Dealing with extremely aggressive rusties

[lyrinx]

Hey guys,

I'm having some issues with my 55-gallon tank. The stock is as follows:
Yellow-Tailed Acei x7, Yellow Lab x 7, Demonasi x1, and Rusties x7.

The Rusties are definitely the bullies of the tank - they're super aggressive towards any fish that gets too close, and they even dig a lot. I've seen some pretty intense mbuna aggression before, but these Rusties take the cake - they're almost as bad as Auratus. They're even dominating the Demonasi, keeping it in its own corner.

[lyrinx]

just realized i posted this twice, my bad. internet connection had a hiccup and i thought it didn't go through

[lyrinx]

Considering this, what can I do to lower the aggression and maintain balance in the tank? I mean, I've seen some aggressive mbuna before, but the rusties are on a whole different level. They're literally keeping everyone else in check, even the demonasi. Any suggestions on how to calm them down a bit?

[Aquilo23]

Adding some intricate rock work could help lower the aggression. This way, the chased fish have an escape route, and the Rusties' lines of sight are broken up. I'd say, the more rock work you add, the better, but I wouldn't add more fish to avoid displacing the aggression.

[lyrinx]

Here's a video of my tank, hopefully it's got enough nooks & crannies: http/youtu.be/YWGehtFPTA0

[pastime1]

This behavior's pretty typical for cichlids, in my opinion. No damage is being done, so I wouldn't stress too much about it. They might even calm down with age. What type of rocks did you end up using, though? They seem to have a pretty sharp surface - not exactly the best choice for a tank. I like the amount of rock and hiding spots you've got, but you can never have too many, right? A bit more wouldn't hurt. And, personally, I think sand would've been a better substrate choice.

[lyrinx]

Hey Hobby5, I used Lava Rock from my local fish store, same ones they had in their African Cichlid Display. They're a bit rough, but not sharp. Thanks for the info, first time keeping cichlids, so I'm still learning. Thought the aggression was weird for rusties, since I've kept tropicals before.