "Yellow Lab" (2 unknown, 1 male?) 2in & 4in
2 Metriaclima estherae "Red Zebra" (female) 3.5in
3 Clown Loaches 3in
1 Red Tailed Shark 6in
1 Pleco 8in[/img]

 

[Fish_Dude]

can't go by profiles. I've had 'peacful' cichlids be terrors, and 'highly aggressive' ones be pussycats. In general, it's what you can expect, but two of the most agressive fish I've owned have been a Red Empress and T. Intermedius... and one of my most easy going fish has been a n. livinstoni. So the rules don't always apply. Ju

 

[Dewdrop]

Thanks for the stock list and the info on the drift wood. I bet that is clown loaches in the pic. I'd love to have some of them one day. I've heard they are very playful and fun to watch.

Keep an eye on that albino socolofi. I just had a problem with a male albino auratus. Like the albino socolofi I have 3 of these also (1M.2F.) and I think the male just killed the one female yesterday. I had never seen any aggression out of this fish at all and then just all of a sudden BAM. I didn't see it happen so I can't be possitive that it was him but he was chasing other fish around and acting kinda crazy so I pulled him out of the main tank.

I'm really hoping that the killing is more of an auratus trait than an albino trait but think it's worth mentioning to you.

 

[TailorO]

Yeah, the striped ones are clown loaches. I love them! They are some of my favorite fish in the tank. They are very playful and fun to watch. They are VERY prone to ich though. Mine just got over a mild case. luckily i caught it early and i didn't loose a single fish and the tank has been ich free for over a week so i think it's good :wink: As for my albino he seems to have calmed back down again. I added a plastic plant to the tank and now he lives inside it and stopped chasing everyone else in the tank. just have to wait and see...

 

[CichlidWhisperer]

I noticed that you have a bunch of females in the tank. I have been trying to set up an all male tank, but when one of the females that I have had gets ready to have eggs, I always notice a male fish get very very aggressive and chase everyone away. It then calms down after I remove the girl (or after she is holding.) Could this be the case for you?

 

[TailorO]

maybe. The larger percentage of females was not really intentional. when you buy juvies and grow them you never know what you are gonna get. I have only had one of my fish hold once. it was one of my zebras and she spit too soon

 

[cichlidaholic]

3 Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (unknown) 2in
1 Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos "Maingano" (male?) 3in
1 Pseudotropheus socolofi "albino" (male?) 3in
1 Metriaclima greshakei "Ice Blue" (male) 5in
2 Metriaclima estherae "OB" (unknown) 2in & 3in
1 Iodotropheus sprengerae "Rusty" (unknown) 2.5in
1 Metriaclima callainos "Cobalt" (female?) 3in
1 Melanochromis auratus (male) 3in
2 Metriaclima lombardoi "Kenyi" (female) 3in
1 Pseudotropheus crabro "Bumble Bee" (female?) 3in
3 Labidochromis caeruleus "Yellow Lab" (2 unknown, 1 male?) 2in & 4in
2 Metriaclima estherae "Red Zebra" (female) 3.5in
3 Clown Loaches 3in
1 Red Tailed Shark 6in
1 Pleco 8in[/img]

TailorO, with this stock list in a 55G tank, you can't really anticipate the fish to behave as predicted in the profiles.

It's not always about stocking a tank to discourage crossbreeding. In your case, removing one hyper aggressive fish is only going to set the stage for another one to step up into his position.

I can understand liking alot of different looking fish, I've been where you are. :wink: But many of the fish you have are unrealistic in a tank this size under the best of circumstances. As they all mature, it's only going to get worse...

All cichlids are aggressive to some extent. I can't think of a one that isn't...Truly...I would place the socolofi about mid range aggression wise, but only if they are housed properly.

To make the best out of a tank, you have to stock the fish properly.

If you really like one of this and one of that, then perhaps you should go all male with the tank and remove the females completely. But even then, you have some fish (auratus, crabro and kenyi) who probably won't work in this tank long term. I tried an all male mbuna tank and didn't care for it much after keeping breeding groups, thank goodness I kept all my girls in another tank.

As for the ich, yes, clown loaches are prone to ich. But a high stress tank is prone to ich, also...Not to mention other more serious health issues...

 

[TailorO]

the three species you mentioned are the ones i was actually planning on not keeping becuase of what i have read and what people have said about them...

 

[Dewdrop]

The 3 species Kim mentioned (auratus, crabro, & kenyi) are ones she said probably WON'T work in a 55g. long term. Very aggressive species like those shouldn't be kept in anything under a 75g. tank.

I started out kinda the same way. I was buying fish that I didn't know what they were only I was buying them in trios going for an all male tank. I was getting unsexed juvies and letting them grow out to decide their sex. Somewhere along the line I decided I didn't want an all male tank after all lol so now I'm trying to get a bigger tank and more tanks and trying to decide what to keep and where lol. It's all part of the fun and learning though and I'm having a ball even though I did have a fatality yesterday. It's really a wonder I haven't had more and very well could yet if I don't hurry up and get a bigger tank.

I'm thinking about your tank like Kim. Unless you want an all male tank with one of alot of different fish, I'd get rid of the most aggressive ones (those 3 mentioned) and try to pick 3-4 species and build breeding groups (1male to 3 or 4 females) around those favorite species. Even if you don't want babies, their breeding behavior is really interesting to watch and you can let the mother spit in the tank so you don't have a lot of fry.