My Flower Horn is killing my Green Terror?

My tank is 30 gallon there is a pleco in the tank also. Originally the GT was the first in the tank. I put the FH in later. I have moved the rocks around a few times and he still keeps the GT at the top of the tank. There are lots of places to hide so that is not the issue. He doesn%26#039;t mess with the pleco. He%26#039;s just about torn through the GT%26#039;s side. They are just about the same size the GT might even be a bit larger.





I read that if you put multiple chiclids in the same tank they won%26#039;t be able to kill each other as easy. It kind of makes sense because that%26#039;s what the pet store does and they seem to be ok. Anybody able to give some advice for a successful aggressive tank?
My Flower Horn is killing my Green Terror?
Amy, cichlids are natural enemies - they see other cichlids as threat and competition and it is in their instinct to fight for their territory.





What you read is wrong. The pet store is able to do this by stocking too many fish in too small of an area - this works to keep the fish from establishing territory, but is not the right way for a fish keeper to keep them. The pet store sells fish, they don%26#039;t keep them - never use them as an example of keeping fish. Even if you choose to try and curb aggression this way, by %26#039;multiple%26#039; they mean several, not two. Even if you stick a dozen big cichlds in a little tank and manage to control aggression, that doesn%26#039;t mean the home being provided is a good one - these would be a bunch of cichlids living a life in the most unnatural setting possible for a fish - in a tank full of enemies. Perhaps the biggest shame for people who keep their cichlids like this is that they watch their cichlids all this time and never get to see the true beauty of the cichlids as they are when kept properly with a mate, as the only cichlids in the tank.





Then there is the fact that a 30 gallon is too small for either of these fish even if they are alone in the tank, and you are trying to squeeze two of them in there! I won%26#039;t even discuss the pleco. Even if you had a 75 gallon tank it wouldn%26#039;t work for long.





If you keep this up, the GT will probably kill the FH. If your FH surives long enough, he will take over the tank and kill the GT.





The responsible thing for you to do is take back all of your fish and do some research on what would be appropriate for the size of your tank, and if you choose cichlids, go with smaller ones and learn first how to stock them properly. Good luck.
Reply:The flowerhorn fish is territorial, thus naturally agressive, and being a hybreed therefore more aggressive. Most Flowerhorn hobbyists desist from keeping them with other fish, particularly cichlids because it would be considered a natural enemy and chased or attacked. I have seen Flowerhorns kill Oscar%26#039;s that are double their size. You wont be able to always keep an eye on your tank, and sometime or the other the Fh shall attack and injure or kill the Gt.





There is another process, which though is not a foolproof one, but also helps at times. Remove the flowerhorn from the main tank and place it into a quarentine tank for 72 hrs, then re-introduce it back to the main tank. This will make it the new comer, and would probably let the GT dominate the tank. This may also result in the Gt attacking the Fh for territory, but chances are still lower.
Reply:Despite the name, GreenTerrors are not that aggressive as you are seeing. He will need a new home fairly quickly or the FH will kill him. The best thing for an aggressive tank is plenty of fish to share the fighting, or a single fish.





Plase don%26#039;t use what the shop does as a gauge. Remember, it%26#039;s only temporary for them, they sell the fish before long.





MM
Reply:It depends on what type of flower horn you have but most have a resembles to the green terror. Which automatically makes him a target. Also cichlid fight for territory and food. So the Flower horn will chase away any type of fish it thinks might interfere with its food source. Now what I think might help is to introduce a third fish and make some caves and tunnels for them. I use PVC and it works great. I also have make rock formations on opposite ends of the tank and this usually works too. They each take a part and might just share the tank. I%26#039;ve seen flower horns get bullied by Oscars so they are not so tough.fitness