Hi Georgina, No trust me it's not just you There's not a single fish-keeper who
hasn't had some troubles, in fact we seem to bounce from one crisis to another
sometimes! That's how we learn about this fascinating hobby. As for the
Keyholes, I see from a previous email that you say you have 24" tank, that's a
bit on the small side for 4 keyholes, and although they are relatively peaceful
should 2 pair off they will become very intolerant of other tank mates, I have
had a breeding pair in a 48" tank and they wanted all of it as their territory!
You say that the largest has become very aggressive, this could well be a sign
that it's (probably a he, easiest way to tell is the dorsal fin on his back,
males are long and very pointed, females have much rounder dorsal fins) trying
to establish a pair bond. It is very common with most cichlids that one of a
group will vastly outgrow others, this dominant fish will tend to feed much more
heavily and have a faster metabolism so that rapidly
becomes 'the leader of the pack'. As for it's colour loss as fish come into
breeding condition they will undergo changes to their appearance, usually their
colours intensify, but sometimes they can 'pale out' if they are stressed. So
what's the answer to the problem, well if possible you should think about
re-housing either the smaller fish, or, probably a better solution would be to
rehome the larger fish, maybe as a pair if you have a suitable female, or on
it's own to give the rest of the tank-mates a break. I fear that if the
situation continues then losses may well occur.
If you do want to keep them all together then I would say that you will have to
upgrade to a much larger tank, for 4 keyholes plus other fish then perhaps you
should think in terms of a 1 metre tank or 48", the bigger the better, and make
sure they have lots of hiding places. In any event hope this helps, let us know
how things go. If you want any more info don't hesitate to ask.
Regards
Steve


Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]