I have a calico oranda about 4 inches in size ...i brought home a black moor about 2 inches in size today and it seems like the black moor is almost pecking at the calico and swimming literally up its butt at times...any suggestions????
do goldfish bully?
- Thread starter gouramimommy125
- Start date
Yes, they are territorial. Part of it has to do with tank size (the smaller the tank, the more territorial they can be), and part of it might have to do with spawning behaviors, but 2" is a little small for that, I think. They will probably work it out. I have often had to separate males into separate tanks when they get aggressive(for goldfish) towards each other. If not, one thing you can do is take them both out of the tank, rearrange the tank, and then reintroduce them, letting them work out territories on their own. I have seen orandas be aggressive, but I have never seen a telescope that way. Interesting.
is there a chance there is something on the larger one that i cannot see that he is picking off???? I thought goldfish were peaceful...lol...live and learn I guess
Oh, a little more descriptive in this thread. Somervell covered it pretty well. I've had to take my lionhead out because she's being chased around around just a bit too much for my liking. I just let her go play in my tropical tank for the night and things generally calm down. My one moor did participate a little but he's a little retarded acting and I think he just decided to play the game of chase the others were playing and wasn't actually bullying. Mostly it was an oranda and a fantail.
well i dont have another tank ...so what can i do??? this is the smaller ones first day in the tank? do you think it will calm down?
Can you put something in the tank to separate them? I've used clear sheets of plastic, heavy counted cross stitch material, glass. As long as it is non toxic, won't react with the water, and can't tangle up the fish... If the piece is too wide, you can put it across at an angle. You might be able to find some grid work that will let the smaller fish go back and forth and keep the big fish on one side while they learn to get along.
If you turn the lights down/off, does the chasing slow down? Sometimes I use that to help a new fish settle in and keep the current fish from harassing it. Of course, that only works for fish that aren't nocturnal.
Lisa
If you turn the lights down/off, does the chasing slow down? Sometimes I use that to help a new fish settle in and keep the current fish from harassing it. Of course, that only works for fish that aren't nocturnal.
Lisa
I think I would wait before taking any aggressive move to separate them. The times when I separated the fish, there were actual physical signs of one injuring the other. Both times, it occurred during spawning. If you continue to have problems, you can try rearranging the tank, as I suggested in the first post. As crazy as it sounds, it does work.
Usually, it's kind of like sibling rivalry-- they'll work it out. You just have to convince them that mom doesn't like one of them more than the other!
Usually, it's kind of like sibling rivalry-- they'll work it out. You just have to convince them that mom doesn't like one of them more than the other!
Aggression is one reason to have more and not fewer fish. If you have just a few fish adding one is a big deal, and with aggressive fish it is a guaranteed death sentence. If there's a community or you add more fish at once aggression and territorialism gets spread around much more. Even for goldfish if you plop in a single male into larger male's tank with nothing else in it you're going to see some battering and possibly even death. It's much better to add in a couple at a time.
well I had one on friday and added 2 yesterday...so there is 3 im not going to put more than that in my tank