aggressive danios

A

attiladahun

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Mar 11, 2005
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i just added 5 lemon tetras to my 20-gal yesterday. their only tankmates are 2 zebra danios that used to be part of a group of 5, but the others died. since then, i've noticed that the danios have been chasing the tetras almost constantly when i'm around. i don't see any biting or serious harassment, just what the danios do to each other when playing, but the tetras seem stressed by this, and linger in their group near the bottom under a plant. i worry about them, because they are very small for tetras, only a little more than half an inch, and the danios are about an inch long.

the funny thing is, though, that i think it is some submissive thing, like when dogs pee on the floor when pet, because when i leave the room that the tank is in for a short while, then come back and just peek into the room, the fish all seem to be peacefully coexisting. i was thinking maybe the danios were trying to show off or display dominance to me when i came into the room.
 
Well... A lot of the time a new fish or group of fish will be very curious and will find out everything they can about the tank. If the Zebra Danios have treitory already they may chase any intruders out of the area. It will probably die down after a few weeks and your lemon tetras will learn their boundries.

The Zebra Danios will not harm the tetras and will learn to live with them quite quickly as they are both all quite young.

Make sure there is enough room for them all to move around, hide and play.

The lemon tetras will find a place to call their own in time. Get some bogwood and plant it if you have'nt already done that. That will stop any bickering.

Lastly... the zebras are best in larger groups. Maybe get a few more?
 
IME, danios are mean little buttheads, no matter if there are two or ten of them. and their nippy butthead tendencies never seem to go away, no matter how long other fish live in the tank.

i have one (the last of a school i refuse to replace) in a 20L with 5 razzies, a blue gourami, cherry barb, female betta, 2 yoyo loaches, 2 gold barbs, 2 shrimp... and he chases ALL of them. incessantly. the gourami is the only one who ever stands up to him.

i would see if you can trade them in for someone else or pawn them off on a fellow fishkeeper. there are many fish much better suited for peaceful coexistence.
 
:eek: maybe in your tank geekrockgirl85... its much too small for all those fish! You are too overstocked... that is why they were always trying to chase the other fish out of their area!
 
hmm..if they do this more when you come into the room..it could possibly be their way of setting the pecking order at feeding time.

danios are very active and may chase other fish as they like to swim a lot(they are notorious for swimming up stream of a HOB output and wind up in the filter)

I have some in a tank with cichlids,(keyholes, rams ,angels)
they tried to chase them..until the cichlids got tired of it..now the danios pretty much leave the cichlids alone.

give it some time..but also keep a watchful eye out.
 
IME Danios are evil little fish. I don't think their aggression will pass...and they may stress out the poor new guys to death. I say if you aren't overly fond of them...donate them.

I have had zebra danios torture and kill a male betta and several rasbora's before I donated them to the LFS. Too be honest...they are my least favorite fish.
 
jwddboy said:
mykidsmylife: how big is your tank?
Click to expand...


Well...the danios were in my 40 gallon. It was not a lack of space issue..they were just nasty little buggers. I also have several 5 gallon, a 20, a 75 and a 125 on the way.
 
yeh ok 5% of Zebra Danios might be a little vicious and other ones can be lead on. Thing to remember is to check compatabitity before you buy and if the disruptions continue for more than a few months consider getting rid of them. Just like dogs ... if they have been treated badly in captivity (when they have been caught or in the pet store) they are likley not to be so peaceful. Look for ones that are either subdued but healthy or just happy ones in your LPS. Also if you get them as babies they are much more likley to grow up respecting the other fish than if you chuck em in fully grown.
 
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