[Sparkz]

Hi,
I bought 3 Platys yesterday, tonight I've noticed that one of them does nothing but peck at the majority of my other fish, mainly the guppies and dwarf gourami. The other 2 platys seem quite freindly. Could anyone give me some advice please? Should I move him to a tank on his own?

Thanks

 

[ZivaD]

What size tank are the fish being kept in and how many/what kind of other fish are in it with them? What genders are the three platy? You mention moving "him" at the end of your post - so is it a male that is showing the aggression?

 

[Sparkz]

Hi ZivaD,

It's a 180 litre tank and a female platty that's doing the damage. I have 2 male and 2 female dwarf gourami, 1 angel fish, 1 clown loach, 3 plattys ( 2 female and 1 male) 6 guppys ( 2 male 4 female) a pair of rainbow fish, 2 rasporas, 2 tetras, 2 pencil fish, 4 elders and a red tailed shark. I've moved the platty to a smaller empty tank now.

I'm a complete novice and any advice is very welcome.

Pete.

 

[ZivaD]

Hi ZivaD,

It's a 180 litre tank and a female platty that's doing the damage. I have 2 male and 2 female dwarf gourami, 1 angel fish, 1 clown loach, 3 plattys ( 2 female and 1 male) 6 guppys ( 2 male 4 female) a pair of rainbow fish, 2 rasporas, 2 tetras, 2 pencil fish, 4 elders and a red tailed shark. I've moved the platty to a smaller empty tank now.

I'm a complete novice and any advice is very welcome.

Pete.

Pete -
Well, since you are open to advice, here are some thoughts as I read through your post:

180 litre is approximately 46-48 US gallons, correct? What are the dimensions of the tank (length is going to play into some of the feedback regarding the species in question)?

What are the parameters of your water?

what specific rainbow fish have you got - they can vary in size, etc and that will play into recommendations made.

the clown loach - he needs to be in a group of six or more and, given their potential size at maturity, if you keep him and obtain the friends he needs, a larger tank is in order

The red tailed shark - another fish who will ultimately require more space than is available in the current tank

Ultimately - I would suggest taking a moment and looking up to the top where the "tropical fish profiles" are linked - there you can read up on each species and see who might fit best with who and in what tank. At the moment, though, the fish you have are not suited to the tank/community you have for various reasons.

You mentioned having multiple tanks - what other size tanks do you have (looking to be able to offer possible combinations that could be moved into various tanks that you might already have available)

 

[marshallsea]

Remove the aggressive Platy, she won't change.

 

[ZivaD]

Remove the aggressive Platy, she won't change.

Well, actually, resorting the population into a more appropriate mix and tank sizes, etc may very well change her behavior.

 

[jaysee]

Well, actually, resorting the population into a more appropriate mix and tank sizes, etc may very well change her behavior.

I agree. While there are instances of rogue fish, the majority of behavioral problems are a result of environmental factors, such as tank size and stock. However, if there are no obvious issues, removing the trouble making fish is the best course of action.