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as my 4 s. american cichlids grow up, seems like they get more and more aggresive. so when it comes to feeding time its more of a mad dash to steal each others food. so should i OVER feed them to make sure everyone has enough? or just let them fight over what i put in?

[span class="edited"][Edited by BeastKeeper 2004-07-08 15:11][/span]

Don't over-feed. You do need to give more details about the tank size, fish it holds and then more feedback can be given.

well its a 35usg tank with: 6inch albino oscar
3inch green terror
5inch jack dempsey
4inch texas

they have a 120usg waiting for them along with a 10inch oscar he is the reason i put them in the small tank for the time being.

with those fish its no wonder none of them have killed each. just get that tank quick

Texas cichlids aren't from South America. They're from Texas.

I am sure you already clued into the fact that you need to feed from different areas. That way they will spread out to find the food. Open both sides/lids and put a little each side.

Like our other friends said you need to get them into a bigger tank asap.

Over feeding is only a very short/short/short term solution. Overfeeding can cause lots of other probs so it isn't the best option for making sure everyone is happy.

Good luck with saving for a new tank.

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-07-08 22:18][/span]

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they have a 120usg waiting for them along with a 10inch oscar

He already has a large enough tank waiting...I think it is large enough. And yes I do aggree that if you spread out the food in different places, then the fish will go to different spots to feed and not all huddle together fighting for the food

[span class="edited"][Edited by Tetra Fan 2004-07-08 22:22][/span]

Texas cichlids aren't from South America. They're from Texas.

Yes, and parts of Mexico as well. The Jack dempsey is also Central American. The oscar and Green terror are South American.

Well, now that we have that cleared up...

He already has a large enough tank waiting..

I disagree. A standard 120 gallon (4' x 2' x 2') will not be big enough for those 5 fish long term. I'd say any 3 of them would probably be ok, but not the 5. Also, you could have serious trouble with the oscars. Especially once they reach maturity (6" or so) oscars can be quite intolerant of other oscars in the tank. If you have 2 males then there is a good chance the smaller one could get killed by the larger.

As others have said, feed from different sides of the tank to try and make sure all of the fish get their fair share.

Jason

all of these fish have been together for five months. i bought them at the same LFS when they were all 1inch and i have yet to see ANY fights or the locking of lips, a couple of chases but nothing serious. the only time the pushing starts is at feed time. i just dont want them to become too pushy. is there hope that this will work?

well i have had those same badboys in my tank, but more then likely only few will make it they will fight more and more with time. get a bigger tank quick and decorate it to provide many hidding spots.