Aggression - how long to wait to "settle"

[DMD123]

I have had issues on many occasions when trying to keep only two polys. In QT my endli was a total jerk to the koliba lap and would tail bite and nip at the body. When I got the Faranah Lap it was a monster toward the ansorgii and would latch on to its side fins and just damaged it up badly (bloody). Now these fish all live together in the 300g and actually get along. At the moment I have six polys in the 300 and they get along fairly well. Only major aggression is body nipping by the endli who reminds everyone that it is the largest and therefore 'In charge'.

I really do think things will mellow when there are more polys but there is that risk that one poly may still be the target fish because it is perceived as a threat and smaller polys may be left alone.

 

[magpie]

Shame to rehome that palmas because they turn out to be very good looking fish. But if the aggression cant be stopped then it will need to go. I think that if you were to have a couple more polys and a slightly larger tank you would see that aggression cut way back. Like all of us, where do you put the fish n the meantime?

Right. I am upgrading but not for a year. So in the meantime I can't have beat up fish. I am open to adding 1-2 more polys... I am worried she will just beat up on everyone. But if you guys think it might work I'm open to doing that first.

 

[jaws7777]

No right or wrong answer. Im a little like you i hate seeing any of my fish get beat up, even overly stressed because of aggression is an issue for me. I have rehomed some pretty awesome fish in the past but its part of the hobby no way around it sometimes the fish just dont wanna follow our plans.

If seeting up another small tank isnt a problem then i would try that. Put the palmas in the smaller tank and let the del heal up. Add a couple of new polys to your main tank then re-introduce the palmas. Atleast if you decide to rehome it you can feel better knowing that you tried everything. At the end if it works out you'll have an empty 10 qt tank that will always come in handy when treating new additons for parasites and such

 

[magpie]

It's a shame. Palmas is deceptively a beut! It's worth a shot but perhaps u can ask for the floor manager or Travis at Wet Spot to exchange for equal value towards another poly. Explain your situation. Good luck!

They specifically won't take fish back for aggression reasons. It's even printed on their receipt. But my close in LFS will.

My husband doesn't want to set up another tank so I have to respect that.

I guess I will get a Senegal today and see what happens. If it doesn't stop then I'll rehome her.

I had to rehome a breeding pair of Laetacara Araguaie and one really cool looking Koi Angelfish (and I'm not into angels) before. It sucks but you're right, you can't always make them act like you want them to.

The Palmas is also my kuhli loach killer. I know that's normal but it's interesting that the Del hasn't killed any.

 

[Polyaddict86]

I have had issues on many occasions when trying to keep only two polys. In QT my endli was a total jerk to the koliba lap and would tail bite and nip at the body. When I got the Faranah Lap it was a monster toward the ansorgii and would latch on to its side fins and just damaged it up badly (bloody). Now these fish all live together in the 300g and actually get along. At the moment I have six polys in the 300 and they get along fairly well. Only major aggression is body nipping by the endli who reminds everyone that it is the largest and therefore 'In charge'.

I really do think things will mellow when there are more polys but there is that risk that one poly may still be the target fish because it is perceived as a threat and smaller polys may be left alone.

+10 get more poly and see if the palmas will become more mellow or gets worst, then decide if you wanna rehome it.

 

[Vancouver_98683]

2 senegals at $8.99 possibly curb the aggression. The secret place I mentioned 'wink' 'wink' is more accepting to returns and exchanges.

 

[clm08k]

good luck magpie ! Sorry to hear that you and your delhezi are going through this. Loved the video that you posted early. Delhezi certainly is a beautiful fish. Sorry that it's getting beaten up. Hope the senegals work!

 

[jaws7777]

2 senegals at $8.99 possibly curb the aggression. The secret place I mentioned 'wink' 'wink' is more accepting to returns and exchanges.

Tru this hopefully it works

 

[DMD123]

My husband doesn't want to set up another tank so I have to respect that.

Since another tank is a no go, what about a simple tank divider? Maybe use the light grate from a hardware store and cut to fit. Or anything for that matter that is plastic and has holes for water flow.

 

[magpie]

OK, I went on a quest yesterday. I drove all around the city and visited 3 LFS, including one I've never been to before that Vancouver_98683 told me about. (Thanks, they are really nice and have NLS pellets! No one else really does except the tiny all-fish kind.)

The Senegals were all so small I thought that they could easily be killed if the Palmas decided to take out aggression on them. Except for one store - they had 3 larger Sens but they were all a little homely looking - one even had a deformed looking face. That store did have 2 Retropinnis, but they were hiding behind a tube in the tank.... I got on my phone, read the forum, and then decided that they'd likely just hide in my planted tank. (They were really tempting though - very pretty!) Same with the Buettekoferi (and those were too small, too.) There were a few very small Dels but I already have a Del. There were some nice looking Ornates, an Endli, a Lap, but those are all too big for my current setup.

I still know that there are some Pollis waiting in holding but I just don't feel like I can wait that long for my poor beat up Del.

So... then I start thinking - you know, my first Senegal died of a freak jaw dislocation incident. Then my Palmas, who supposedly shouldn't be that aggro, turns out to be pretty darn aggro. Then I can't even find a Senegal who isn't a 3 inch snack. And these Pollis have been in holding for longer than normal.

So... maybe it's a sign in the universe telling me that I just need to wait for more polys until I upgrade.

So... I brought home three 9-inch ropefish, brought the Palmas to my close in LFS who takes fish to rehome, and I called it a day.

The ropes have already been very active even after just a couple hours in the tank, and the Del came out of the plants in the back for a bit. So maybe this is a good thing. I've always wanted Ropes, pretty much as long as I've kept aquariums... but I just also feel sad about my decision because I totally have the Poly itch. I just worry that this 3 foot tank is just not the right place for multiples. And I really don't want to rip out all of my plants. Maybe if my first Sen hadn't died and I had started with 3 vs 2 it would have been a non-issue. But I'm where I'm at now, and will just drool over all of your polys until I can upgrade after we move.