# New Acei is a Bruiser



## Dirt Diggler (Jun 26, 2013)

Got a few new fish yesterday, among them was a Acei that was a bit larger than I had wanted but since I read they were peacefull guys, I got him anyway. Over the last 24 hours, he's killed 4 fish, and was running a 5th raggedy. A Kenyi couple, a Cobalt blue male, and an Eye Biter were all killed, and he was about to kill the electric yellow. All 4 kills happened overnight. I've netter him (that took some effort) and put him in a breeder net in the tank in hopes that it will A: give the other fish some time to relax and heal B: reestablish new territories as he took over EVERYTHING and C: break him from his aggression. I doubt C is gonna happen though, and I'll probably have to return him. When I put him in the tank, I added some feeder guppies as target fish, and there are quite a few ghost shrimp for them to go after. Is putting him in the Penalty Box the right thing to do?

45 gallon mbuna tank with 12 mbuna 1 cat, and 1 new pleco


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## StevenT (Jun 11, 2013)

What is your male to female ratio?


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## Dirt Diggler (Jun 26, 2013)

StevenT said:


> What is your male to female ratio?


The stock is new, but it was pretty much a 1:1 ratio. They are all juvies right now, and everything was cool before the Acei was put in. I have a largish Rusty that is "Visiting" the Acei while he's on time out. The rusty as a male as well. The Acei killed the Kenyi male/female set I had.


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## Dirt Diggler (Jun 26, 2013)

Just pulled the big Rusty as well. He began pecking at the Acei while he was in the net. Both fish will probably have to go. They are just too big. It's a shame, because they are such pretty fish.


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## StevenT (Jun 11, 2013)

Im new to ac also but everything I have read tells me the you should have 3 or 4 female to 1 male. You should over stock your tank and you should put all stock in at one time. You should also start with all juvenile fish.


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## graybot (Apr 24, 2011)

Can you post a photo? This does not sound like acei behavior. Anyway, acei are best kept in groups. Even then, they are one of the few species where the sex ratio isn't terribly important, and they are not prone to hyperdominance and thus shouldn't attack cichlids of other species. They will certainly chase a bit, all Malawi cichlids do, but they are not typically fighters. It's extremely common for a LFS to improperly label mbuna. The shopkeepers typically lack the specific knowledge on Malawi cichlids needed to label them correctly.

If fish are dying so easily from aggression it's a big red flag that you don't have enough territories or hiding places. Smaller fish should be able to escape into caves where larger cichlids don't fit.


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## graybot (Apr 24, 2011)

This is a 45 gallon tank? Even 75 is too small for an acei. You really need to start over. I have seen so many threads about your problems and you need to understand that it's only going to get worse. Only the smallest Malawi cichlids can live in such a small tank. Put a ton of incompatible fish in there and you are sentencing them all to death. Read some books before you out more fish in danger. Malawi cichlids are not for beginners or the uneducated.


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## rayray74 (Mar 19, 2013)

graybot said:


> Can you post a photo? This does not sound like acei behavior. Anyway, acei are best kept in groups. Even then, they are one of the few species where the sex ratio isn't terribly important, and they are not prone to hyperdominance and thus shouldn't attack cichlids of other species. They will certainly chase a bit, all Malawi cichlids do, but they are not typically fighters. It's extremely common for a LFS to improperly label mbuna. The shopkeepers typically lack the specific knowledge on Malawi cichlids needed to label them correctly.
> 
> If fish are dying so easily from aggression it's a big red flag that you don't have enough territories or hiding places. Smaller fish should be able to escape into caves where larger cichlids don't fit.


this this this. all this.
and yes.. keep them in a group.
we have 5-6 aceii and they are doing swimmingly. Pun intended.


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## StevenT (Jun 11, 2013)

graybot said:


> This is a 45 gallon tank? Even 75 is too small for an acei. You really need to start over. I have seen so many threads about your problems and you need to understand that it's only going to get worse. Only the smallest Malawi cichlids can live in such a small tank. Put a ton of incompatible fish in there and you are sentencing them all to death. Read some books before you out more fish in danger. Malawi cichlids are not for beginners or the uneducated.


Maybe take this guys advice and start over. Return your fish then post some pictures of your tank and ask the great people on this forum for decoration and stocking advice. I know I will when the time comes.

Makes no kind of sense for the inexperienced to go at it alone when you have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal if you only ask.


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## Dirt Diggler (Jun 26, 2013)

graybot said:


> This is a 45 gallon tank? Even 75 is too small for an acei. You really need to start over. I have seen so many threads about your problems and you need to understand that it's only going to get worse. Only the smallest Malawi cichlids can live in such a small tank. Put a ton of incompatible fish in there and you are sentencing them all to death. Read some books before you out more fish in danger. Malawi cichlids are not for beginners or the uneducated.


I did start over. The pH crash I caused killed the whole previous stock. He was just too big and had to go back. I have harmony now. He actually took over all the territories in the tank and killed the fish that stood up to him. Him, along with a Rusty who was a little too big for my liking went back to the LFS for fish that were more compatible with what I have now. I had read that the acei was a peaceful fish, so for him to dominate the tank like that was a surprise. I am following the stocking advice I was given, and I am reading up on the fish before I put them in. There is no mix of river, SA, peacock, and mbuna anymore. Sorry if I wasted all of your time with my posts.


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## graybot (Apr 24, 2011)

If the end result is a properly stocked tank that makes you happy, then it's worth it. You should post yr updated stocking list. I have 5 tanks with extremely different fish in each, but my Malawi tank easily steals the show. If you get it right, the reward is huge! If you don't, it's just a lot of frustration and stress in the end.


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## Aceranch (Jun 7, 2013)

We also recently added a small acei to our 75 gal SA tank. I knew it could potentially be a problem but like OP I had read they are peaceful. He's killed my favorite severum and is now working on the blue acara. It'll be going back ASAP.


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## rayray74 (Mar 19, 2013)

Acei's do like to school. keep a few of them together. Like I have stated before - have 5-6 and all do very well. We have over 115 cichlids in the tank and there is little aggression. The aggression that does take place is short lived chasing. We have larger peacocks in there as well as red top mbuna. All doing well - even down to wee itty bitty fry that are thriving. 
The thing I have learned with Cichlids is do your research first. Read, read read, ask questions. Also dont talk to your lfs. He will sell you a marlin for your 45 gallon. Talk to breeders. Ask questions on forums. 

Sometimes weird things do happen. We have mollies in the African tank. 
We have 3 mollies and 6 feeder guppies in the south american pond that the big fish wont touch. Anything else - including frogs, tadpoles, shrimp and worms are all devoured. I have no idea why. 

Acei's arent generally mean. Maybe he wanted a friend.


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## graybot (Apr 24, 2011)

I wouldn't say a peaceful mbuna killing other fish is unusual at all. Even a relatively peaceful mbuna is a vicious killer amongst other species. They are only considered peaceful compared to how incredibly aggressive typical mbuna are.


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## oldoldman (Aug 13, 2013)

*old dude digger.........I have had a couple of fish that had to be spanked too.........Take a piece of heavy single strand copper wire about 3 foot long,and put a 2 inch triangle on one end......2x2x2...........use this to gentle tap him on top of his head everytime you see him chasing someone...........This does work........Some of you wont like this but it has to be done once in a while with a killer..........good luck..........John.........:fishGreen:


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

^^lol^^


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

The biggest thing that people have to remember is that a peaceful mbuna is still a stone cold killer compared to your typical tropical fish. I wish you would of posted a pic before you sent him back because I have a strong suspicion that he was not an Acei at least not pure.


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