fix flowerhorn aggressive toward tankmates

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2songbirds

2songbirds

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jan 31, 2009
473
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18
PA
I've had my flowerhorn for over a year and half. She has been in the same tank as my achara catfish...I actually got them together at the lfs. Recently tho, she's been tearing up my now 2'catfish, and she's about 9 inches. She's taken chunks out of him, yet he won't fight back, although he's eaten many of a fish.

Would this be a spawning phase, right before she lays eggs? Maturing? I thought of ways to try to break them apart, as there's a battle going on in my tank. I really can't do a divider, as I'm sure kitty fish will break it. There's no decorations...I tried, she...my FH did go into one I had, but didn't stop the aggression towards the catfish. She would go after the catfish so much that the catfish would bang the huge pirate ship of the sides of the glass...

Within the past hour, I found out she HATES her reflection (used compact makeup mirror). So, I'm going to go to walmart tmrw and get a big enough mirror to put on the side of the tank where kitty fish hangs out

Btw, it's a 265g with the FH, achara catfish, and his "children"....2 4" pictus catfish who he's been protecting from her

Any ideas on what's going on, or what else I can do. I really don't want to give her up...
 
hmm..sounds to me like the FH is trying to claim dominency. i have MANY cichlids who are tankmates for months-years and then one day they just beat the crap out of each other and one or the other is king. but if this doesent stop. or your FH is on the verge of killing your catfish. id set up a 20g tank and keep him in there for about a week and then re-introduce him. give him sort've a "timeout"
 
I would look to seperate them. The FH has taken a disliking to the cat and is going to harrase it until its dead or gone IMO.
 
great...I love both fish, but my kitty is my favorite as that's why I got the 265g so I could keep him when full grown...I did keep the FH in a 54g until she grew bigger, but I can't put her back in that one as it has other tankmates

dominancy is one thing. She had been picking on the 14" algae eater and harrasses him to stay on the glass. But, not to this extent. My cat fish is worse this morning, and actually wondered if he could break the tank from how bad the FH is chasing him

I knew when getting the FH it's highly aggressive, but has done so well with the catfish up until recently.

Wonder if me putting her in an old 20g would "teach" her a lesson. It might be just a temporary thing though. Once she realizes there's no competition, she may turn on the catfish again...

I don't have many options...can't set up another tank, I already have a 125 and 54g, and I can NOT arrange the fish to accomodate her..

it's ashame cuz she has a great personality, hand fed, and is absolutely stunning...
 
My only options here are to put her in another temp home, but I have no where to put it...

and I'm going to get a mirror to put on the one side of the tank as she's deathly afraid of it, actually backed her into the corner :naughty:
 
here's a thought..if she's afraid of her own reflection, what about if I found another FH close to her size? Or is that just asking for disaster...
 
Take out FH to a temp home. While it's out try and get some large driftwood and rocks to break the line of sight in the tank. Other than that I might try and get a large and fast school of fish to distract the FH from killing the catfish
 
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