Pet Forum / Aquaria / Cichlids / September 2005

Hi all,

I have been keeping Tanganyikan cichlids for several years now and have
generally had a lot of success with them.  I mostly stick to the little
guys - nothing larger than N. leleupi.

My 90g tank is set up with rocks on the two ends, with an expanse of
sand between them.  The rock areas are guarded fairly fiercely by two
(apparently male) N. leleupi and a single male(?) N. buscheri.  I also
have a  single male N. brichardi "daffodil" who is relatively low on the
totem pole after the lelupi and buscheri and tends to hang around the
fringes of the rocks.  The rest of the tank is sand dwellers (Enantiopus
melonogenys and Xenotilapia ortapinnis) and Cyprichromis leptosoma up
higher in the water column.  This has been the mix for well over a year
and I haven't had any serious incidents - just the normal minor
squabbles and occasional fin rips.

The problem that has cropped up lately is that two of my E. melonogenys
have been attacked and hurt badly - always on the left side and to the
point where they blind in one eye - one was just severely injured while
the other lost its eye completely.  Oddly, the X. ortapinnis with their
much larger eyes are unscathed, which makes me think that it's related
to a territorial battle (the E. melonogenys are bolder and do a lot of
displaying).

Does anyone have similar experience with Tanganyikans?  I've heard of
eye biting with Malawi cichilds (as a specialized behavior).  Any
theories on which fish could be the culprit?

Thanks,

- Rob