Extremely Aggressive Apistogramma Cauc.

[ApistoGirl<3]

I have a 55 gallon with 4 Apistogramma Cauc. 2 male, 2 female. This was a huge mistake. My large male is tormenting the other inhabitants. He seems to have chosen one female, another female has territory under a large seed pod, and the other male just drifts around the top and midlevel. He attacks fish within a large radius of his territory (a large hollow log I was going to use for my whiptail cat) I can bring any of them back. If he can see the other At this point I am worried about the health of the other fish. Please help!

 

[ApistoGirl<3]

FYI, no matter where the other male is, he chases it. Thank you so much for your time

 

[Mike Wise]

You have a territorial male who has staked out his breeding territory that includes 2 females; typical for polygamous apisto males. His territory? The entire tank. As I repeatedly state: a community tank is not a breeding tank. Your best bet is first save the subdominant male by removing him now. Next decide what you want, a community tank or a breeding tank. They are 2 very different things.

 

[ApistoGirl<3]

Alright! I really do need to go with a community. How would I fix this? Thank you!

 

[ApistoGirl<3]

I can set up a 10-20 gal to keep them in... Wasn't my plan but I may be able to

 

[Mike Wise]

For community tanks you need to get rid of breeding, i.e. remove either the males or females. A 55 should easily handle 2 males, although I prefer them to be 2 different species with different body/fin shapes. Do not keep all 4 in a small tank. You can see what happened in your larger tank. A 10 gallon tank is usually too small for even a pair of polygamous apistos unless you keep a watchful eye on the pair and intercede when needed.

 

[ApistoGirl<3]

Alright, i think i will end up rehoming!