Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: DestinyDaniella on December 12, 2016, 09:59:57 PM
-
We have recently added 3 Madagascan rainbow fish into our tropical tank. They seem to be absolutely fine with the mollies however, they chase and bully the tetras and guppies we have!? I have read that rainbow fish are good social fish and get on well with most species, so I am concerned that the tetras and/or guppies will get stressed out. Do I need to take out the rainbow fish? Help!
-
I think it might be that the smaller fish look too much like a potential snack to the much larger rainbow fish... the community creator certainly warns against mixing them. That said, I've seen them kept together before... anyone with more experience out there?
-
I don't have any direct experience of these fish, but they are ones that I am considering in a future tank.
It's often worth looking at a few sites to use a sort of average of all the advice given. Seriously fish say that they should be kept in groups of 8 - 10, so perhaps that is part of the problem, or it could be just the size difference between the fish, or they might need some more room.
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/bedotia-madagascarensis
Sorry I can't be of more help, but hopefully some of the more experienced keepers will be able to help.
-
Hi and welcome to the forum :wave:
I don't have direct experience of rainbow fish either. However, if you let us know what sort of size of tank you have and how many tetras, guppies and mollies you have in it (and any other tankmates besides the 3 rainbow fish), and whether all the tetras are of the same specific species and if so which, this might help us to advise better.
It might be that the tetras would feel safer and less prone to being bullied if they were in larger numbers, for example. Some fish also chase those with elaborate fins such as guppies, although I haven't checked the species profile to see if rainbow fish are prone to doing this. However, if we know what the size of the tank is, we might be able to advise on whether or not increasing the numbers of any of them might be an option to mitigate the rainbow fishes' behaviour.
Sorry I can't be of any more help just now but hopefully others will be able to help / advise in due course.
-
PS. to my previous post:
Looking at this species profile for the Madagascar rainbow fish http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/bedotia-madagascarensis/, it looks as though it needs to be kept in a group of 8-10+ too, so that may be a factor if the 3 you bought are the only 3. Provided that the tank you have is at least 4 foot in length, then buying more may be the route to go, in addition to increasing the size of the shoals for the other fish if need be.
However, the Madagascar rainbow fish are / will become a lot bigger than the tetras, guppies and mollies, and I'd be concerned about whether they might be capable of eating them when they get larger - any fish generally eats any tankmates that are small enough to fit in their mouths.
For the above reason, and/or if your tank is smaller than 4 foot and so it wouldn't be feasible to increase the size of the shoal, and particularly if this bullying is still continuing, I'd be inclined to give them away (or get a 4-foot tank specifically for them and fish their ultimate size if you're in a position to do so). If the pet/aquatic shop can't take them back, then aquarist-classifieds.co.uk is a good option.
Hope that helps.