Black platy is nipping at Blue Regal Peacock

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Oreo

Feeder Fish
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May 7, 2008
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So, while I was at the LFS the other day I brought home 6 black platties and a Blue Regal Peacock. The peacock seems to get along fine with everyone but one of the platties- as far as I can tell it's the same one, keeps swimming right up underneath the peacock & nipping at him or something. The peacock obviously doesn't like it 'cause he keeps trying to get away.

So, should I worry about this? Should I yank the problematic platy? Or do you think the peacock will be able to handle himself ok as is? I was told cichlids are supposed to be aggressive but that little platy is pushing him around good it seems.

Any idea why the platy is doing that? None of the platties bother anyone else in the tank. The peacock is the only cichlid though.
 
Pyramid_Party

Pyramid_Party

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2008
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Hmm, weird. Only guess is the Platy is a male and for some reason he doesnt like the peacock. Maybe he thinks hes a threat.


How bad is the nipping? Is the peacock able to evade or does he actually get bit? I'd say give it a few more days possible, and maybe it will stop, or atleast by then you can tell whether it will work or not.
 
O

Oreo

Feeder Fish
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May 7, 2008
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Well, the peacock seems to have taken up residence in a particular nook that allows him to do a reasonable job defending against the platy. Sure wish the peacock came out more though. He's so far back there you can't even see him.

I can't be sure whether the platy is actually biting or not, but I think he is just based on the reaction of the peacock. I'd have pulled that platy already if he wasn't such a tough little bastard to catch. Spent the better part of an hour trying & no dice. I really want to see if it is just one platy or if it's all of them. If it's just one I'm not even gonna think twice about yanking it out.
 
H

halfnelson

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Aug 11, 2008
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Give the peacock a few days to settle in ... I expect sooner or later your peacock will kill all of the platties.
 
P

Pittbull

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Dec 22, 2008
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What size tank and how big is the peacock..

Platy biting or nipping shouldn't do to much of anything except stress out your peacock which i am going to assume he is a small juvie because an adult peacock would not tolerate this type of behavior from a livebearer on this magnitude..

Its not really a good combo to mix africans with livebearers..

With any fish in nature and in captivity all fish for very good reasons will get the feeling of the next bigger fish lurking by to eat them so a lot of them are always alert for danger and will take flight or flee to a rock pile for cover in fear of being eaten..

A lot of species will take a stance on the issue of being eaten most will flee and some will fight back and is a common practice of some species to attack a predator no matter what size as a team effort to persuade the intruder to leave the area but this is more common with cichlids than anything..
 
O

Oreo

Feeder Fish
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May 7, 2008
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Well, it's a 110 tall, but after rock wall, substrate, & keeping the tank a few inches low for the land dwellers... there's about 70gal in there. Details here.

 The peacock is about 2.5" & by no means the largest fish in the tank. I've got a 8-9" goldfish, a ghost knife, and a scat all much bigger in that order. The goldfish is the bully of the tank.

It's really weird... I'm more confident now that it's only one particular platy that is the problem. It started as soon as I put the peacock in the tank- immediately. It's almost as if it keeps going for a particular color patch on the peacock's belly just behind the pectoral fins.
 
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