Vlowman
New Member
Hi all,
I've got a couple of things going on that I could use your advice on.
Context: I've got a 125 litre / 29 gallon planted tank that has been established for a couple of months (before that I had a smaller tank that some of my fish were in and which is still running upstairs) and seems to have no issues with water parameters. I did a fishless cycle and since then have been slowly adding fish to it - starting with those I already had, and adding one or two more every few weeks. I now have 6 zebra danios, and 6 male platys (to prevent breeding). This is them, in order of how long I've had them (excuse the Toy Story naming convention - this was supposed to be my daughter's hobby!):
1) Woody - a small red-gold hifin (original)
2) Buzz - a medium sized red-gold (second round addition)
2) Rex - a medium sized red wagtail (second round addition)
3) Mr Potato Head - a large red-gold (third round)
4) Slinky - a very small dwarf red (forth round)
5) Hamm - a large red (forth round)
After the initial set up, all subsequent additions had a couple of weeks (not quite long enough, I know) of quarantine in the original tank, before being added to the larger tank. Here are the problems:
Problem 1 - Woody
Woody spent most of his time hiding under the water sprite, clamping fairly often. A week and a half ago, I noticed a hold in his side (not head) and a red mark near it, so put him in the smaller tank and medicated for bacterial infection. He has healed up very well but is still the most timid (dare I say very boring) fish imaginable. I'm not sure what to do with him as I don't really want to keep a second tank running just for one fish who spends the whole time hiding - even if just to keep a cycled quarantine tank going.
I had thought that I'd keep the second tank running for a while - perhaps initially to quarantine 3 guppies, which I thought would be my final additions to the main tank (though I'm now wondering, as per the below, whether adding more is such a good idea), and after than I'm not sure - either a betta or just
Problem 2 - Mr Potato Head (and gang?)
The more worrying problem is that I've spotted what looks like bullying going on in the main tank. Mr Potato-Head, who is by a hair the largest fish, has taken to relentless chasing Hamm, the second largest. He doesn't really appear to 'attack' per-se, but he hardly gives him a minute's peace. When he isn't being chased, Hamm quite often surfs up and down the glass on one side - so I think he's quite stressed. I also think I see signs of Buzz and Rex occasionally joining in - though Buzz is also hiding a bit himself (though I've not seen him be chased).
I'm not sure why this is happening - is it as simple as Hamm got added and he's nearly as big as Mr Potato Head who thus feels threatened?
Anyway, I've watched and read all the advice on this. I can't 'redecorate' the tank as there isn't really anything to move around beyond all the plants - and I'm not uprooting them. I'm toying with these ideas:
a) feeding twice a day (smaller portions) instead of once. Full belly, happier fish, less bullying?
b) getting a breeding net box and putting the bully, Mr Potato-Head, in there for a few days (though just about everyone says this sort of time-out doesn't work)
c) moving Mr Potato-Head into the smaller tank semi-permanently and moving Woody back into the main tank and if that didn't work and Buzz and Rex took up the bullying baton.....
d) switching Mr Potato-Head and Hamm around so that it was poor old Hamm who was the only fish in my smaller tank
Thank you in advance for your help. Having dealt with various issues within these first few months, I'm finding it quite dispiriting that there's always something else to have to deal with - particular something of this nature that might require extra tanks to be used in ways I hadn't really wanted to.
I've got a couple of things going on that I could use your advice on.
Context: I've got a 125 litre / 29 gallon planted tank that has been established for a couple of months (before that I had a smaller tank that some of my fish were in and which is still running upstairs) and seems to have no issues with water parameters. I did a fishless cycle and since then have been slowly adding fish to it - starting with those I already had, and adding one or two more every few weeks. I now have 6 zebra danios, and 6 male platys (to prevent breeding). This is them, in order of how long I've had them (excuse the Toy Story naming convention - this was supposed to be my daughter's hobby!):
1) Woody - a small red-gold hifin (original)
2) Buzz - a medium sized red-gold (second round addition)
2) Rex - a medium sized red wagtail (second round addition)
3) Mr Potato Head - a large red-gold (third round)
4) Slinky - a very small dwarf red (forth round)
5) Hamm - a large red (forth round)
After the initial set up, all subsequent additions had a couple of weeks (not quite long enough, I know) of quarantine in the original tank, before being added to the larger tank. Here are the problems:
Problem 1 - Woody
Woody spent most of his time hiding under the water sprite, clamping fairly often. A week and a half ago, I noticed a hold in his side (not head) and a red mark near it, so put him in the smaller tank and medicated for bacterial infection. He has healed up very well but is still the most timid (dare I say very boring) fish imaginable. I'm not sure what to do with him as I don't really want to keep a second tank running just for one fish who spends the whole time hiding - even if just to keep a cycled quarantine tank going.
I had thought that I'd keep the second tank running for a while - perhaps initially to quarantine 3 guppies, which I thought would be my final additions to the main tank (though I'm now wondering, as per the below, whether adding more is such a good idea), and after than I'm not sure - either a betta or just
Problem 2 - Mr Potato Head (and gang?)
The more worrying problem is that I've spotted what looks like bullying going on in the main tank. Mr Potato-Head, who is by a hair the largest fish, has taken to relentless chasing Hamm, the second largest. He doesn't really appear to 'attack' per-se, but he hardly gives him a minute's peace. When he isn't being chased, Hamm quite often surfs up and down the glass on one side - so I think he's quite stressed. I also think I see signs of Buzz and Rex occasionally joining in - though Buzz is also hiding a bit himself (though I've not seen him be chased).
I'm not sure why this is happening - is it as simple as Hamm got added and he's nearly as big as Mr Potato Head who thus feels threatened?
Anyway, I've watched and read all the advice on this. I can't 'redecorate' the tank as there isn't really anything to move around beyond all the plants - and I'm not uprooting them. I'm toying with these ideas:
a) feeding twice a day (smaller portions) instead of once. Full belly, happier fish, less bullying?
b) getting a breeding net box and putting the bully, Mr Potato-Head, in there for a few days (though just about everyone says this sort of time-out doesn't work)
c) moving Mr Potato-Head into the smaller tank semi-permanently and moving Woody back into the main tank and if that didn't work and Buzz and Rex took up the bullying baton.....
d) switching Mr Potato-Head and Hamm around so that it was poor old Hamm who was the only fish in my smaller tank
Thank you in advance for your help. Having dealt with various issues within these first few months, I'm finding it quite dispiriting that there's always something else to have to deal with - particular something of this nature that might require extra tanks to be used in ways I hadn't really wanted to.
