'I think the butler did it.....' We have no idea which fish is agressive.

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

Bron

Registered Member
Sep 21, 2010
0
0
0
Hi all,

I've just bought tropical fish for my daughters. For the first couple of weeks everything went well but now fish are dying one by one. The tails have clearly been nibbled but I'm not sure which one is the culprit. I was told all the fish we have should get along, but obviously that's not the case.

We started with:
3 male guppies and 3 female guppies
2 mollies
(all from a friend)

Then added (from the store):
3 male guppies (from the store)
8 neon tetras
4 glowlight tetras
2 black swordtails (well, we were told the were swordtails but you cant see a sword like spike on the tail, but other than that they look exactly like the picture that I googled)

So obviouly nothing fancy, just soemthng basic for the kids. As soon as we bought fish home from the store though we found a new fish dead every few days. First we lost the three guppies we bought (I assumed the ones that were already in the tank may have been territorial), then one of the femlae guppies was killed, then the smaller swordtail and this morning we found the smallest mollie dead!

The fins have definately been nipped. The guppies sometimes chase each other around but only for a few seconds and I've been assured by everyone guppies are friendly. One of my friends is happy to take whichever fish is causing trouble, but I need to know which one it proably is. Any ideas????

All help greatly appreciated.
 

Haydn24

Boo!
Jun 28, 2010
944
0
0
Australia
Real Name
Haydn
hmm.. really hard to tell but im going to guess the tetras. Either that or they are dieing because of poor water (was it cycled?) or other reasons and the fish are having snacks on the passed fish. Just my $0.02 :)
 

EOD

AC Members
Sep 12, 2010
599
2
18
Schofield Barracks, HI
Real Name
David
Yep. Fish stores sometimes. I did the same thing you did and bought a bunch of fish while being assured they were safe together. I was never told about cycling a tank or given any information. When you go to the humane society to get a dog or cat, they evaluate you and make sure you know how to take care of the animal. Fish stores are the exact opposite and it's very upsetting. I'm going to start acting naive when I go to these stores and then get very upset when they give me incorrect information. These are living animals they put at risk and all they really care about is that the fish remains alive long enough for you to get to the register.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

RiVerfishgirl

AC Members
Jan 15, 2007
974
0
0
Poplar Bluff, MO
Real Name
Heather
Bron, read the link in my signature about freshwater cycling. Your fish are likely dying because of high ammonia levels. Even if you're seeing nipped fins, that won't cause the fish to die. None of the fish in your tank should actually be killing any of the other fish.
 

RiVerfishgirl

AC Members
Jan 15, 2007
974
0
0
Poplar Bluff, MO
Real Name
Heather
Yep. Fish stores sometimes. I did the same thing you did and bought a bunch of fish while being assured they were safe together. I was never told about cycling a tank or given any information. When you go to the humane society to get a dog or cat, they evaluate you and make sure you know how to take care of the animal. Fish stores are the exact opposite and it's very upsetting. I'm going to start acting naive when I go to these stores and then get very upset when they give me incorrect information. These are living animals they put at risk and all they really care about is that the fish remains alive long enough for you to get to the register.
Maybe you could bring them some information on cycling and suggest they post it around their tanks or something? I don't think the stores are always specifically trying to mislead people, but they often don't have employees that know any better, and the ones that do sometimes get tired of trying to explain that kind of stuff to newcomers, due to the fact that a lot of people just ignore what you say or don't seem to understand. The other thing is some people seem to take offense when the employees mention they should buy a test kit and just think they're trying to sell them something.
You have to realize that fish stores see a TON of people each day and it does become tedious to explain cycling and such to absolutely everyone. I'm not really sure why they don't just post information or pamphlets on such.

I'm going to make some print outs and bring them to my friend's store so he can post them for people to read, and also a link to here in case anyone wants to come here for more information. There are a lot of people that just don't care to know, but there are also quite a few people I've talked to over the years that appreciate being given information. If we would all do something like that (assuming the store will allow you to put up the information), I think it would go a long way to making newcomers more informed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

excuzzzeme

Stroke Survivor '05
A possibility not addressed is the potential of it being "Fin and Tail Rot". It has all the appearances of being nipped. Careful examination of your tank is needed as well as maintaining clean water.

FTR does not always involve other fins but usually does. The tail damage is usually the first sign.
 

RiVerfishgirl

AC Members
Jan 15, 2007
974
0
0
Poplar Bluff, MO
Real Name
Heather
A possibility not addressed is the potential of it being "Fin and Tail Rot". It has all the appearances of being nipped. Careful examination of your tank is needed as well as maintaining clean water.

FTR does not always involve other fins but usually does. The tail damage is usually the first sign.
That is true, but likely still related to water quality issues. Ammonia burn can also look similar, so it doesn't make sense to treat for fin and tail rot until water quality has been checked and rectified.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store