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Hello. I have 4 Mbuna in a 46gal tank:

2x Blue Zebras (1 m, 1f) bolth about 4-5in
1x Colbolt Blue (m) 2 in
1x Orenge (f) 2in

I noticed when I went to change my filter that some of the scales were missing off of my Blue Zebra female, and her tails (anal and tail) were ripped up instead of rounded, like they normally are. I think she may have been attacked by one of the other fish. This has never happened to me before. She is currently in quarentine, and I put a few drops of "cure-all" in the water, but are there any other precautions I can take to insure my fishes survival?

-Inky

PS I will test my perimiters tonight and post them later, I checked them two days ago and they were normal...

Inky

Cichlids have an amazing ability to heal. Just keep an eye on the fish and make sure no disease attacks while she is weakened.

Watch the tank for a long period of time, generally the bully becomes obvious. In an African cichlid tank like you have there will be episodes of violence. Create many caves or other structures to allow fish to not be seen. They are very territorial and will defend the area they consider theirs. So, hiding places(and border markers) are necessary.

Don't know a ton about Blue Zebras, but i was told for my mbuna to get several females for one male. This is to keep the male from consistently harrasing the female. I am not sure how long your tank has been setup, or whether this applies to your tank and fish.

Just a thought.

†Aquapickle†

I know I should have more females in with the male... a few of the females died while I was on my trip I was waiting for the tank to be cleaned up a bit before I add anything to the bioload. I didn't notice the male harassing the female though... I hope she recovers quickly. What sighns should I look for to see if she is getting better or worse?

Inky