valen

Hi, I am trying to understand what is going on and I have a theory but I hope I'm wrong.

I have a ten gallon tank. I was told that Zebra Danios and Platy's are both "community" fish and they would get along. I have one Zebra Danio (had more but lost them). I added two male platy's that are bigger than the Danio and they were fine for a day but now the Danio is chasing and "ramming" the platy's most of the time. He may be nipping their fins too but I'm not sure. The poor platy's a looking for places to hid but they can't hide for long.

The Danio is circling around like a shark and takes a run at one platy in particular all the time. He seems to go more crazy when the light is on and seems to calm down a little with it off.

Is it because I only have one Zebra Danio and they need to be in a school of 6 or more ? I don't have tank space for 5 more Zebra's because I want to keep other types in there as well.

Is getting more Platy or one more Zebra Danio going to help ?

guppiemaster892

It depends on how many danios you have. If you dont have 3 or more danios then that is the problem. Danios pick on each other, not like hurting each other but they will school and chase each other. If there is 2 or less danios, then they will turn on other fish. That probably is what the problem is.

COBettaCouple

Platys need 3 or more usually and Danios should be kept in groups of at least 6. You'll probably need to find a new home for 1 species or the other, especially if you have other fish in there. The general guideline for small fish is 1 gallon per adult inch, so at most there should be 10" (adult size) of fish in that tank.

valen

I really can't keep 6 danios so I guess I have to try to find a home for him. I guess the Platys would eventually get sick from all the stress ? Any suggestions on what to do in the short term ? Would getting more Platy's help ?

COBettaCouple

The stress would make them much more open for disease and eventually the Danios would probably nip their fins off. Short term - a tank divider to seperate the 2 species. More platys won't really help with the danios but 3 or more would make for happier platys and a better pecking order.

miker

Or cheaper option - get a breeding net for the Danio

Philpig

Hey, I had the same problem in a tank with 4 zebra danios and 2 platys. I just found that one of the danios would not give up on all of the other fish - his own and the other species. In the end I just gave the danios to another fishkeepr with a nice tank, because it was obviously stressing the other fish. Maybe they like to show off or maybe they are just really nasty personalities! therefore, I wouldn't believe what everyone seems to say about Danios being a good starter fish and good for a community tank!

Blub

valen

I have had the Danio since Jan 1 08 so I doubt the store would take it back and if they did they surely wouldn't resell it (if you now what I mean).

How would the Danio do in a bowl ? (i.e. like a goldfish with no filtration or heater ?) They seem to tolerate room temps but I am not sure about filtration/aeration. I also have a 5 gallon tank that is not in use at the moment but I don't want to buy another filter/heater.

Blub

darkwolf29a

I wouldn't recommend a bowl for them. Honestly, the only fish that does ok in one of those bowls is a betta. And only if it's a 1 gallon minimum.

ER9

i had a similar problem. i think danios in general are peacefull community fish but i soon discovered they each have their own personalities. some (most) seem docile and playfull but i had one that was extremelly aggesive and upset the entire tank of fish chasing and biting the other fish. i gave him back to the aquarium shop and as soon as he was gone the entire community settled down. i have a single zebra now and he gets along great with everyone in the tank. i think its just you got an overly aggresive fish.

Blub

valen

I have 2 Platy's and 1 Danio (the terrorist :-) ). The Platy that was constantly being harassed is now just hanging around at the bottom and almost giving up trying to get away. That was enough for me. This morning I took out the Danio and he's going back to the LFS.

So now that the decision has been made, I have 2 male Platy's (orange/red) in a 10 gallon tank. I would like to add some interesting additions. What would be good friendly tankmates for the 2 male platy's ? Something that is colorful yet medium/easy to take care of since I am am still somewhat of a newbie. Also something that can go in two's or three's (not something that needs 6 or more ).

Thanks.

Blub

angelfish220

Male endlers are even prettyer than guppies, but are harder to find.

Blub

angelfish220

Then you get some of those gup/endler crosses that have awesome finage and bright neon colors.

ER9

you have to look at white cloud minows. super friendly fish that love to swim around together. i have three. they are silverish with bright red tails and fins....very pretty fish. very tough as well. they have dealt with my inexperience better than anyother fish in my tank....nothing seems to bother them and they get to 2"ish max size.

valen

Here is an update on my tank situation: The Danio went back to the LFS but they initially did not want to take it back. They said as a rule they don't take fish back. So I said I don't want the money just take it back. So they did but I don't want to think about what may have happened to it.


Anyhow I am not out of the woods yet. Now the larger platy is attacking the same smaller platy that the danio was attacking. I just have 2 male platy's in the tank. Are platy's fin nippers between themselves ? Maybe the LFS messed up and I really have a male and female platy when I requested two males ? I guess you don't tell them appart by color but by the anal fin ? They both seem to have one.

Also, the smaller platy has one or two pieces of its big dorsal fin missing. Do I need medication ? or will it heal by itself ?

I sure am learning alot about fish psycology the hard way. Thanks for an advice you can provide.

angelfish220

Livebearers create a 'pecking order'. When there are only 2 the agression is always on one, your smaller platy. If you go to the lfs and get another male platy the problem will go away almost instantly.

I find the best way to heal torn fins is warm clean water. If you raise the water temp to about 80, then keep very clean ( which you should be doing anyway ) the fin heals relitively quickly. I have never really found a medication that helps it along better than those 2 things.

valen

according to the charts platy's water temp tops out at 76F. Can I safely raise it to 80F ?

angelfish220

Yeah, just not for forever, 2 weeks will work well. ( Dont worry, the cure for ick is 82 degree water and I've had bouts of ick for weeks and kept the water there and it caused no harm to my platies.)

valen

I will go get a third male platy today so that the fighting stops. Does the third one have to be the same color family (orange/red) for them to stop fighting and be more communal (I was thinking a blueish one this time) ?

Would getting a pair of male guppies have the same "calming" effect ? i.e. get one platy to stop harassing the other ? They are both males.

COBettaCouple

It will work out best if the 3rd platy is the same type. A pair of guppies wouldn't be what you'd need - they do better with 3 or more also.