It dats not stable

jim barry

Goliath Tigerfish
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Jun 21, 2006
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Almost a boring subject i know. But i have 5 IT and 2 silver dats in a 9x4x2 tank with 5 rays and 2 birchirs. Also have a shoal of 7 tinfoil. The dats hardly ever colour up. Read all sorts of posts including dats getting stable if kept alone. I managed to catch one of the dats and put him in the quarantine end of the sump. He turned stable within a day. Put him back in the main tank and guess what, he now not stable. Could the tinfoil be stopping the dats from going stable. Only time the dats get a bit of colour is when the day time lights go out and the blue moon light comes on. I would like to keep more than one dat and like the tinfoil for clean up purposes. Don't really want to drop to just one dat only to find out it does not go stable due to some other reason. The dats range from 2" to 6" in size and same for the tin foil barbs.
Any thoughts.
 

Blkpiranha

Polypterus
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Jun 8, 2007
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Mine were only stable when by themselves and sometimes the dominant one would stay stable but that's about it. Sold them as they attacked everything and anything else in the tank and didn't want to see my stingrays hurt or pups attacked.
 

robroy

Polypterus
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Feb 19, 2006
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Jim IT are notorious for this mate-I've had some stable straightaway and others that never are no matter what I did. I tried every method and thing imaginable that it drove me mad in the end.
I personally think if they don't go stable from the word go they never will. My unstable ones were only stable on the first day in the Tank next morning they were black. I kept every tiger fish apart from widebar and for me IT is the most unstable.
I've read every thread on this website about stability and tried everything but I think it's just luck myself
Good luck and if you find the key let me know
 

T1KARMANN

Giant Snakehead
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Sep 19, 2005
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Almost a boring subject i know. But i have 5 IT and 2 silver dats in a 9x4x2 tank with 5 rays and 2 birchirs. Also have a shoal of 7 tinfoil. The dats hardly ever colour up. Read all sorts of posts including dats getting stable if kept alone. I managed to catch one of the dats and put him in the quarantine end of the sump. He turned stable within a day. Put him back in the main tank and guess what, he now not stable. Could the tinfoil be stopping the dats from going stable. Only time the dats get a bit of colour is when the day time lights go out and the blue moon light comes on. I would like to keep more than one dat and like the tinfoil for clean up purposes. Don't really want to drop to just one dat only to find out it does not go stable due to some other reason. The dats range from 2" to 6" in size and same for the tin foil barbs.
Any thoughts.
The thing is IT don't seam to like tank lights

The silvers are a brackish water fish and are a bit more aggressive

The tinfoils have nothing to do with it

If you have bogwood or hiding places this also seams to make them a bit more unstable

It can take them years to go stable or they may never colour up

I have had IT that have never been stable then I have sold them and they have stayed stable 24/7 in the new tank

I do honestly think they do better on there own

They will tolerate others but given the chance they would be a solo fish
My ST had been kept in groups for over 6 years with no big issues he wouldn't show any interest in other when they was small but as soon as they hit 14-16" he would beat them up bad
I sold off all my others and just kept the big boy on his own
Then 6 months later I had to put a friends 10" IT in after just 15 mins he had beat it up bad
I don't think I could ever put another one in now


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LBathory

Jack Dempsey
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Mar 25, 2008
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In my IT keeping experience, it really depends on the individual fish. I had some that were stable when kept with others and some that would only stay stable if kept alone. I even had one that started as a vivid almost white yellow and eventually became a deep tiger orange when he joined the rest of them. And some will stay black/stay stable no matter what. It really depends on the personality of the fish IMO.


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T1KARMANN

Giant Snakehead
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Sep 19, 2005
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To tell the truth it's the luck of the draw with IT

They are the most changeable of all tigers

If you can't handle them being unstable don't keep them


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jim barry

Goliath Tigerfish
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Jun 21, 2006
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Well i took another one out of the main tank and put it in the sump. Got more stable but only a dim light in the sump. I am starting to think the same as you guys. It is the luck of the draw. I may sell the 2 silver and then place the 5 IT in the sump and then try one at a time in the main tank to see which one does best.
 

SickSauce

Gambusia
MFK Member
Oct 24, 2011
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IT do hate lights. One of my larger 3bars is never stable but when I leave for work at 4am it's stable as hell. I was surprise myself and I was like when did I get that datnoid? This happens from time to time when a unstable dat goes stable I think it's a different fish. My Dats all go stable in the early low light mornings but when it's get brighter the unstable ones hide

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T1KARMANN

Giant Snakehead
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Sep 19, 2005
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Well i took another one out of the main tank and put it in the sump. Got more stable but only a dim light in the sump. I am starting to think the same as you guys. It is the luck of the draw. I may sell the 2 silver and then place the 5 IT in the sump and then try one at a time in the main tank to see which one does best.
That's a good idea they take so long to grow it's best finding one that's fairly stable and sticking with it

You will need to give each one a month in the main tank on its own to make sure it stays stable


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Ade

Piranha
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Jun 7, 2008
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Some are... some are sometimes.. and
Some will never be

This is the only sure thing I've learnt from tiger stability in 9 yrs of keeping them
 
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