If you’ve noticed lately that you are having problems in your aquarium with some of your fish ganging up on other fish, you have a few options available to you to solve the problem.
First, consider what kinds of fish you have in your tank. If you have more aggressive fish, they can and will gang up on smaller and weaker fish if they have the opportunity. The same holds true if you have fish that are schoolers, but have them in groups smaller than three. Schooling fish need three or more of the same kind in order to behave better. If you don’t have the right numbers of fish, the more aggressive fish will seek out schoolers who are not properly grouped. Consider adjusting the numbers of your more docile fish to relieve the problem. If you have noticed that there is a group of fish picking on another, and if the aggressive fish are not schooling fish, remove one or more of them from the tank and see if that solves the problem.
You can also separate your troublemakers from the rest of your tank’s population by special partitions you can purchase. They are made in many different styles and sizes, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding the right one for your aquarium.
Finding the right balance of fish species can be a delicate equation. If you have too many fish in the tank, regardless of natural aggression tendencies, any fish can become a predator of other fish. Experts recommend that a tank should not hold more than one inch of fish, in length, per one gallon of water. So, taking that in mind, your twenty gallon tank should hold no more than twenty inches of fish (measured by length). The higher you are over that ratio, the more problems you can expect with your fish population. It is normal for fish to behave in this manner.
Are your fish hungry? If you are not feeding your fish enough, frequently enough, or are feeding your fish the wrong kind of food, you may be causing your fish to exhibit aggression. They may be ganging up on the other fish in your aquarium to prevent the others from eating any of their food source.
If you want to keep your fish healthy and happy, consider purchasing a quality guide to aquarium set ups. These reference books will give you the basic information you will need to provide your fish with a comfortable habitat. You can prevent your fish from ganging up on other fish in your aquarium.
