Too much aggression?

[SnapshotAquarist]

Hi,

I got all my fish from kenny. They all seemed fine the first day, but now there is some RELENTLESS chasing.
The largest fish (an albino) chased all the others away from the food when it's in there and keeps all 6 of them on the other half of the tank.
Then all the others basically have a free for all over there.

This seems like more than just pecking order sorting aggression.

Will this stop or will I need to take action?
I am honestly very upset because these discus are behaving like my tropheus and I do not enjoy seeing some of the prettiest fish in the tank being chased to the point of barely being able to eat.


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[SnapshotAquarist]

And I also have a rafflesia who is only targeting my mosaic leopard. Seems to be seeking out this one particular fish to chase.



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[OC Discus]

I assume you've only had them a short time and you have seven fish. What size is the tank?

1. You can try rearranging things or adding some large pieces of driftwood/faux drift wood to provide hiding places.

2. Also, spread food on both ends of the tank so there is enough to go around several times per day. You might even "overfeed" for a week or so, so food will be near all the fish while the bully is eating. He will eventually stop chasing to eat, and if food is near the others, they will grab bites while he is eating. He will eventually realize there is plenty of food, and others are eating while he is chasing. This is common and usually settles down in a few weeks.

3. Be sure to keep up water changes daily while overfeeding to remove uneaten food. Overfeeding is probably not the right word. You will soon learn how much they can consume. They will usually eat all of it within 20-30 minutes unless you just dump it in. Just be sure there is plenty of food all around and don't worry about the three minute rule. Instead, be sure no food is left after about 30 minutes unless it is pellets. It can take longer for it to soften up and be edible.

4. If non are being injured or stop eating, just try the above suggestions. If one or more stops eating or is injured, more action may be called for. Usually isolating the bully for a week or so in another tank.

Good luck.

Sparring is normal in the animal world:

Young bucks butting heads
Puppies wrestling and biting each other
Blue Rams almost always have sparring matches
Some of this is normal. Don't worry unless someone gets hurt.

[Skip]

Normal.. only thing to do is have patience. They are cichlids after all. .unless ur feeding in one spot spread it out...
this is something every newbie goes thru..

Welcome to Discus

[SnapshotAquarist]

I assume you've only had them a short time and you have seven fish. What size is the tank?

1. You can try rearranging things or adding some large pieces of driftwood/faux drift wood to provide hiding places.

2. Also, spread food on both ends of the tank so there is enough to go around several times per day. You might even "overfeed" for a week or so, so food will be near all the fish while the bully is eating. He will eventually stop chasing to eat, and if food is near the others, they will grab bites while he is eating. He will eventually realize there is plenty of food, and others are eating while he is chasing. This is common and usually settles down in a few weeks.

3. Be sure to keep up water changes daily while overfeeding to remove uneaten food. Overfeeding is probably not the right word. You will soon learn how much they can consume. They will usually eat all of it within 20-30 minutes unless you just dump it in. Just be sure there is plenty of food all around and don't worry about the three minute rule. Instead, be sure no food is left after about 30 minutes unless it is pellets. It can take longer for it to soften up and be edible.

4. If non are being injured or stop eating, just try the above suggestions. If one or more stops eating or is injured, more action may be called for. Usually isolating the bully for a week or so in another tank.

Good luck.

Sparring is normal in the animal world:

Young bucks butting heads
Puppies wrestling and biting each other
Blue Rams almost always have sparring matches
Some of this is normal. Don't worry unless someone gets hurt.

Thank you. It's a 75 gallon barebottom, no decor, just some wood over the heater so they don't burn themselves. I have a few nice pieces of wood that I bought with the tank but it might make my daily water changes harder. I will see how things progress.



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[OC Discus]

You can boil the wood and rinse it several times. Then let it soak in 5 gallon buckets, changing the water every day until the water you pour out is clear. Some added filtration might also help keep the water clear without adding to your labor load. Something with a micron filter cartridge will take a lot of the tannin out. I've also read that tannins might reduce aggression. So, it might give the immediate benefit of helping solve your problem, while over time it will clear up.

[PP_GBR]

What's the temp? Lower the temp may help with aggression.

[OC Discus]

You can just slide the wood to one side while vacuuming 1/2 of the the tank, then slide it to the other side to vacuum the other half. Bed Bath and Beyond has some round bottle brushes (about the size to fit in a drinking glass) that are great for brushing off the stuff in the tank before water changes. Don't take the wood out, just brush it when needed and slide it to one side before vacuuming.

[dirtyplants]

You can also try rearranging the tank, I do that and it really motivates the aggressive one to reconfigure his boundaries. Change the feeding spot and spread it out.

[OC Discus]

Is it cold in Milwaukee tonight? A few rare snow flurrys this afternoon in Tupelo, MS


You can also try rearranging the tank, I do that and it really motivates the aggressive one to reconfigure his boundaries. Change the feeding spot and spread it out.

[dirtyplants]

LOL they are talking 18 below, fish look comfy though. I have a sweater and a hat on, as this formidable cold seeps from the doors and lingers like a cloud destined to seek out my bones for final a destination. :)

[OC Discus]

Mercy!

[SnapshotAquarist]

I don't have another tank to put the aggressor in, and the whole point of having nothing in the tank is so its easy to clean. The aggressor is still chasing relentlessly. How long should I expect this to go on?

I'm spreading food around and it's still doing no good. He chases every single fish away from the bottom no matter where they are and I don't have anywhere to put him in time out.




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[Skip]

Could be a few weeks.. it jus depends

[Larry Bugg]

What size are they?

[SnapshotAquarist]

What size are they?

The two biggest aggressors are 5" and 2" respectively.
Then a 4" one gives everybody but those two problems.
My two leopards are pretty chilled out in the middle of the rough and my blue scorpion is starting to darken up and not eat.


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[OC Discus]

You can get a ten gallon kit pretty cheaply from Walmart. It would do for a week or two to quarantine one fish. A twenty gallon kit at my local Walmart is 49.99. It could be used for a future breeding tank if you have a pair develop. Then there is Craigslist!!!


I don't have another tank to put the aggressor in, and the whole point of having nothing in the tank is so its easy to clean. The aggressor is still chasing relentlessly. How long should I expect this to go on?

I'm spreading food around and it's still doing no good. He chases every single fish away from the bottom no matter where they are and I don't have anywhere to put him in time out.




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