xathine

When I upgraded to my 55g I made the mistake of putting my RBS in the tank first.

Well, he has claimed the entire tank as his own and spends all day chasing my poor little barbs.

I took him out last night and put him in a bucket with tank water and a cave from the tank.

I'm wondering how long I should keep him out of the tank so when I put him back in he only claims a small part of the tank...

Shawnie

change up some of the decorations and move things around....after an hour or so, he should be put back..if that behavoir continues, either the barbs or rbs are going to have to get use to one another...over time, they do learn to leave the rbs alone and stay away from his area....55 gals is plenty of room for them all to get use to who belongs where...

gmen4life

well have you tried moveing everything around?

xathine

I've moved some things around.

Problem is tank will pretty much stay the same layout.

I've got a mix of sand and black gravel substrate. Sand being in the middle, gravel being on both ends of the tank.

So when I put him back in, he will probably reconize where he is.

And its not the barbs going into his area, he'll be on one side and just swim to the other and start chasing the poor guys around

Shawnie

who knows if they do or not..and its the deco you want to try to move not the subtrate....its a suggestion not a solution in all cases...id put him back asap and put his cave in a different area than it was..id think he would be more territorial with your loaches not your tetras.....good luck!

xathine

Well yeah I moved all the decor.

He actually gets along really really well with the loaches. They tend to share the same cave at night when they relax!

I always see him chasing my albino barbs around.

I'm going out today to buy some more plants, and another cave.

I just put him back, and hes still chasing them

aquarist48

Good morning. Red Tail Sharks, Rainbow Sharks are some of the most territorial fish that I've seen for home aquariums. I have a Red Finned (Rainbow) Shark in my 155g. He will chase a Silver Dollar around on occasion, and he buddies with a Cory Cat. He doesn't have the nerve to attack my Bloody Parrots They are many times his size though. Even with a tank as large as the one I have him in, I see at times that he thinks he should own the place. I understand why you are having difficulties in your 55g. If rearranging your tank doesn't solve the problem you may want to consider rehousing him. Possibly in a larger tank
Best of luck! Keep us posted.
Ken

xathine

Purchased $50 in new decor today.

Cleaned them off, and put them in.

he seems a little less relaxed now, but still chasing them around

I don't want to re-house him, I've had him longer then any other fish in the tank!

Maybe I'll just have to upgrade tanks in a month or two when I have the money ><

aquarist48

Yeah!!!!! There is nothing like getting a new tank If that is what you decide to do, I suggest that you add him to the new tank last if you plan on him having roommates. Have fun and keep us posted.
Ken