Nasty

[ReverendShmoove]

The other day I put 2 Red Tail Black Sharks in my aquarium. One of them, the bigger one is chasing & nipping at the smaller one to the point that it has its fins tattered. Could this be a mating ritual or is the bigger one just being a bully.

 

[revfred]

Most likely you got a "nipper". RTS' tend to be that way. Watch him with the other fish. It may settle in OK with the other RTS but both can be a nippers with other fish.

 

[Luvi]

How big is your tank and how long have you had them? I thought it isn't a good idea to put 2 RTS together. Especially if they are both male? They will fight fot sure. You may want to move the smaller RTS to another tank or return one of them to the store, as one may chase the other till death. Other please correct me if I am wrong. Good luck with your RTS, I like them too.

 

[LoachDude]

The other day I put 2 Red Tail Black Sharks in my aquarium. One of them, the bigger one is chasing & nipping at the smaller one to the point that it has its fins tattered. Could this be a mating ritual or is the bigger one just being a bully.

They shouldn't be kept in pair, they get really nasty with eachother.

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

Yeah, the rule with RTS is either keep one, or keep more than 3. Males will be very territorial towards other males, so when keeping them in groups, give them planty of private spaces to lay claim to. It is best to keep them 1 per tank, unless you hvae a big tank.

 

[LoachDude]

But if you are going to attempt the breed them, obviously you need more than one

 

[ReverendShmoove]

Most likely you got a "nipper". RTS' tend to be that way. Watch him with the other fish. It may settle in OK with the other RTS but both can be a nippers with other fish.

The one other fish is an African Black Knife which I originally thought was nipping the little one. The big one is afraid of the knife so I don't think any nipping will be happening there. I have a Spotted Raphael too but none of them seem to bother him.

 

[ReverendShmoove]

How big is your tank and how long have you had them? I thought it isn't a good idea to put 2 RTS together. Especially if they are both male? They will fight fot sure. You may want to move the smaller RTS to another tank or return one of them to the store, as one may chase the other till death. Other please correct me if I am wrong. Good luck with your RTS, I like them too.

The tank is 20g. I only have the one tank so moving the little one isn't an option. I hate too see the little one pestered like that but what can I do other than flush it?

 

[Luvi]

Oh no, don't flush a fish. Well, if the chasing and fin nipping is really serious, can you return one to the lfs and get a credit for something else? Otherwise if the chasing isn't that serious just give them time to claim their own spaces - maybe the smaller one will find a hiding spot that is safe enough - I hope.

I have a small tank - as you can see below. And mine is a baby only for about 1.25" long and sometimes got chased by my Tetra (I don't believe it too). But it likes to swim in narrow spaces, even in between my fake plants. So by putting some plants in (fake or real) or decorations that they can swim and hide around as a protection is a good idea.

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

THere are better ways to dispose of a fish than flushing them. Never flush fish as the chlorine (provided you live in civilization) will burn like hell, or the septic tank (if you live in the boonies) will burn like hell too. If you've got more than one tank then dividing them up is ok, if not, then one of them has GOT TO GO SOMEWHERE or you'll likely have trouble for the long haul.

 

[LoachDude]

Good thing I live in the country and have well water

 

[ReverendShmoove]

I'm taking the little one to my g/f's, she has a tank. Hopefully it will get along with mollies & platties. I certainly don't want any creature to burn like hell.

 

[Luvi]

Although RTS are aggressive, but it only shows the worst if they see another RTS. To other fish - it depends on types and sizes ( I think ), just keep your finger crossed but you definitely want to monitor its behaviour (and the mollies & platties too of course) in the begining... Good luck.

 

[svetlana]

I had 2 rainbow sharks and one that dominated was very agressive toward smaller shark. I gave away the dominator and left the small one with me. He grew up nicely, picked up confidence and now pecking zebras once in a while not touching, even noticing, other fish (tetras, dwarf puffers and cories). I actually agree with him because zebras can be so annoying...
I look at it as being good exercise for them and for the shark.

 

[J'sRamAir]

They are typically most aggressive towards their own kind, but can be aggressive to other colorful fish...mostly other red or orange colored fish (or possibly just tails that color).