Aggressive Fish

F

fishn10s

AC Members
Aug 28, 2006
58
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0
Southern Calif
What are some guidelines or recommendations for dealing with an aggressive fish. I know it can lead to stress and the eventual death of the fish being chased and nipped at. Is it adviseable to try and remove the aggressive fish? What is the way that some of you aquarist deal with an aggressive fish in your tank?

Also any suggestions in catching a fish in a 75 gallon tank for whatever reason?

Thanks in advance for any response! :)
 
Personally, if I have an aggressive fish that is tormenting its tankmates, I will take it back to the LFS. You need to look for a reason for the aggression however. Overstocking is a common cause. Lack of barriers, such as rocks, driftwood, caves, plants, whatnot can cause aggression for some fish. Stress in general will also cause aggression. So I would make sure my water parameters were all in check.
 
Sometimes adding more fish can help spread the aggression around so that 1 or 2 fish aren't getting all the attention. Of course, you need a tank that is not overstocked to do this. That said, I personally opted for returning my aggressive fish to the LFS. Life's too short for bullies!
 
I too would return it if other things dont work some are just more agressive than others. I personally think I have one of the most agressive firemouths on earth. He likes to think he owns 60% of my 55 gallon his mates are 2 convicts and 4 pictus catfish he is always chasing them out of his end I like him too much to take him back so I just make him mad once in a while and move their territories around.
 
I think the best way to deal with aggression is to avoid it in the first place. In other words, do your research on species and compatibility, and stock accordingly. However, as akapaul said, it's still possible to get a fluke fish that is unusually aggressive.

As stated, breaking up lines of sight will help quell aggression. Understocking is one of the best ways to prevent aggression, because behavior gets all out of whack when fish are forced into smaller "personal" space. Imagine having to share a studio apartment with 10 other people. Even if they used to be your best friends, the stress of getting in each other's way every day will lead to problems.

While it might seem contradictory that ADDING fish could help aggression, it's only because it helps diffuse the energy to more than one fish (as Ms. Bubbles said). It won't actually get rid of the cause of the aggression, though. This is a common technique employed by cichlid keepers, who know to expect their fish to fight.

If you can't return the fish to the store, other solutions I've made were to buy a separate tank for the bully. I have a male molly who was too aggressive to play well with others. I wanted to donate him to a store, but my boyfriend liked him too much to let me give him away. So he bought him a whole new tank.

Other solutions I've used were tank dividers. If the fish is REALLy aggressive, though, just the sight of the other fish may send it into fits and it might end up hurting itself on the divider. I currently use one between the molly and my male betta, and they ignore each other, luckily. That tank is my "bachelor pad" :D
 
oh, yeah. a good way to catch a fish in a larger tank is remove as many decorations as you can. Then use some kind of divider (a plank of wood would work in a pinch) to corral the fish into a smaller area. The divider should be nearly as wide as your tank. In other words, the idea is to effectively reduce the volume available for the fish to escape from the net.

If you manage to plop the divider between the offender and the other fish, and it happens to be right near the end of the tank, you might not need to remove any decorations at all!
 
You can also use waterchange time as an opportunity to catch a fish. It is much easier to catch them when there is less water volume. When you have the water down as far as you are going to take it, then corral him into a corner. I use a large net and a smaller net to block them in. You are pretty likely to catch them with at least one net. Plah's method would work as well, just make sure the wood is safe for the aquarium. Other wise you might try a cookie sheet, rinsed well, of course, or possibly some tupperware.
 
jodimartin2003 said:
Personally, if I have an aggressive fish that is tormenting its tankmates, I will take it back to the LFS. You need to look for a reason for the aggression however. Overstocking is a common cause. Lack of barriers, such as rocks, driftwood, caves, plants, whatnot can cause aggression for some fish. Stress in general will also cause aggression. So I would make sure my water parameters were all in check.
Click to expand...
I would not really classify this fish as tormenting the other fish. It is a rainbow and is picking at the 2 other smaller rainbows in my community tank. My tank is not overstocked, the water perameter are perfect, and there is much artificial plants and drift wood to hide. It is not constantly but often I will see him chasing and picking at the other 2 rainbows. At times they are OK. If I consider removing the aggressive fish, any suggestions for catching him?
 
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