Aggressive fish

[Squareheads]

I currently have 1 male swordtail and 3 female swordtails

but one of the big female swordtails, ironically, is chasing the other fishes around

wondering if this is aggression?

if it is, then i'd like to know how to solve a problem like this...

apparently my male swordtail aquired female genes and my female swordtail acquired male genes.... but yeh

any suggestions before she kills all the swordtails?

 

[severum mama]

Are you seeing any damage to the other fish (nipped fins, torn scales, etc.)? If not, I'd just keep an eye on them for now. If you feel like your other fish are getting stressed, you will probably need to find a new home for your aggressive female.

I don't know if this would work for swordtails (I don't have much experience with them myself), but in cichlid tanks it sometimes helps to either:
Add more plants and decor to help break up the line of sight, or
Rearrange the decor you have; this sometimes helps when the fish have to claim new territories.

Just a thought.

 

[Squareheads]

my plants aren't looking so healthy right now >< their leaves are turning lighter by the hour... any ideas why?

Would giving the fish a time out place be a good idea as well? keep it in a smaller bowl until it calms down....

btw, the aggressive one tends to eat most of the food o.o

 

[HN1]

What size tank are they in and what other fish are they with? I bred STs for awhile and saw some behaviors similar to what you are describing from both dominant females and subdominant (and sometimes swordless) males.

 

[severum mama]

my plants aren't looking so healthy right now >< their leaves are turning lighter by the hour... any ideas why?

Would giving the fish a time out place be a good idea as well? keep it in a smaller bowl until it calms down....

btw, the aggressive one tends to eat most of the food o.o

Can you tell us some more info about your tank setup? Do you know what kind of plants you have? I just ask because chain stores often sell non-aquatic plants to unsuspecting customers and call them aquarium plants. The result is that they die slowly in the tank because they cannot grow submerged. If you know for a fact that you have aquatic plants, my next guess would be that you have lighting issues, nutrient deficiencies, or both. What size is your tank and what kind of lighting do you have? Do you use any kind of ferts, or root tabs, or anything? What is your maintenance schedule, and how long has your tank been set up?

You can always use artificial plants if you want. The fish don't care and they are certainly easy to care for, LOL.

A time out may help with your aggressive fish, or it may not matter. Regardless, I can't recommend moving a swordtail to a fishbowl for any length of time.

 

[Squareheads]

i asked one of the guys @ the place i go to and, they said i probably don't have a UV light bulb, i think i agree with him, the light bulb i got was probably only ment for plastic plants... its a Hagen Sun-glo fluorscent, i believe... ill double check... my val is slowly decaying....

my set up:
20 gal
driftwood w/ java fern
anubias
Total val
and a cuban ludwigia

just recently got 2 flower shrimps and 1 bushynose pleco

 

[Squareheads]

tank has been set up for about 2 weeks now w/ noobish acts, not sure about maintenance schedule but i water changed about once, and i dont know what you mean by ferts, root tabs, and what not

btw, when do you guys recommend water changes? and when water changing, the replacement water should always be given conditioner?
and what can i do to help improve the fish's colour?
and whats the difference betweeen marine fish, community fish, and what not.
*sorry for double post

 

[Joker741]

Have you tested the water? What are your nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia levels? With the tank being 2 weeks old your levels are probably high and that can cause fish aggression and your plants to die. Always condition your water when doing a water change. With the tank being so new, you probably should be doing them every other day if not daily to lower the nitrite levels.

 

[fisch]

Since your tank is only two weeks old it is very likely that it's not cycled. If you do not have a test kit you should get one. After your tank is cycled you should do water changes every 1-2 weeks.

The plants are probably dying because of lack of light or other nutrients. Do you know how many watts your bulb is. Should be at least 1.5 wpg for low light plants. The java fern, anubias, and maybe the val would do okay with that. The ludwiga is a high light plant and needs about 3 wpg.

Living plants will help you with your cycle because they absorb some ammonia. They will not completely eliminate a cycle though. As said before your fish may be stressed if your tank is still cycling. Making sure you tank is cycled should help with the agressive but there is no guarantee.

 

[Squareheads]

well i bought a test strip which was recommended for me, all but ammonia can be tested with the strip...

the nitrate/ nitrite level is in a safe level

and i bought Prime and just put it in the tank just to be safe so the ammonia wont be too much, but im not that worried because i have alot of plants

okay

the light bulb says 15w. the guy said in the @ the store that i need a UV light bulb, which i will most likely get because the val is expensive and i dont want it to die on me... if i was to get a 3 wpg watever that means will
the anubias and the java be affected?

btw the test kit i got also tests "Hardness" i dont know exactly waht that means can someone expand?

 

[Joker741]

Test Strips are not that accurate. Get a API Master Test Kit when you can. It is about $25.

 

[severum mama]

Test Strips are not that accurate. Get a API Master Test Kit when you can. It is about $25.

I agree. It also saves you money in the long run- you can test with a kit soooo many times.

 

[Squareheads]

can i have some links or pictures of what it looks like...?

 

[Joker741]

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master and Mini Test Kits - Water Conditioners - Fish - PetSmart

 

[Squareheads]

i dont think theres petsmart in canada?

 

[Joker741]

Atleased you know what it looks like. Look around online or your LFS, I am sure you can find it.

 

[Squareheads]

ill get it when i get a job >< ps.. im only 16 ... xD

question....

if the pH level is high, does that mean that theres alot of ammonia too?

 

[HN1]

ill get it when i get a job >< ps.. im only 16 ... xD

question....

if the pH level is high, does that mean that theres alot of ammonia too?

No. pH has no direct link to ammonia level.

pH - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Squareheads]

okay so if theres high nitrite and nitrate level then theres ammonia right?

 

[fisch]

If you have high Nitrite and Nitrate you probably don't have ammonia anymore unless you've recently introduced more livestock. Remember, ammonia is converted to nitrite which is converted to nitrate. High nitrite means you have good bacteria breaking down ammonia. High nitrate means you have good bacteria breaking down nitrate. Once you get more bacteria to break down the nitrite your cycle is finished.
What levels are your nitrite and nitrate?