Zebra Danio Bullied

[Aysvin]

I have a 10 gallon tank with 5 danios and 1 nertie snail. 1 long fin zebra, 3 gold long fin zebra, and a little leopard long fin who I have named Dinky because even though there's a gold smaller than he is it is fatter and happier.

When I feed these guys the zebra (who is an inch long compared to the next largest being 3/4 inch) chases who he can away. So I do one small pinch of flakes (usually 2 flakes) to get him in one area then do the rest a bit away. The 3 golds don't chase each other away but when Dinky shows up he has either missed the feeding or gets chased away. I haven't seen him eat in 3 days.

I mean, he never looked like the healthiest fish (his colors are fine and he's active) but he's got a thin little stomach. I even got little sinking pellets, soaked them, then put them in with a turkey baster. I got the others eating theirs then put one close to him. He'd swim over and around it but I swear he neither saw not smelled it.

At least when they chase each other they don't nip at each others fins, otherwise poor Dinky would be in trouble.

I feel like I'm going to have to catch him once a day and feed him in a separate container until he gets bigger.

They just don't like him because he has spots and they don't.

 

[Crazyhermitcrab]

Get a guppy net and put him in it

 

[Luananeko]

This is a classic issue that comes up when Danios don't have enough tank length to burn their energy off. They get bored and pick on the Danio at the bottom of the pecking order until it dies, then they pick a new target, and so on and so forth until there's only one or two left. Zebra/Gold/Leopard Danios do best in 30"+ long tanks, and the bigger the school the better to help diffuse hierarchy aggression like this.

 

[emilygupps]

Great info! Not to hijack your thread but I'm having a similar issue with my newest longfin zebra. I bought him by himself as the established school of longfin gold and long fin blue spend their days chasing him all over. Looks like the school of six are moving to the 180g.

 

[Luananeko]

Its perfectly normal for them to chase the new one for the initial few days while they figure out where in the pecking order the new guy's going to go. They should settle down, but if not then take the new guy back. Try to add several newbies at once instead of a lone member next time.

 

[emilygupps]

He was all by himself in the tank at the lfs so I felt bad for him and thought I could add him to my school so he wouldnt have to wait six more days for a new group. Why would some one leave just one fish? That same day I bought a lone harlequin rasbora and a lone blue rasbora that mixed in to my 5 rasbora school seamlessly (making 7 total) Why the lfs wouldn't just put those two rasboras together is beyond me. Or why the zebra long fin couldn't go in with the blue long fins. I have a 30tall that they're in. Thinking of moving the danios to the 180 in a couple weeks when it's done cycling. Maybe they just don't have a long enough space to swim.

 

[ArtistGardener]

This is a classic issue that comes up when Danios don't have enough tank length to burn their energy off. They get bored and pick on the Danio at the bottom of the pecking order until it dies, then they pick a new target, and so on and so forth until there's only one or two left. Zebra/Gold/Leopard Danios do best in 30"+ long tanks, and the bigger the school the better to help diffuse hierarchy aggression like this.

Exactly right. Sorry, OP, but danios just don't belong in a ten gallon. They are naturally active fish and need space to swim--and the bigger the group, the better behaved they are. Maybe you can find a home for all of them with someone who already has a good school and a large tank. Go for some quieter fish (and small) in your ten gallon.