My husband recently bought 4 fish for my daughters 5 gallon tank. I was not with him so I really am not sure what type of fish he bought nor does he remember. He went to one of the tanks and just picked out the ones he thought my daughter would like the best.
I'm thinking that 2 of them are sailfin mollies just because I know the store carries those. They have a similar body with blood red bottom fins (I don't know all the terms guys so please bear with me) A bright blue and red fin at the "butt" LOL and then a top fin that is also the blue and red color. The body of them are a brownish color. When they open up and spread the fins out they do look awesome!!!
More to the point, the other day I had to take the smaller of the two who only has one eye out of the tank because the larger one kept "nipping" at it. It was getting to the point where the "bully" would not leave the other alone for a second.
When the one eye would run though it kept getting stuck to the filter.(Continued)
2007-02-19 09:09:48 · 10 answers · asked by roo_1683 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
I took one eye out and kept him/her in a bowl and every hour or so would exchange the water for new so that I knew he/she had oxygen still. The fish acted normal while it was in the bowl but would run from bully and get stuck once again to the filter if I tried to put it back in the tank. Before when we had fish when they would get stuck like that it meant they were going to die.
We got the idea last night to develop a way to temporarly keep one eye and bully apart for the night so that one eye could get back in the regular tank but keep away from the filter. This morning one eye seemed fine in his little isolation area but he/she and bully were swimming like crazy right next to each other and spreading the front gills forward . Is this some sort of mating thing or is something else going on with them??? Bully searched all day yesterday for One Eye going in the castle that One Eye loves but Bully never used before and such.
2007-02-19 09:15:02 · update #1
I asked hubby and he said he got all the fish from the same tank at the store. So they are not bettas. I'm going to post a picture of them and see if maybe a fish forum or something might be able to tell me what type of fish they are. Other wish I have to take almost an hour drive just to see what types they are. I'll try this first and if it doesn't work I'll go back to the store and find out.I'll keep you posted...
2007-02-20 06:11:35 · update #2
From the description of the coloring, big fins, flaring and aggressive behavior, I would say you have bettas. As a general beginners rule, bettas should not be kept together. They are better off being kept apart for good, most especially if they are both males. Everyone needs to do their research before buying any pet, including fish. I do believe that you need to go back to the pet store and make them tell you as much as they can about what they sold you. A responsible pet store wouldn't have let you out of the store if they got any clue that you were a beginner. If you got these fish from the big PetSmaCo or WallyWorld stores, I would take what they say with a grain of salt. I would suggest, instead, going to a little fish store that specializes in keeping only fish and are clearly informed and experienced. Do as much research on your own as you can too so that you can learn how to take care of these fish so that they are healthy and happy.
2007-02-19 12:51:11 · answer #1 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From the description, I tend to believe you got yourself some african cichlids. Prolly a hap or peacock type. If this is the case, you MUST bring them all back. These fish need a way bigger tank to coexist. Hard too really tell without a pic, but they are common in fish stores. I dont do bettas, but never seen one with a brownish body. I do african cichlids, and a young peacock or haplichromis, shows the exact coloring you speak of as they are maturing. If this is what you have, I recommend a 55g as the smallest tank. Sorry, 5-6 Neons for a 5g tank is all I would try.
2007-02-20 11:49:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like you have bettas. Ask your husband if they were in the same tank together at the pet store. Pet stores will have bettas in seperate tanks or individual bowls. If they are bettas they can't be kept together and you should take one back. If they are some other type of fish you can get some plastic plants or decorations to give one eye a place to hide.Good luck!
2007-02-19 09:57:24 · answer #3 · answered by james 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I urge you to have your husband go back to the fish store with some questions and a notepad. If the fish store he went to is reputable they will help him stock your daughter's tank with good looking fish that are compatible. Keeping fish doesn't have to involve lots of work, but you should at least keep species that are peaceful around each other. Too many beginning aquarists just go to the store and have no idea what it is they're bringing home. Have someone knowledgeable help you out and that little fish tank will be awesome!
2007-02-19 09:18:03 · answer #4 · answered by kaputt_18 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some fish are territorial and in a small tank there isn't much room to be territorial.
You would find a larger tank, 30 gal, would be easier to maintain and the fish less combatant.
Of course you may have bought Betas, who fight during mating.
2007-02-19 09:22:08 · answer #5 · answered by Overt Operative 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is the fish, perhaps, a betta fish? I'd recommend looking at photos of these fish, as it could explain the "bully" behavior.
Because in that size of a tank, betta fish will NOT get along well together.
2007-02-19 09:18:49 · answer #6 · answered by jillianlily 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yep, a return trip to the pet store is certainly in order. You need to find out what these fish are exactly and then you can make more informed decisions on the keeping or not keeping of some of them. Come back wih the names and we can help much more.
MM
2007-02-19 10:35:16 · answer #7 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
wolfie, installation question being its Friday throughout the time of Lent. besides, i am going to bypass Fish Burger---2 for $3 Filet-o-fish sandwiches at some position that starts with an "M" and leads to an "s." supply me a fish burger heavy on the tartar sauce and that i'm solid.
2016-12-04 09:34:36 · answer #8 · answered by miracle 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they are probably fighting because they don't have enough "personal space" :) If they 2 are mollies, they can grow to 5 inches and would be best in a 10 gallon tank or bigger to have enough "room"
2007-02-19 09:54:48 · answer #9 · answered by to be announced 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm no fish expert but i think u should keep them apart
2007-02-19 10:59:29 · answer #10 · answered by fiesty 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋