Electric Yellows

[Tony]

Hi everyone

Many thanks for the comments re my post discus and blue rams. All comments have helped me heaps.

One of the comments by Caryl was that my Electric yellow shouldn't be in with my community tank. I agree. However I purchased two E Yellows for a small 600 x 300 x 300 with only rockery decoration. After about two weeks one EY was totally dominating the other and if I did not intervene, would have killed it. This despite both coming from same holding tank in same outlet and at first being seemingly tolerant of each other.

The EY in the community tank is doing nicely now and its fins and body recovered from the battering. I reintroduced him to his former tank and roommate the other day in the hope that time apart would have quelled the animosity. But no way. The fighting commenced immediately. So back to the community he went.

I have since heard that it would have been better to get more than two and not necessarily just EY's. Anybody have any suggestions. Should I just leave things be and have one EY on his own in the smaller tank or is it possible get a couple other species who will all get along to make the smaller tank a little more interesting visually.

As always your thoughts are much appreciated.

Cheers

t

[Paul]

Hi Tony

If you only have the two EC (Labidochromis caeruleus) then your best bet at introducing them at all together is to place them both into a new tank set up at the same time. one that includes several areas that are able to be considered a territory for each fish.

If you try to add one fish to another's territory you will have conflicts and lots of them from the fish that had made the tank its own territory in the first place.

Failing success in adding two fish to a new tank at the same time your other choice is to remove the dominant one for several weeks and let the weaker one establish the tank as its territory, Then add the dominant fish back and hope the the weaker fish is able to get the point across that the tank is its territory and the new fish has to earn an area for its self.

Bottom line with most territory fish of this nature is the more the better this then spreads any aggression around.

Typical African cichlid sp are the only tank set up that I say overcrowd and then do the maintenance to keep up with it.

EC's are quite compatible with one another and other fish with similar tendencies.

[Tony]

Many thanks Paul for your comments. Will put your advice to good use.

Tony

[Matthew]

Even though it is not supposed to be done my mother put a pair of electric yellows in her community tank. They quite enjoy the tank and have bred on multiple occassions (unfortunately the clown loaches eat the fry). They don't hassle the other fish (including small tetras). So even though it is not supposed to be done there are some cases where it works.

They were initially put into the community tank while their tank was being shifted. They settled in immediately so they stayed.

Water conditions aren't optimum for the yellow electrics, but if they are breeding I imagine that they tolerate the conditions quite nicely.

Matt

[Caryl]

I haven't anything to add to Paul's suggestions. I have a Malawi set-up with 6 EYs and they all get on well with occasional chasing by the dominant fish but he gives up quickly with no damage done. The other fishes also have plenty of places to hide.