Crazy killifish! Tankmate suggestions?

[Tamara0629]

hi! I'm new to this forum. However, I grew up in a home where both of my parents bred fish and previously was employed by PetSmart. While I was working there, I started up a new fish tank. It's a 10 gallon and I currently have a golden wonder killie, a red flame gourami, a green Cory catfish and a rubber nose Pleco. However, I had some other fish but the killie ate them. I even tried a powder blue gourami, but the flame gourami and the killiefish teamed up on him and killed him. I am getting frustrated with this fish and don't know what to do. I want to add another fish, but killie has started beating on the flame gourami and I'm afraid that he will die too. After doing some research, I found out that the killiefish can live for 4 years. I have even considered flushing him because the last time that I did a gravel vac to the tank, he actually bit my arm! He's SO aggressive! He was labeled as a community fish when I bought him, so I threw him in with my tank filled with platies and guppies and danios and he successfully ate every last one of them. I don't want to flush him because he's a very pretty fish and very healthy. But I'm tired of throwing my money away on fish that he just eats or stresses out to the point of death. Someone told me to try tiger barbs, but when I looked at the tiger barbs at the nearest aquarium store, they were entirely too small. Puffers and and redtailed sharks were other suggestions but I only have a 10 gallon tank right now and I don't have the space or the money to set up a larger tank. And no one else that I know wants him because of how aggressive he is. What should I do? Any suggestions?

 

[Blueiz]

It's not being responsible as hobbiest to consider flushing fish because they are behaving as they are supposed to. I have 4 in my 75 g community and they stay at the top and don't bother anything. The godlen wonders are carnivorous and will eat most anything that fits in its mouth. Gourami's in general do not get along with each other, and I would place my bets on the kilifish and the gourami picking on each other.

Consider taking the fish to your local LFS and exchanging it for one that would be more compatible with your set up.

 

[Tamara0629]

1. What's an LFS?
2. I was always told that gouramis do get along with each other and will school together, I did not know that gouramis will fight with each other.
3. Because of the size of the tank, I'd like to turn it back into a community tank. So if there is an LFS that will take the fish, I'd probably give up both the gourami and the killiefish.
4. This is my first attempt with a 10 gallon. My last tank was 55 gal with 2 oscars and a pleco. The majority of my experience with fish is from keeping cichlids. Unfortunately 10 gal is too small for any cichlids except maybe black convicts and I find them boring.
5. The killiefish was labeled as community when I bought him and was housed with gouramis, so I didn't expect him to be so aggressive. Most of the killies were smaller though. He was the biggest in the tank and his coloration was really bright. It's not as if I was uneducated when I bought him, maybe miseducated would be a better word.
6. I only considered flushing him momentarily, it wasn't a serious thought, but it was mentioned to me by friends and family. Flushing him isn't the kind of justice I am looking 4, I just want to try to make him work in my tank.
7. If LFS means local fish store, I called three of them already and none of them want him, and one told me that If I brought him in, that they would feed him to an Oscar or some other fish. And the PetSmart that I bought him from was the one that told me that.

 

[Blueiz]

LFS means local fish store. If you have one around that is not a chain store, they would probably take him. Always do research on fish before you buy them, post here for advice, and research several online sources as well. I rarely ever trust advice from LFS, especially chain stores because most employees (not all) aren't in it for the welfare of the fish, just to make a dollar.

 

[Tamara0629]

Yeah. It's true what u say about the chain pet stores. It is the reason why I quit working for PetSmart. I was a pet care specialist there. The closest thing to a vet they have on staff. Don't buy fish from there or any other pets for that matter. They try to sell everyone on the fact that they say their pets are vet assured, but the vast majority of their pets never see one. Even if they are sick and need to. To top that off their fish are all set up one one central filtration system so they frequently have ick and tail and fin rot. The company itself is out 2 make a quick buck, not so much the employees. They pay most of their employees minimum wage (I was an exception) and then management tries to convince their employees that they can't do any better with themselves than working there. It's sad. And when there is an issue with illness or something that is treatable, they don't provide the medications necessary to treat the problem. They only send pets that have a high dollar price tag to the vet. Others like hamsters usually suffer until they die. And if the budget is tight, they won't even send the more expensive pets to the vet. I quit when they told me I cared too much to be an asset to the store, which was after I complained about the department manager about their refusal to send a Chinese water dragon to the vet because of mouth rot and metabolic bone disease. I did my best to treat him and showed coworkers how to force feed him, because he wouldn't eat on his own, but he died anyway because no one else would force feed him. They were all afraid of being bitten, even though the lizard couldn't even open his mouth. They also try to sell items and products to customers that really aren't necessary or even useful.

I did check with a fish store that isn't a chain, they are a lot further away, but
they don't want the killifish either because of how aggressive he is. It is where I bought the gouramis from. I could probably get them to take the gourami back though. I'm not worried about getting any money for the fish or credit for that matter, I just want them to go somewhere that they will be cared for and not fed to other fish.

 

[mfdrookie516]

put it on craiglist for free... ive gotten rid of too many fish to count on craigslist

 

[Tamara0629]

I was finally able to find a fish store to take both the killie and the gourami. They are in their own tank at the store and I bought some new fish from them as well. I ended up getting a male blue moon, a female mustard dot sword, a florescent orange sword, and a speckled moon. And I also got 3 neon tetras too. The female mustard dot sword is pregnant so she is in an acrylic breeder/nursery tank inside of my tank. She's pretty squared off already, and I'm not sure how long it will be before she has the babies. How long does it take for livebearers to have fish after they become pregnant?

 

[HollieDahhrlinn]

Aww - I know its hard,

It's not being responsible as hobbiest to consider flushing fish because they are behaving as they are supposed to. I have 4 in my 75 g community and they stay at the top and don't bother anything. The godlen wonders are carnivorous and will eat most anything that fits in its mouth. Gourami's in general do not get along with each other, and I would place my bets on the kilifish and the gourami picking on each other.

Consider taking the fish to your local LFS and exchanging it for one that would be more compatible with your set up.

As Blueiz says, i dont like the idea of flushing
Its the way they are meant to be and its shows they are doing as supposed to.
Why not go to your local pet store and as if they have any vacancies within their fish tanks and ask them to take him on.
I am in a simmilar predicament, my paradise fish is stopping my other fishies from eating and he is becoming a bully - i've only had him 3 days! I also had another paradise fish before this one and he was aggressive, i had him for around 3 months and grew attatched - i know its hard to get 'rid' of them but its for the best
Try craigslist and please dont take him somewhere where they will feed him to an oscar
Poor Fishie. Also try in google, fish rehoming and loads of reputable breeders will take him on.
I would but dont have any room at the minute, if you still have him in a month, pm me.

Good Luck - Let me know how you get on please?
HollieDahhrlinn x

 

[mfdrookie516]

I was finally able to find a fish store to take both the killie and the gourami. They are in their own tank at the store and I bought some new fish from them as well.

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