Skunk botia bully?

[JenNewbie]

I bought the skunk botia for snail patrol and I was told by the lfs that it was not aggressive. And one of the websites I visited said it is peaceful, but the rest said they are semi-aggressive. I hadn't seen any problems until last night when I saw him vigorously chasing away fish from the territory he has chosen (an ornament that looks like a broken Greek amphora). Anyway, my definite casualty so far is the tail of one of the guppies. Is this fish going to get worse or will he limit his aggression to fish that actually approach his "cave"? I was planning on putting some pieces of broken pots around that part of the tank to create more hiding places and hopefully the skunk botia won't feel so territorial about that one ornament. There are quite a few plants, but they are not very tall at all. Any ideas?

 

[Menagerie]

I have heard they have quite a rep. His territory may get bigger as he matures, so the aggression may get worse.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Definately, one of the meaner of the botias.

 

[patryuji]

If you get 2 more skunks your other fish will have fewer problems as they will mostly chase eachother around.

As is with only one it is likely that it will only harass those fish which infringe upon its territory. They are only "semi" aggressive in that they don't actively swim around chasing other fish but they are tough little guys.

With 3 of them in one tank you will also see the skunks swimming around more (as they chase eachother in a mad frenzy).

...just tell your guppies to stay away from that ornament!

 

[mdd725]

Aggressive Botia?

I have had 6 for about 2 years and by their behaviors would never have guessed that they can be aggressive.