How to Calm the Aggression of African Cichlids

Keeping African cichlids in your home aquarium can be very rewarding. Cichlids are among the most engaging and personable of all aquarium fish, and they can even come to know and recognize their owners. The downside of keeping African cichlids is that they can sometimes be aggressive with other fish, but there are steps you can take to curb that aggression and even keep cichlids as part of a community tank.

Things You'll Need

  • Rocks
  • Large aquarium
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Instructions

    • 1

      Research the species of cichlids you have to determine the best mix of males and females. Some species of cichlids are happier with one male and a harem of females, while others prefer a one-to-one ratio of males and females.

    • 2

      Choose the largest tank you can afford for your African cichlids. The more space the fish have to set up their own space the less aggressive they will be.

    • 3

      Set up the aquarium to provide a variety of caves and rocks that can serve as hiding places. African cichlids display less aggression toward their tank mates when they are able to set up their own territories within the aquarium. If you have several different groups of cichlids, it is important to set up several different territories within the tank, each with an assortment of caves and small rocks where they can hide.

    • 4

      Avoid keeping aggressive species of fish with African cichlids. Aggressive fish that harass the cichlids will just encourage an aggressive response.