Posted by w_h on March 17, 2003 at 15:29:31:
I have two texas cichlids in a 6 gallon tank. I bought them not knowing they needed such a bigger space (I got my tank as a gift and was anxious to get fish). One of them was a little bit bigger than the other and from the start in the bag on the way home the bigger one dominated the bottom of the bag and would attack the smaller fish. Ive had them for about a month now and only recently did the smaller fish stop eating. When I would feed the fish the bigger one would go after the smaller one. Now the bigger one is a lot bigger because it eats all the food and the smaller one looks like it hasnt gotten any bigger. He will look at the food but not eat it. He behaves like he is hungry (swimming to the top of the tank, and looking and following me). Sometimes he will have a string of poop attached to him that is thinner than a thread. I sometimes feed them little earthworms as a treat. The smaller fish is almost always in the branches of the artificial plant or hangs out by the heater where the bigger one wont get it. I was thinking of making something like a cave out of tupperware and making the holes into it small enough so that only the smaller one can get in it. Im guessing that I need a bigger tank, but I wont be able to get one for a while. Please give me any info or advice on what I should do. I'll try to get a picture of it later.