# Ungrateful fish



## Rufus' Mom (Jan 2, 2012)

I posted a few weeks back about problems with aggression in my Mbuna cichlids tank, and my indecision about keeping them. I ultimately did decide to keep them, rescaped their tank with sand instead of pebbles, and added a few more fish to up the population. All is well except for this one red zebra that is still in the QT tank. Every time I try to reintroduce him to the main tank, he ends up getting his butt kicked, and I have to take him out again. I tried doing it in conjunction with a water change and moving all their rocks around. They don't notice him for a few hours, but he just can't seem to help swaggering around and saying "come and get me," which the other male red eventually does. 

Anyway, today when I went to clean his QT tank, he bit me! Not just once, but several times. I have no doubt he knew exactly what he was doing. I guess he's feeling kind of "big" in his little pond, and is trying to tell me he's ready to go home again. I'll try again this weekend with a few new residents and see if he can finally just lay low and blend in. 

If anyone has any tricks for this, I'm open to suggestions.


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

Have you tried introducing him at the same time as another new fish? Sometimes that helps as well, also is he getting picked on by everyone in the tank or only one or two guys? If its only one or two try taking the aggressors out and in the qt tank for a "time out", I've hear of that helping somtimes


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## Rufus' Mom (Jan 2, 2012)

It's mainly one fish that goes after this guy. I'll try the time out thing next time.


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

i had a rogue convict; he bit me, the siphon, the filter intake, the plants, the glass, airline tube, all the fish and the poor apple snail! i tried taking him out then putting him back, changing stuff around, adding more fish, taking the one that got most beat up out then put back and nothing worked....i ended up just admited defere and took the evil little thing back to the shop!

maybe try taking the one that beats him up out and see how the tank goes, sometimes a new agressor will take over or things will calm down. if the time out doesnt work i suggest swaping him for another. i could only put up with the evil convict for a month before he went!!


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

It probably can't work - two males, and your town ain't big enough for the both of them. You can rehome one, or let one murder the other.

His aggression to you shows how well he is prepared to get along with tankmates. He probably can't see you as a 'unit', just your hand and the unconnected rest of you that's outside the tank. Odds are, he thinks your hand's not that big, and he can take it. 

He's wired to control a breeding territory against all comers. So is your other male. In nature, his territorial control makes him attractive, and the females come to him. He wants that much more than he wants a friend to hang around with....


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