Does more space lessen aggression?

[eDavid]

I was wondering, does a bigger tank with more room per fish diffuse some of the aggression certain breeds might have towards each other, or will they search each other out no matter what? This is a more general question, but one example would be if I got a 100 gallon long tank and had 1 red tailed shard and a couple sae's will they still fight? 3 several inch fish in a 6 foot long aquarium. Thanks

 

[Jumko]

Depends on the fish, actually. African cichlids, for example, are one such case where one might decide to overstock the tank to reduce aggression. In the case of a red tailed shark, however, I'd assume that even in a bigger tank, if an SAE were to venture into the RTS' territory, it'd definitely be met with aggression. The difference being, however, in a larger tank the SAE would have more room to escape and stay away from the RTS' territory.

 

[jpappy789]

I'd say that would likely be enough room unless you get an RTS with a big attitude problem.

I agree with Jumko though, there are certain cases where you do not want a lot of space. With certain African cichlids you purposely overstock so it is impossible for any one fish to create a territory. But in general, more space is better.