it was all going so well ...

**justanothernoob** · 11-02-2010, 10:09 AM

So my male Crowntail Fighter has been happily in the tank for about 6 weeks and today I discovered him quite badly stripped of his tail. So I've quarantined him in his own tank.

I've been buying all of my fish from the same local supplier and they know exactly what is in my tank and I was very careful and talked at length on several occasions before I added the Fighter, knowing how problematic they can be (or rather, the other fish can be).

I've not idea what is having a go at him but maybe someone here might have a few thoughts.

The tank is a 50 gallon / 200 litre tank, well planted (not heavily but getting that way) with plenty of places to hide with a lump of wood and some stone caves that I've made.

In the tank are: 22 neon tetras, 9 amber tetras, 2 dwarf gouramis, 1 kribensys, 2 bolivian rams, 1 golden / sunshine ram, 2 black line firefoxes, 1 bosemani rainbow, 2 blue lacustris rainbows, 2 golden bristlenoses, 2 discus, 6 glassfish and 1 mollie. The tank is 6 months old and I've added the fish slowly. The latest additions were the 2 black line firefoxes.

3 days ago I did a water change and rearranged the stone caves. The Fighter has been attacked since then. Normally I would look to what changed last: the addition of the 2 black line firefoxes. But I suspect the rams or the kribensys although not too sure why they would suddenly decide to have a go after he's been in the tank for about 6 weeks.

He's swimming around quite happily and eating flakes.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

**rich311k** · 11-02-2010, 11:23 AM

I see a few fish on that list that might have issues with a betta. I would leave him in his own home. The cichlids can get territorial, the gouramis never mix well with other anataboids, and the rainbows are not above doing some nipping.

**teddscau** · 11-03-2010, 08:01 PM

I'd put him in a different tank. If you want some more suitable tankmates I'd go with otos, tetras, and maybe some cories. Otos would never hurt anyone (except one of my otos loves sucking the slime off the side of my balloon molly), cardinal tetras (only ones I've ever kept) never touch anyone, and cories, well, it's kind of obvious. The betta shouldn't bother anyone as long as he's in a big enough tank.

**justanothernoob** · 11-04-2010, 08:12 AM

Thanks peeps for the advice. The question in my mind though is not so much which fish to keep him with but why was he suddenly mauled after 6 weeks' harmonious tank-life?

My partner has just told me though that she thought that I had automated all of the feeding so she hasn't been feeding the fish during the day. Would being underfe have made some of the fish a bit more aggro?

**rich311k** · 11-04-2010, 10:52 AM

It it impossible to say. As fish grow they change temperments, it could have been hunger, a territorial thing, a spawning reason. Too many variables, It comes down to boisterous fish and a sedate fish in the same space, sooner or later there will be conflict.