I am an extremely newbie. I bought and set up my 10 gallon tank on Sunday morning, added a Black Molly, Mickey Mouse Platy, and a short fin zebra danio Monday night. The first two have just been hanging out, adjusting I assume, and the danio has been spazzing all over the tank since yesterday. After thinking about it for a while I realized he is a schooling fish and was probably spazzy because he didn't know what to do with himself. Tonight I took my water to be tested and all my levels were still good; so the gal said it's probably ok to add up to 2 more danios because the stress to the lone fish was probably worse than adding 2 more hearty small fish to the tank. Well, it seems the first danio is a bully and very aggressive to the 2 new smaller danio. He picked on them, beat up on them, and chased them around the tank. My options are these. I leave them be and let him establish his dominance in the tank (not sure this is a good idea, and I feel bad for the 2 smaller danio for being beaten up on). I take the original short fin danio back to the store assuming he will pick on any smaller fish I put in the tank. Or, I return the two smaller fish to the store and get 2 more of the short fin danio and see if he treats them any better. For now I have put the single danio in a small tank separately until I know what I should do. Any suggestions from people who have been there done that?
Zebra Danio - aggressive?
- Thread starter Alyark
- Start date
First question, is the tank cycled? If not, see if you can take back all the fish and cycle it first. Second of all, danios aren't aggressive at all IMO, but can be quite boisterous. Personally I would keep them in groups of 5, but in a nano tank like yours that might not be possible.
I'd take the danios all back. They are extremely fast, active fish, and in a small tank they won't do as well.
And agreed--tank needs to be cycled. You might be best served by returning all the fish, reading up on cycling, and making a list of the fish you like. Then research them and see what you like that will also do well in your system.
And agreed--tank needs to be cycled. You might be best served by returning all the fish, reading up on cycling, and making a list of the fish you like. Then research them and see what you like that will also do well in your system.
ITA with OrionGirl - take all of the fish back, cycle your tank and use the cycling time to research, research, research to identify fish you are intersted in that would do well in the water you have and fit the size tank. It will be time well spent.
BallAquatics
Fish Breeder
Danios typically get a bad rap as being aggressive simply because they are not being kept properly. As A. Nonymous states, they can be quite boisterous. As shoaling fish, they work best in groups of 10 or more.
Dennis
Dennis
In support of those recommending cycling the tank first, I'm going to reiterate that you should do so prior to adding fish. Basically, until then, you're torturing your fish with a poisonous atmosphere.
In your defense, the girl at the store you visited tested the water, and told you everything was fine. Well, there are two problems with that. First, she probably used a strip test, which has limited accuracy at best. Second, she's got a vested interest in getting you to buy replacements.
Did you go to a chain store? If so, their employees are generally disinterested, at best. Local mom and pop type stores tend to have employees that care more. Sometimes, you get lucky, and your LFS has *really* good staff, that will refuse to sell you fish if your setup doesn't meet the profile for those fish. That's good, because it comes with an explanation, and alternatives, either in changing your tank set up or for fish that meet your set up situation better.
In your defense, the girl at the store you visited tested the water, and told you everything was fine. Well, there are two problems with that. First, she probably used a strip test, which has limited accuracy at best. Second, she's got a vested interest in getting you to buy replacements.
Did you go to a chain store? If so, their employees are generally disinterested, at best. Local mom and pop type stores tend to have employees that care more. Sometimes, you get lucky, and your LFS has *really* good staff, that will refuse to sell you fish if your setup doesn't meet the profile for those fish. That's good, because it comes with an explanation, and alternatives, either in changing your tank set up or for fish that meet your set up situation better.
The other thing the girl at the store may not have known is that it's a brand new tank. Pour water out of the tap and then test it - Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, PH something reasonable. That's about all they test generally and that all looks great.
Oh Lord.. another dreaded I bought a 10gal on Sunday... and packed it full of fish on Monday thread... Ugh..
Sorry for making light of it Alyark, but it's best if you take the advise above, return all the fish and take some time to read up on nitrogen cycle, tank cycling, etc.
Sorry for making light of it Alyark, but it's best if you take the advise above, return all the fish and take some time to read up on nitrogen cycle, tank cycling, etc.
I dont want to rain on your parade, but i would take all the advice given to you from everyone on here. Granted your still new to the hobby and probably excited to get fish in your tank but you may have rushed into buying fish. On a side note this is a learning expierence for you. Theres 2 ways people cycle their tanks. Fishless cycle and a fish-in cycle. There is actually a sticky in the Freshwater Newbie section of this forum that would help you out greatly. And dont be shy to ask anyone on the forum for advice or help because we are all here to share our expierences, advice, knowledge of fish-keeping, and most of all the enjoyment of the hobby 
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FWIW, if you want to do a fish-in cycle, keep the zebra danio and return the rest. They are tough little buggers. Like you say, your single zebra is nuts because they are a schooling fish and act best when in a group. My LFS sells them 4 for $2 quite often. I wouldn't do more than 4 in a 10gal, along with maybe a single "focal fish".
I've got 4 zebra danios in a 10gal along with a male betta. It's a great combo for my setup. They do perfectly together. The zebras look awesome under LED lighting. It really brings out their bluish color and bright eyes.
I've got 4 zebra danios in a 10gal along with a male betta. It's a great combo for my setup. They do perfectly together. The zebras look awesome under LED lighting. It really brings out their bluish color and bright eyes.