I moved recently (about one month ago) and have had quite a few fish die including a pleco, tetra, two blue gouramis, and I think that's it for now. I thought I was having a water issue; Everything tested out okay but I couldn't figure out what was causing all of the deaths! Now I see the last Blue Gourami has a "bite" out of his fin. Could someone be on the hunt when I am not around? Could the lack of natural light be an issue? WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!
WHO is doing this?
- Thread starter fishrookie
- Start date
Mine is pretty easy going most of the time.
Spends alot of time swimming away from my Betta that is obsessed with following him around
BUT
I have caught him at night, in the dim light of a 1950's kitchen light fixture from several feet away. Red fins blurry from quick action, chasing EVERYONE who is anywhere near him.
Good call TAL. Ghost knives can be aggressive. Also, how big is your tank? Anything smaller than a 55 gallon is probably overstocked with your list. I don't know a lot about it, but that might lead to more aggression and fights over territories between fish that might be more peaceful if they had more room. You may know this too, but your clown loaches will eventually outgrow even a 55. They do grow slowly, and I have 3 in mine with plans to either upgrade or give them away in a couple years, but it's still something to be aware of.
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Ghost Knife fish are predetors too. I read on Wikipedia that they will nip at fins and eat anything that fits in their mouths. As TAL said they are also aggressive sometimes. Yes I have fishtanks.
Your assumption is correct. They aren't what I would call aggressive but will defend their selected cave. And yeah they do hunt at night and may try to take a bite out of a fish from time to time. That is predation not aggression.
Once the BGK is full grown you won't really be able to keep any of the smaller community fish in with him. They really do get big.
Once the BGK is full grown you won't really be able to keep any of the smaller community fish in with him. They really do get big.
Have you noticed any nippy behaviour by your serpae tetras? I used to have HUGE problems with my serpaes who'd nip just about everyone's fins, sometimes stressing them to death, and I've never kept them again. But looking around the internet it does depend on the general mentality of the group because just as many people haven't had any problems whatsoever.
BGK is a good suspect and already mentioned so I won't go into any more detail on that. It could at a stretch be your angel, a friend of mine had a lone angel which terrorised its tankmates, killing a dwarf gourami and literally shaking a male betta to death. However I don't think it'd just kill a tetra it'd probably eat it.
Take punkrockfish's advice - check it's not of the clawed variety because they are predatory. Apart from that though, I'm not sure. Maybe the move just really stressed your fish? That can result in shredded-looking fins.
BGK is a good suspect and already mentioned so I won't go into any more detail on that. It could at a stretch be your angel, a friend of mine had a lone angel which terrorised its tankmates, killing a dwarf gourami and literally shaking a male betta to death. However I don't think it'd just kill a tetra it'd probably eat it.
Take punkrockfish's advice - check it's not of the clawed variety because they are predatory. Apart from that though, I'm not sure. Maybe the move just really stressed your fish? That can result in shredded-looking fins.