What constitutes aggressive in goldfish? i just put 2, 2" goldfish, in a new 10 gal tank. One of them ive had a while with 2 other goldfish. they all got along, no problems. the 2 others died March 21. (long story). I got my remaining goldfish a bigger tank and today i bought another goldfish, and moved them both to the new tank, by a long acclimation process that lasted all day. when they were finally both in the tank, the original gold fish started bumping up against the new one and sort of crowding it. the new one acted like it didnt have the strength to swim even though it was very active and fast in the pet store. will the bullying behavior of my first fish abate?
aggressive goldfish
- Thread starter pixieil
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Jaxom_Ruatha
Aquarium Advice Activist
Possibly they are breeding in which case the aggressor should have little white stars on his gills, showing that he's male. The one getting bullied may be sick. Or their is not enough room for the two of them. Fancy goldfish need 10 gallons per fish since they can grow about 6-8 in. long and commons/comets (your average feeder fish) need 15 gallons per fish as they can reach about 8-12 in.
At this point, they are both about 2 inches long, if you dont count the fins. my understanding was a gallon per inch. Ultimately i planned to have 3 and move them to a 55g, but right now they are in a 10 gallon tank which is a new environment for both of them. I believe the aggressor is female. she comes from a 2.5 gal tank which she shared with 2 other fish. the victim fish I just got. It seems to be perking up since i wedged that plastic drawer in between them so the aggressor couldnt savage it. the aggressor is absolutley berserk! she spends all her time trying to crash the barrier. could it be breeding? Are goldfish THAT violent about breeding? i wonder now if she killed the other 2 fish and i just didnt realize it. do i have a Fishy Serial Killer????
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
Bumping is normal during mating, and can be violent (I've heard of the females being pushed out of the tank) .... However, only the males do the pushing. If your aggressor is actually trying to mate, then you should be able to see breeding stars (showing that he is male & in breeding conditions). If not, it is not likely to be breeding behaviour... and you might have a mean fish!
BTW what kind of goldies are the 2? Single tails sometimes don't get along with the fancies, & the fast metallic fantails might also bully slow ones like a ranchu.
When I added new fish to my school, there is some bumping & pushing (esp. when it comes to feeding time, but nothing too violent). The fish established a pecking order in a few days & get along now just fine.
BTW what kind of goldies are the 2? Single tails sometimes don't get along with the fancies, & the fast metallic fantails might also bully slow ones like a ranchu.
When I added new fish to my school, there is some bumping & pushing (esp. when it comes to feeding time, but nothing too violent). The fish established a pecking order in a few days & get along now just fine.
lyquidphyre
Aquarium Advice Addict
when fish remain smaller than 4 or 5in, the 1inch per gallon rule applies- normally
Every fish is different and has special needs. With goldfish, the rule is one goldie per 10gal. Becauase, regardless of how small, they are messy fish
Every fish is different and has special needs. With goldfish, the rule is one goldie per 10gal. Becauase, regardless of how small, they are messy fish
"Killer" is a common and "newbie" is a comet. my plans were to get a 29g and have 3 fish. I got a 10g cause thats what I could afford. I planned to get a bigger tank as soon as possible. The 2.5g that I inherited, had 3 fish in it which had all lived for a year in that tiny little tank, with no water changes,testing, or even a filter change. so i thought the 10 would be a treat for "killer" (formerly known as Austina) and I thought the comet would be ok because one of the fish that died suddenly was a comet. do you think its possible for a fish to go crazy and maybe this one just snapped? I may have to put it/ her back in the 2.5 if it/she cant get a grip. has anybody ever known a normally happy little fish to just decide they really HATE a particular tank mate?
Jaxom_Ruatha
Aquarium Advice Activist
I think it would be a better idea to only have the two goldfish you have now in the 29 gallon, then you could get a bristlenose pleco or something (Just make sure you don't get a common pleco since it will only eat algae in it's infancy and then become more carnivorous as it matures and go after your goldies) to help you maintain the tank. When your goldies reach adulthood (Common and Comets can live to be about 30 years old) it will be a gallon per inch if you give 15 gallons to each. You could try adding decorations to the tank so Newbie could have somewhere to hide when Killer goes on a rampage. The inch per gallon is a pretty good rule but you have to consider how large the fish will get, since generally you buy them as babies.
SteveM
Aquarium Advice Activist
I had a similar experience with a couple of my goldfish. When they were first put together in a 12G, one was always pushing the other out of the way - just coming up beside and swimming sideways into the other one. After a few weeks it settled down, and when they both got moved to a larger tank together they would huddle together like best friends. A year later that fish is still the most agressive in the tank, but both of them are getting along just fine now.
Also, the one time I ever put a tank divider in with my goldfish, they all freaked out something awful. Maybe GF just don't like tank dividers?
And lastly, while I agree with everyone's advice on 10-15G per goldfish, I think you have time to work your way up to a bigger tank. Two 2" GF in a 10G will be just fine for quite a while. The biggest comet in my 75G tank (the agressive one I mentioned before) is only about 5" after a year and a half. It does get much easier to keep things healthy in a larger tank though, so whenever you're ready I'm sure you'll be glad you moved up.
Also, the one time I ever put a tank divider in with my goldfish, they all freaked out something awful. Maybe GF just don't like tank dividers?
And lastly, while I agree with everyone's advice on 10-15G per goldfish, I think you have time to work your way up to a bigger tank. Two 2" GF in a 10G will be just fine for quite a while. The biggest comet in my 75G tank (the agressive one I mentioned before) is only about 5" after a year and a half. It does get much easier to keep things healthy in a larger tank though, so whenever you're ready I'm sure you'll be glad you moved up.
dr_girlfriend
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Goldfish can be aggressive sometimes. When you moved them you disrupted their individual territories and social order. Your fish should calm down over time, if not you will have to take the agressor out and maybe try again later.
And I have to disagree with Jaxom_Ruatha about adding a pleco. Goldfish do better in species tanks, and plecos get large and produce alot waste themselves.
I think your 2 will be fine in a 10 gallon for while, when they get to be about 4 inches you will probably want to move them to a bigger tank. Its hard to say how long it will take them to grow, because many different factors affect their growth. The 1 inch per gallon rule, does not work with large bodied fish. You have to go more with body weight and size.
3 comets in a 29 will not work over the long term. Comets can get to 12" and are better suited for ponds or very large tanks. 3 fancy golds would be ok in a 29, just keep mega-filtration going. HTH
And I have to disagree with Jaxom_Ruatha about adding a pleco. Goldfish do better in species tanks, and plecos get large and produce alot waste themselves.
I think your 2 will be fine in a 10 gallon for while, when they get to be about 4 inches you will probably want to move them to a bigger tank. Its hard to say how long it will take them to grow, because many different factors affect their growth. The 1 inch per gallon rule, does not work with large bodied fish. You have to go more with body weight and size.
3 comets in a 29 will not work over the long term. Comets can get to 12" and are better suited for ponds or very large tanks. 3 fancy golds would be ok in a 29, just keep mega-filtration going. HTH
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
I agree that the 10 gal is OK for now (sure beats a 2.5). Eventually they will need bigger accomodations - common & comets really need to be in a pond ... but that will be a year or more down the road.
It might help to have some cover for the fish - like rocks, plants, etc. This would give "Newbie" some hiding place. Goldies are schooling fish & I would expect them to get along after they sort out the pecking order.
It might help to have some cover for the fish - like rocks, plants, etc. This would give "Newbie" some hiding place. Goldies are schooling fish & I would expect them to get along after they sort out the pecking order.
SteveM
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'd agree that most plecos don't mix well with goldfish, but Bristlenose plecos are very commonly put into goldfish tanks with good success. There are 2 BN plecs in my 75G with 4 common/comet GF and all coexist very well. Common plecos definitely don't belong with goldfish (or in most small tanks for that matter), but BN plecos only get to about 5" and don't become agressive to goldfish like the common plecs do.dr_girlfriend said:
http://www.goldfishparadise.com/info/tankmate.php
piranha
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have the exact same problem in a 30 gallon.One common and one comet.The common is the bully and I believe it is a female.It has a very large belly,probably carrying eggs.The comet which eats as much as the common is thin. The common chases the comet around tailing it at the bottom of the fish,probably the reproductive gland.I do believe that commons are more aggressive than comets.I agree with Jsoong they would be best in a pond with others to lessen any aggressiveness.Mine are going into the pond,at 5 inches they now can survive the winters here.
TomK2
Aquarium Advice Addict
The NewB always gets a lot of attention at first. It will settle down. If the NewB is looking like it is having too hard a time, you can always give the agressive fish a time out in a bucket or bowl overnight.
