Problem with a rainbow fish

MrTyke

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Hi there,

I have a large 200Ltr tank which is mature with the following

1 x Rainbow Shark
1 x Rainbow Fish
4 x Tiger Barbs
3 x Golden Barbs
12 x Columbian Tetras

Evreything was fine until I introduced 3 new Dwarf Gourami (1 male 2 female) whereupon the Rainbow fish took exception to the male Gourami and is now trying to squash him against the glass.

Anything I can do?
 
Yes, remove the gourami. Gourami are sedate fish, and should not be combined in a tank with active fish like barbs, the larger rainbows, or the Columbian Tetras. These fish are not only active, they can take a dislike to sedate fish and begin fin nipping. Tiger Barbs are notorious for this.

While I'm here, the Tigers should be in a group of at least 10-12 which can help the aggression within the group. Golden Barbs should be a larger group too, as a shoaling fish, 6-7 minimum. I don't know which Rainbow you have, but they too are shoaling and should be in a group of 6-7 minimum.

The poor goourami (all three) will be severely stressed in this environment, so I hope you will remove them.

Byron.
 
That is what I have done - popped them in a separate tank .. I know standard Gourami will not work but the Dwarf ones should have been fine. The shop where I bought them assured me that they would be fine.. indeed they recommended them. As for the Tigers... they used to be in a group of 10 but they have died off over the years as they do when they get old. The only replacement Tigers available locally are all very small (1cm) and would not last. The remaining 4 are all peaceful and do not attack anything. What I had noticed was that the Rainbow Shark was always aggressive for around 20 minutes after feeding time then would settle down again.

It's the Rainbow Fish which is the problem.. indeed he is now aggressing everything
 
I forgot yesterday, so before I forget again...welcome to TFF. :hi:

First thing, the lone Rainbow...this is what occurs when shoaling fish are in too small a group, or here, alone. Shoaling fish inherently have an expectation of being in a group of their own. The reasons they need this are several, but without getting into those, I will just say that this is programmed into the fish's DNA and we cannot change it. The fish "expects" the shoal, and becomes frustrated when denied. A scientific study carried out a couple of years back proved that increased aggression was the normal response from a fish when numbers were not sufficient. So, point is, this is nothing out of the ordinary. You have two options, either remove the rainbow or increase the group to 6-7 minimum. Now, this can create another problem; once a fish becomes more aggressive due to this frustration, it does not usually reverse if conditions are then corrected; it depends upon the individual fish and how it was affected. So the safest thing may be to remove the rainbow. If more are added, this one might be very aggressive towards them, and you only increase the problem.

Second, on the gourami and store advice. The store was incorrect. Gourami are sedate fish, all species of them, and they do not appreciate active fish around them. Here again it is something unnatural to the fish, and because the fish is not programmed to deal with this, it is more stress. Stress causes 95% of all fish disease, so avoiding as much stress as possible will always mean healthier fish. I have studied fish for many years, and you will not find any reliable ichthyologists or biologists who disagree with this assessment.

Store staff are often unfortunately not that knowledgeable, to varying degrees. Just read several threads on this forum that include problems with advice from stores. One person once told me of a store where she worked, and all staff had to take lessons in fish husbandry before they could be hired; this is certainly the exception, not the norm.

Byron.
 

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