# 3 Cichlids in my tank 1 is mean!



## godmyster (11 mo ago)

hi people,

i have 3 cichlids in my 30 gal, 2 yellow ones and 1 blue one, the blue one is the biggest of the 3 and than i have 1 yellow almost the size as the blue one and a slightly smaller yellow one, the blue one keeps picking on the small one and the small one tries to hide but there is not many places he can hide, and the bigger one hides downward from the filter also afraid but the blue one doesnt really pick on him, 

what do i do? what can i do to resolve this?


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## JakeTheDog (12 mo ago)

cichlids require tons of hiding spots to curb, and escape aggression. It's natural for Cichlids to be aggressive, they tend to sort of a pecking order or a hierarchy amongst themselves, but you need to make sure that your cichlids have tons of hiding spots to retreat when a more assertive fish is being aggressive. Stack a ton of rocks to make hiding holes, use terra cotta pots, PVC piping, whatever you think looks best and fits your budget, but essentially you need more hiding spots.

your tank isn't super large so this may become an issue as the fish get bigger but having more cichlids tends to help with isolated aggression. It allows the aggression to be dispersed into a natural pecking order where things are more balanced vs the same fish being bullied by the others.


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## BrianM (Sep 22, 2020)

Logged in with my Google account by mistake oops.

Well I have caves that I made coconuts which look really nice but I guess they don't really hide in them as much but they used to now the bigger one doesn't let them hide in there. If I get more cichlids I'll have to get them the same size then I'm guessing because I got there they were less than an inch now they're about 4 to 5 inches which I think is around there max size. Also how many more do you think I can or should add? And what type should I add?


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## BrianM (Sep 22, 2020)

i also heard kribensis cichlids are a lot more peaceful


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## JakeTheDog (12 mo ago)

I probably wouldn't add Kribensis, you want the different fish to having similar aggression levels, a Kribensis although peaceful itself, might just end up getting bullied by the other cichlids. One easy thing you can try, and this is a bit anecdotal but in my experience I have found it to work, is to remove the most aggressive fish into a bucket of tank water (preferably with an air stone in there) and re-arrange the decorations and items in the tank. The theory is that the fish has established itself as the "alpha" of the group, and by re-introducing it into a tank that now looks different than the tank it was alpha of, it could curb its aggression.


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## BrianM (Sep 22, 2020)

I did that one I think I will do it again yes. Also I only have 3 cichlids I read here that it's good to add more cichlids. I wanted to know what cichlids I could add. I have basic yellow lab cichlids and a blue one.


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## JakeTheDog (12 mo ago)

Try to find out what that blue cichlid is, there's many blue ones so it's hard for me to give you a recommendation. As for fish that go well with yellow labs, most similar sized *african *variety of cichlid should be fine. You can also check out this list for some other options: Electric Yellow Cichlid Tankmates | Your Eight Best Bets!


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