Help! I have a bully platy!

[AngelJones]

I have a newly established, lightly planted and fully cycled 38 gallon bow front tank that I have been adding three to four fish per week. I started with three females guppies, added one male guppy then added two male platies, 3 harlequin rasboras, 6 cory cats (3 pandas and 3 juliis) and just yesterday I added an additional 3 male platies. One of the original platies is being a bully to the other four platies and will not stop chasing, ramming and nipping at them. Very agressive. Is this normal behavior? The other 4 platies just hide when they aren't being chased and terrorized. I only have one other tank, a 5 gallon with a beautiful betta I don't think I could put the bully in there, could I? Any suggestions other than returning him to stop this aggression?

 

[bazook]

I would take 3 of the male platies back and trade them in for females. Definitely get rid of the bully, only guaranteed way he won't bother your other fish.

 

[Barliman]

Yeah, I agree. I would at least capture and return the bully.

 

[nirbhao]

You can't train a fish to be nice.

 

[AngelJones]

Ok after one murder... I exchanged 3 of the males including the bully for 4 females...only one male in the tank now.

 

[Barliman]

Never heard of a platy becoming a killer before. He must've been hanging around with the tiger barbs at the store. They're little hoodlums.

 

[milliemouse]

Glad you were able to sort it, I had a molly that was a bully.. it was a female too, which I was told aren't aggressive! Lol