JDs - Not enough food ?

[Patrick]

Hi,

I have a pair of Dempsey. My female is around 5", my male around 8". They were both doing fine since I've rescued the male 3-4 months ago, but since 3-4 days, the male is now being very aggressive to the female.

They still stick together most of the time without major problem, but as soon as I add food to the tank, the male will bite and chase the female until she hide, and then eat everything.

I'm sure the female is still able to eat a minimum, but I'm worried she won't get enough in the long run.

I feed them twice a day, but I have to admit I take care not to feed them too much each time. Most people tend to overfeed so I'm careful on this side.

I've move everything in the tank, trying to calm down the male, but he's still aggressive.

The pair is in a 77G.

Is this normal behavior, or is this a sign I don't give the male enough food ?

[rich311k]

More likely the male does not want company in his territory. Big and little cichlids can be like that.

[Lady Hobbs]

Are you feeding sinking pellets? If not, I would try sinking pellets and add a bit to both ends of the tank .

[Patrick]

I know this post is old, but I think it could help other JD's / chichlids owners...

I did increase the amount of food, and I saw a good change.

Since then, I've also added more driftwood, and more plastic plants, giving them more cover. They are now swiming togheter again.

Adding more food means more stuff left in the thank though... be sure to do those weekly cleanups!

I did try those sinking pellets. The female love thems, but will miss most of them, making more junk at the bottom of the tank. I do give her some, but I still prefer a mix of floating pellets.

Thank you all for your help.