Aggressive Rainbow Fish

[liquidblue]

So...i have 2 Congo's, a couple Ghost Shrimp and 3 neons. They've been together for about 3 weeks (new tank)..I added a Red Rainbow fish last week. He has pretty much scared the hell out of everybody in the tank and now the Congo's and Tetras just spend pretty much of the time hiding behind the plants in the back of the tank. He proudy patrols the rest of the space. Everytime someone else peeks out he runs them back into hiding immediatly. The only time i see the others is when i feed them..then the rainbow is too preoccupied to care.

So what should I do? I'm sure my fish store will take him back.. Should I just return him and replace with a more peaceful fish? Are Rainbows usually this aggressive? I was told at the store that they are pretty peaceful...

If i keep him..I think his new name will be Fishous!!

 

[Jox]

I have three Austraillian Rainbows in my 55G. Don't know the actual name. I thought they would be some friendly guys but have been noticing aggression. Mine are around 4" with one being maybe 5". They seem to chase each other at feeding time. I put in some feeder guppies for my knife and they ate some. They have big appetites and eat a big variety of things. Though I think for fish they're smart and after a while know when you are gonna feed them. At the fish store they weren't as colourful but after a couple days of flakes they just exploded with colour. Maybe your fish is just hectic in its new environment and needs some time to cool down. I dunno but I'd wait it out

 

[fishman 1]

I presume the red rainbow is either melanotaenia trifasciata or glossolepis incisus.

I have found with these that a couple of pairs kept together is best. You only seem to get the males displaying and sparring with each other then. This brings the colours out in the fish and makes them more impressive to watch.

Obviously this will depend on the size of your tank to whether this is a feasable option.

These fish tend to live for some time and are quite slow growing. The last ones I had lived for about 5 years and attained 5".

 

[Bignose]

All the fish you have in there are schooling fish, and it is usually recommended to have at least 6 of each schooler. That would mean at least 6 neons, at least 6 Congo tetras, and at least 6 rainbowfish. You did not say how big your tank is. If it is small, you probably cannot have 3 different schools in there, as the tank will be overstocked, and that normally leads to problems down the road (diseases and higher pollutions levels). Ultimately, aquariums are also meant to replicate a little slice of nature in your home, and these fish school in groups up to 1000s in the wild, so you want to replicate nature as closely as possible as well as replicating nature as much as possible for the health of the fish.

If you don't mind returning the fish, it would probably be healthiest to return the rainbow fish and fill out the school of neons. Think how neat a whole tank full (like 15 or so) of neons swimming together could look.

 

[liquidblue]

Thanks for all the advice..I've called the fish store and they'll gladly take it back. Apparently 3 others have called and complained about the same problem that got fish from that batch.. So he's going back tomorrow. I've attached a pic of him for those who want to see how beauftiful he is, i hate to see him go. But i think getting a few more Neons will be a better choice. I agree that that will be an effective display. But as for the congo's i think i'll need to stick with just the two, since I've only got a 10 gallon. They seem to be very comfortable together, and in fact, i got them from a person that just had the two for awhile. They've been that way since babies. I am dying to get a least one gourami though..is that a good idea?

 

[Lateral Line]

You will frequently see atypical behaviour when shoaling/schooling fish are kept singly or in very small groups. Glossolepis incisus is not an aggressive fish, but kept singly will feel alone and threatened which can generate aggressive behaviour.

All the fish you have in there are shoaling fish and should be kept in groups of 5-6 or more. Trouble is, your tank is already about as stocked as it can be. Adding anything else would not be a good idea.