You’ve set up your aquarium and filled it with fish you love, but now you have a bunch of fighting fish. What should you do?
When you set your tank up, did you research the kinds of fish you placed in it? If not, you may now be paying the price by watching your fish fight. Most community fish don’t generally show signs of aggression toward others. If you have fish that are more aggressive and want to keep them in the same tank as the rest of your fish, consider getting a special partition to keep the more aggressive fish away from the less aggressive. This is the easiest and fastest way to solve the problem, once you notice it. The partitions come in a variety of sizes and styles, so look around to find the one that suits your needs.
How many fish are in your tank? Aquarium experts recommend no more than one inch of fish per one gallon of water. That said, can you roughly determine what your ratio is? If you have too many fish for your tank, the larger and more aggressive fish will seek out the weaker and less aggressive fish and fight with them in hopes of killing them. This behavior is part of natural selection and is natural for fish. They want to preserve their own position in their environment. Your two options at this point are to start up another tank for excess fish or find a home for those you don’t wish to keep.
Some types of fish are predisposed to fighting. It may be the breed of fish or the personality of the fish. If you do not have overcrowding in your tank, watch which fish are fighting on a regular basis. If there is one guilty fish, separate him from the rest. Your problem may be a group of fish, and if that is the case, separate them all from those they are fighting with. If you are still having problems, remove the aggressive fish to another aquarium. If you have fish that are known for aggression and fighting, you should do all you can to protect the more docile fish.
Fish, just like all creatures, can be extremely territorial. Are there plenty of hiding places for fish in your tank? Providing more territorial fish with a place they can spend their time and establish as their own may quell the problems you’ve been having.
Solving the problem of fighting fish can be as easy as the removal of one fish from your population. Look into your options and read up on the topic to best serve your pets.
