When do you know when two fish wont get along?

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Pyramid_Party

Pyramid_Party

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2008
4,916
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Monterey, CA
Hi,


At what point do you know when fish arent gonna get along? I know if they are trying to kill eachother thats obvious. My GT at 3 1/2 inches kinda harrasses my catfish. During the day nothing happens, but when the lights go out and the catfish come out to eat, he starts charging them and nipping at them. They fight back too though. Once the catfish come out to cruise around, the GT gives them a hard time and they stay back in their log.


I really dont want these catfish to be killed, but at this point I can tell their freedom is limited. And the GT beign at 3 1/2 inches, I can only imagine as it grows its gonna become more dangerous.

By like I say, its pretty minor biting, but the catfish I can tell arent having much freedom and they hide more because of it. SO do you think that at this stage, with these little quarrels, it will end once the GT establishes dominance? Or do you really think it will escalate? I just dont know if I should wait it out or make some adjustments.
 
I usually will keep a close eye on my fish for the first day and then a closer eye the week after. I just got 3 Albino Senegals and looking after them pretty closely right now. I don't trust someone in that tank, but it seems to be behaving right now.
 
Well at 1st theres was no problems. Just this last 2 weeks I been seeing these little fights almost every night once the catfish come out. Its almost like the GT does it on purpose. Because during the day he cruises aorund like normal. Once the lights go out I see him hanging on the left side of the tank only where the catfish are. And he just swims around there and anytime the catfish come out, he messes with them. So I dont know if this problem will be like the one that goes away or if it will escalate.
 
I don't think it's going to get better. Even if the GT doesn't outright kill him, the catfish has to be miserable not being able to do "catfish things" at night like he should be able to. My male GT is pretty tolerant of other fish but my little female (in another tank) only has some small Queen Loaches in with her beacuse she picks at everything else.
 
IME it will not get better,only worse. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
 
id say you just gotta keep an eye on and determine how bad these attacks are. i had 4 firemouths and they established there chain of dominance and they'd always nip the smallest one. i never thought they outright kill him but he was always roughed up. i ended up giving away the 3 big ones cuz i didnt like all the small fights. thats just me tho.

determine if u think the gt is trying to kill it or not. ive had alot of chasing in some of my tanks with cichlids and i know that most of the time its just like get out of my territory and its all good. ive noticed a puffing out of gills and fins with a wiggle back and forth with my cichlids and that usually means trouble. and i seperate those fish.
 
The GT probably established the tank as it's territory and thinks that the Catfish is invading it. Rearrange the decor to see if that helps and see if you can arrange more hiding spaces (this creates an illusion of more territory). How big is the tank?
 
Sounds to me that your GT just has a dislike of your catfish. The GT is having "fun" by picking on the cats. I don't think it will go away, even with re-arranging the tank. The catfish are now "marked" by the GT as something to pick on.

Are there other fish in the tank? Maybe some other cichlids or dithers like tiger barbs in the tank will give your GT reason to lay off the catfish.
 
rearrange the tank, keeping the catfish in, and take out the GT for an hour or so in a bucket, obviously only if you can provide adequate oxygenation and heat. then reintroduce the GT and it may sort the problem out if at first rearranging the decor doesnt help on its own. the GT should feel like its entering new turf and calm down a little.
it may not work but its worth a try.
 
The good thing is that the GT isnt constantly on them. Its not liike he harrasses them all day. Its only during the night time and its only for a little while. Later in the night I see him cruising around like normal and not bothering them. Maybe because the catfish arent outside their log. Its just once they come out he attacks at them.


But its minor, its mostly intimidation with a little biting. The catfish will bite back too, if bothered too much. The catfish just rush out real fast, gobble up the food and speed back to their hiding spot. As to avoid the GT I guess, and its during this time the GT tried to bite.

I dont really see any damage on the catfish and I have seen bites, so I think they are more minor bites to intimidate. The GT once tried to bite the catfish in the mouth/face area and the catfish bit too and the catfish had bit over the GTs mouth and hung onto it for a second them let go.


But this is a small GT, I just keep imaging that a bigger 5/6/7 inch GT pounding on them later.

I know fish fight even when dominance is established. And I am wondering if its one fo those things where the fish is trying to intimidate for dominance or will it being something more serious.
 
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