Aggressive Australian rainbow

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sallyjano

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Joined
Jan 26, 2014
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Location
Laguna Niguel, CA
I got a single Australian rainbow a couple of weeks ago. Today I bought 2 more. The original one is chasing the other two around the tank. I thought they were schooling fish? Didn't realize that there could be aggression issues within a school?

I have now removed the fish to my main tank. The other two very unhappy. Keep head butting the glass trying to get away I suppose. I guess they don't know he's gone.

Anyway - advice? Didn't know I'd have this with schooling fish!!!


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After some research looks like I have 1 male and 2 females. I would have thought that was an OK ratio but apparently a problem. They were in my 10G (QT for new arrivals). Do you think they will be better when all in the 60G?
 
I have Turquoise rainbows and have 2 males and 7 female, the males (mainly the larger one) always chase around and pester the females, lighting up there bright yellow noses when they do, as long as the stop periodcally and eveyone gets food you should be good.

With that said yeah a ten gallon is way way way to small for larger rainbows like these, Australian and turquoise are some of the larger sized rainbows, they also swim around pretty quick and fast. For sure put them in the 60g.

Getting maybe like one more female could help spread out the aggregation and might be a little better ratio.
 
Just a warning too- they are super aggressive eaters. If you have slower moving fish they might slowly starve the other fish!

I have to feed pellets that they like first to distract them then put in something else the others like. It is a struggle to get anyone else fed


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Ok thx. I will try and get another female. I always planned to put them all in the 60g the 10g is only for a couple weeks.


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Just a warning too- they are super aggressive eaters. If you have slower moving fish they might slowly starve the other fish!

I have to feed pellets that they like first to distract them then put in something else the others like. It is a struggle to get anyone else fed


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What I find I have to do if feed them until they are full, I have to feed a crap load a flakes, I put them in my filter waterfall shooting them into the tank and I probably have to put in... oh idk a pretty crazy amount 3 or so large pinches, letting them eat inbetween then the fourth or so they will chase the flakes but spit them out and seem a lot less interested and the flakes will float around for my ghost glass cat fish to eat. If I feed them the same amount over the hole day vs 2 times a day the ghost glass would probably never get anything to eat, but I also have a pictus, pleco and 4 clowns to eat any uneaten food at the bottom and plants to use up the excess phosphate if any is created.
 
I had my time with rainbows, beautiful fish but crazy fast and males can go at each other though I never saw any damage.
I had 3 males and 3 females, it got pretty crazy in there, especially with the alpha male trying to mate but again, only some chasing, no blood.
Perhaps one male with a few females would work?
 
Yeah I think a higher ratio of females per male would help

They are pretty but knowing what I know now I don't think I would put them in a community tank. Maybe if I did all fast fish but not a "normal" community.


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Yeah I think a higher ratio of females per male would help They are pretty but knowing what I know now I don't think I would put them in a community tank. Maybe if I did all fast fish but not a "normal" community. Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
They are very pretty fish, and they can grow more than the usual 2" fish seen in the LFS. I think the reds are stunning, turquoise and blues are nice also. The most interesting fish I've seen yet when mating, my turquoise colors used to intensify and would try to lure a female into a spot behind some plants while keeping all the other males away.
 
I would suggest upping your school numbers in general. I had four boesmani rainbows initially (all the store had) and they weren't aggressive, but they were extremely unhappy, trying to school with my danio and such. I added two more from a different store a few days later and they were all schooling happily.

I have always had a 1m:1f ratio (even when I briefly had 4) and I've never seen any aggression. I would guess that total number of fish matters more than ratio with rainbows.
 
Hmmm.....I just checked on AqAdvisor and if I increase to 5 I am overstocked and under filtered! I might just have to take them back....
 
I had my time with rainbows, beautiful fish but crazy fast and males can go at each other though I never saw any damage.
I had 3 males and 3 females, it got pretty crazy in there, especially with the alpha male trying to mate but again, only some chasing, no blood.
Perhaps one male with a few females would work?

Yeah I think a higher ratio of females per male would help

They are pretty but knowing what I know now I don't think I would put them in a community tank. Maybe if I did all fast fish but not a "normal" community.


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They are very pretty fish, and they can grow more than the usual 2" fish seen in the LFS. I think the reds are stunning, turquoise and blues are nice also. The most interesting fish I've seen yet when mating, my turquoise colors used to intensify and would try to lure a female into a spot behind some plants while keeping all the other males away.
Austalian, bosmani and lake kutubus are larger than the others

I would suggest upping your school numbers in general. I had four boesmani rainbows initially (all the store had) and they weren't aggressive, but they were extremely unhappy, trying to school with my danio and such. I added two more from a different store a few days later and they were all schooling happily.

I have always had a 1m:1f ratio (even when I briefly had 4) and I've never seen any aggression. I would guess that total number of fish matters more than ratio with rainbows.
Yeah Like I said I have 9 all together, the alfa male chases around the females and other male but its no big deal.

I would love it if mine bread, what do you have to do to take care of the eggs?

Hmmm.....I just checked on AqAdvisor and if I increase to 5 I am overstocked and under filtered! I might just have to take them back....
In the 60g? The filtration is easy, about the over stocking could you move some smaller stuff to your 10 gallon?
 
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