Has he been attacked?

[Cleggat]

I was going to put this thread in the unhealthy part but it's really focused on the attacker. Lately, my female gbr and my amano shrimp have gone missing.. This morning I found my one of my cory catfish on his side, fins torn and his side was all bloody.. He could hardly breathe so I had to put him to sleep he was a real state.. Lately my corys have been chased by my red tailed black shark.. So have my kissing gouramis and also my cuckoo catfish, he has all of a sudden turned so aggressive as normal with red tails and I suspect that he done this to my cory, here's a picture of the poor guy. I just want to confirm that this was the red tail, he's being rehomed, he's in the breeder net at the moment.

 

[LyndaB]

What size is this tank and what do you have in there now?

I can't see the pic.

 

[Cleggat]

48 gal, mainly just community fish. Is the picture any better now?

 

[LyndaB]

Can you please tell me which species and how many of each species you have in this tank?

Thanks!

I can see the photo, and yes, it looks like he might have been attacked.

 

[Cleggat]

2 kissing gouramis, 1 red taied shark, 3 lemon tetras, 1 snowball pleco, 1 german blue ram, 5 corys, 1 crowntail betta, 3 glass catfish and one cuckoo catfish

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Yea, the gouramis or the red tail shark could have easily done that. Even possibly the pleco.

Kissing gouramis can be quite aggressive at times, especially if you have a pair. I know first hand how a red tailed shark gets territorial and will attack anything that comes near his rock.

 

[LyndaB]

I would imagine that aggression is running high in that tank because of the rainbow shark and the synodontis in such cramped quarters. I would suggest rehoming the shark. He needs at least 75 gallons. The catfish can also be very aggressive and will eat any fish that fits in his mouth. Your species can get over 6 inches.

You've basically got too many bottom dwellers between the shark, the catfish, the pleco and the corys. There's nowhere for the aggression to go except aimed towards the other fish.

You actually should get rid of the shark, the pleco and the cat. Keep the corys as your bottom dwellers. I think you'll see a peaceful community tank if you take those steps.

 

[Cleggat]

One of my gouramis is a sweet little timid thing, I really don't think it would be him, my bigger gourami isn't bothered by other fish but my redtail goes out of his way to annoy others.. My snowball is only about 3 inches but maybe a bigger one has smacked into him by mistake, but he was in the middle of the gravel.

 

[LyndaB]

my redtail goes out of his way to annoy others..

This is typical redtail behavior. He's not acting strangely. He's behaving just like he should. That's why he needs a much larger environment.

Basically, you're just not stocked well. You have incompatible species as well as species that are too large for the tank.

 

[Cleggat]

My cuckoo (4-5 inches) has always been very timid to be honest and keeps to himself (he has his own log to hide under). Before I got the red tail everyone was happy. The shark was already going.

 

[Cleggat]

This is typical redtail behavior. He's not acting strangely. He's behaving just like he should. That's why he needs a much larger environment.

Basically, you're just not stocked well. You have incompatible species as well as species that are too large for the tank.

Please read my first post I know that it is typical behavior So a 5 inch fish can't fit in a 45 gallon tank?

 

[LyndaB]

Sometimes it's not the physical size but rather the size of the personality. The sharks simply require more room. They need room to cruise the tank and they need that space unoccupied by other species. I actually watched my shark pick off my danios one by one just because their erratic swimming behavior drove him crazy. I rehomed him to someone with 125 gallon tank.

 

[Cleggat]

I get what you mean, he's going anyway.

 

[LyndaB]

That's a very good thing. Since you indicate your synodontis is timid, you may very well find that your tank does become peaceful just by making that one change. I hope so, for your sake and that of your fish.

 

[Cleggat]

Yep he's very shy, comes out with the other fish but if he sees anything big moving outside he's gone within a second, it's a shame he's such a beautiful fish.

 

[LyndaB]

My african featherfin is a synodontis. He was horribly shy for the first 6 months or so. Then, he became much more adventurous and now, although he spooks easily if you approach the tank, he's pretty much out and about all the time. He's definitely the toughest fish in the tank, though.

 

[Cleggat]

Normally my fish are shy for a few months or weeks and then they come out of their shell but I've had this guy for around a year now, I really don't think the shark helps at all with his shyness, thanks.