Bit of a bullying Endlers problem

AilyNC said:

Hey I've 7 Endlers all male. I really regret getting these fish because all the do is fight. Everyone else in the tank are chilled & happy (some pseudomogil rainbowfish, peppered cory & a reclusive false zebra Pleco). The tank is well established & no issues with water parameters.

It's got lots of plants, in fact can be pretty dense at times.

These endlers are no stop harassing the biggest Endler. It's quite a bit bigger than the others but 6 of them constantly surround him & nib at him. He's gotten injuries from it.

I've tried rearranging the tank plants & decor.

I don't know what to do. Help?

I've a second tank but it's 22 degrees so wouldn't suit splitting Endlers up.

Do i just leave them until they kill him? Eek.View attachment 130595

Click to expand...

AilyNC said:

Hey I've 7 Endlers all male. I really regret getting these fish because all the do is fight. Everyone else in the tank are chilled & happy (some pseudomogil rainbowfish, peppered cory & a reclusive false zebra Pleco). The tank is well established & no issues with water parameters.

It's got lots of plants, in fact can be pretty dense at times.

These endlers are no stop harassing the biggest Endler. It's quite a bit bigger than the others but 6 of them constantly surround him & nib at him. He's gotten injuries from it.

I've tried rearranging the tank plants & decor.

I don't know what to do. Help?

I've a second tank but it's 22 degrees so wouldn't suit splitting Endlers up.

Do i just leave them until they kill him? Eek.View attachment 130595

Click to expand...

AilyNC said:

Hey I've 7 Endlers all male. I really regret getting these fish because all the do is fight. Everyone else in the tank are chilled & happy (some pseudomogil rainbowfish, peppered cory & a reclusive false zebra Pleco). The tank is well established & no issues with water parameters.

It's got lots of plants, in fact can be pretty dense at times.

These endlers are no stop harassing the biggest Endler. It's quite a bit bigger than the others but 6 of them constantly surround him & nib at him. He's gotten injuries from it.

I've tried rearranging the tank plants & decor.

I don't know what to do. Help?

I've a second tank but it's 22 degrees so wouldn't suit splitting Endlers up.

Do i just leave them until they kill him? Eek.View attachment 130595

Click to expand...

AilyNC said:

The tank is 60 litre - 60cm x 30cm base, 33.5cm height. The pseudomogil mostly swim up top & amongst the plants. They're pretty tiny. The 6 peppered cory hang out mostly at bottom.

I'm not getting females. I can't deal with live bearers bearing babies.

My mother wants to set up a tank so I might see does she want them with some females.

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AilyNC said:

I think I might be best rehousing them.

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AilyNC said:

Thanks. When i got them the advice here was that male Endlers would be fine without females. I get they may need females but I don't let having so many fry so want to avoid that.

I think I'll see if my mother would like them or even if fish shop will swap them out.

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Le Fishê said:

Even if you get fry, thr other fish would probably eat them so it wouldn't really be a problem.

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AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I've kept male only tanks without problems. Not Endlers, but guppies, platies and mollies all at different times. There has been the odd problem with an individual male or two who wouldn't be happy in a male only tank- just too driven, would only have settled down in a tank with females - but those ones have been the exception, rather than the rule. Especially in a well planted tank like @AilyNC 's.

Right now looking at my tank that has nine male guppies in it, no females, and there hasn't been a problem in there. They chase each other and display to each other a lot, but it's neither relentless nor targeted. Given how many people keep livebearers, and how quickly one can become overwhelmed with fry, often leading to overstocked tanks and declining water quality, before losses begin, I'm against always advising to add females whenever there's a male problem. I've seen male only tanks work well with my own stocking.

Since they're all picking on the one male, make sure he isn't sick. Often when the whole tank turns against one fish, there is something wrong with that fish. It's normal for them to try to drive away a sick fish, since sick fish attract predators. See if the tank settles down once that one male is removed.

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