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Emcglamery

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 10, 2012
Messages
14
So I'm almost done stocking my 5 month old fish tank, but I have decided to hold off on adding anymore fish until after Xmas. Here's why...

I have 3 blushing tetra and 9 black skirts and 5 platy that are mean as all get out, 2 or the last 3 fish I've added have died from bullying, (both tetra) and I just had to rehome a gourami that was getting eaten alive. It's mainly the 3 blushings, and one of the black skirts, but the platy like to nip. After talking to the lfs lady, we concluded that adding more to the blushings is out of the question because they're killing any I add.

What do I do? I would like to either fill out their school. Or add one gourami. After I wait a while, how can I do this? Or will I be able to?
 
I have this same problem I have a 20 gallon with one swordtail in it because he has killed everything else I have added. So I would say your best bet is to get rid of your aggressive fish because just like people fish have their own personalities and more than likely wont calm down.
 
That was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn at the very beginning...I thought I could put a common bishir (known at many chain stores as a "dinosaur eel") in with anything, and they most certainly did not tell me he (she) might try to kill everything in sight. I just did not know. Like Mr Nice Guy said, they have their own quirks just like us.

I actually have an eel now which is pretty calm compared to the other one I had. It sometimes likes to sneak up on the cory cat but is really more content lying around on the bottom, snacking on scraps. My other eel would have had him for lunch immediately (along with any crabs, shrimp, or other delicious seafood that might be in there).
 
Tetras are schooling fish and if you were to increase their number to a "proper" sized school it may help to calm their aggression.
 
Bloody hell thats a mean bunch of Tetra, my Lemon Tetra chase each other but that's about it, do you have enough cover in the tank - real plants or plastic?
 
Blert, as I said, I tried to increase their numbers but they kill anything I add. I don't feel right dropping in more fish for them to terrorize without a solution to their aggression. The 3 of them have obvious territories, they chase away anything near by.

The plants are all real.
 
How big is the tank? Ive noticed that overcrowding can sometimes lead to aggression
 
55 gal. It's almost full, after speaking to a experienced fish keeper, I came up with my stocking Numbers
Her suggestion: 8-10 each of the two tetra
6-8 cats
5 platy.

This was my plan until the first 2 tetra died, then It was suggested by the lfs I could try a larger more aggressive fish (ie the gourami) and it failed.

And I should add that all the current fish get along fine, they chase each other, sometimes I'll notice an attempted nip, but they just hate newcomers
 
Emcglamery said:
Blert, as I said, I tried to increase their numbers but they kill anything I add. I don't feel right dropping in more fish for them to terrorize without a solution to their aggression. The 3 of them have obvious territories, they chase away anything near by.

The plants are all real.
Before you add new fish rearrange some decor to mess up the territories. Or just get rid of the offenders.
 
Yep, rearrange the tank and keep the lights off for a couple of hours. It'll help in a lot of cases, the existing fish will shut down to some extent and everyone can find their own space once the lights come back on.
 
I currently have 5 guppies, an african dwarf frog, and 2 kuhli loaches. I was contemplating adding a few platys to my tank, but they seem so much bigger compared to the guppies and I don't want them to get bullied to death. Does it seem too risky?
 
It depends on your tank size, my platy are fin nippers though. I've come to the conclusion that adding fish (as long as your tank is big enough) is a trial and error thing, my suggestion is to first check out compatibility charts. But that didn't work out in my case so just check your fish daily for signs of bullying!
 
I normally observe the behavior of the fish before I purchase any. I'll be moving my fish family into a 10 gallon tank soon and I'll let themselves get used to it before I add any more. I've been looking at fish videos too and platys seem to get along fine with guppies.
 
I wouldn't add anymore fish unless you plan on a larger tank than 10 gal. I'm not versed on how large your fish will get but unless they all stay under an inch or two, your probably going to have too much of a bioload. Platy get up to about 2.5 inches.

Try to remember the inch per gallon rule, but even that is a rough estimate because you want to go by the amount of water in your tank after all the decor, not how much it says it will hold and still allow enough "personal space" for each fish. And some fish have a higher waste output than others.
 
The man at my LFS says guppies have little bioload. Getting a few platys isn't on my "must do" list, but I guess I'm just looking for a little more variety without getting yet another tank.
 
If you decide to add platy, (an they're not all male) Just keep in mind your putting a bunch of live bearers on your tank, you will have babies!!! Mine have had fry 3 times, they eat most of the young if you don't have a fry tank set up, which may or may not be what you want.

I personally let the circle of life take place, and still have about 5 fry swimming around in hiding places. If they make it to adulthood you can either set them up in another tank or rehome them. Mine will be welcome members of the community, especially if they survive the evil fish in my tank!
 
I thought about breeding my guppies but then I found out that they can have 50 fry! So I stuck with all males. I'll be sure to keep one gender of any easily bred fish. I can already tell the difference between male and female platy. If I ever consider breeding, I will be sure to get at least a 20 gallon or higher.

Good luck with your new babies. :3
 
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