I cycled my tank with 5 neon tetras and a platinum gourami. They have always gotten along fine together - I assumed this was because they were introduced to the tank at the same time.
Last week I added an Angelicus Botia - a striped/spotted loach - and all the species are peaceful - in fact the gourami and loach literally ignored each other!
Well, I added a balloon molly yesterday (wife's request) and the gourami is a major bully - the molly is confined to a corner behind thick fake foilage that hides the filter and air hose from view. The gourami has never been interested in this corner and now seems like he is almost hunting over there. At least there is no physical damage to the molly yet.
Is there ANYTHING I can do about this so that these fish can coexist? When one fish is aggressive toward another are there any techniques that might work to eliminate it? I did adjust the decorations slightly and add a new rock before adding the molly to "shake up" the territories but it didnt seem to help at all. Would the result be different with a different molly or base on this experience are mollys not an option for me.
Thanks for the advice!
Last week I added an Angelicus Botia - a striped/spotted loach - and all the species are peaceful - in fact the gourami and loach literally ignored each other!
Well, I added a balloon molly yesterday (wife's request) and the gourami is a major bully - the molly is confined to a corner behind thick fake foilage that hides the filter and air hose from view. The gourami has never been interested in this corner and now seems like he is almost hunting over there. At least there is no physical damage to the molly yet.
Is there ANYTHING I can do about this so that these fish can coexist? When one fish is aggressive toward another are there any techniques that might work to eliminate it? I did adjust the decorations slightly and add a new rock before adding the molly to "shake up" the territories but it didnt seem to help at all. Would the result be different with a different molly or base on this experience are mollys not an option for me.
Thanks for the advice!
