EMERGENCY!!

[Karen_2656]

I have 12 fish in a 20 gallon tank
My fish are:
2 dwarf gouramis
2 male swordtails
2 female swordtails
2 male guppies
4 panda catfish
My gouramis are like the boss of the tank, they keep biting any fish in its path! Especially the guppies,
The swordtail male fish keeps annoying the female chasing her around everywhere any advice ?? The female is also pregnant,
Now the strange part is that my Female swordtail who is pregnant keeps being chased by the two male guppies, sometimes the swordtail male will get them away but not all the time! Catfish are fine just any advice on my fish??

 

[Demeter32]

Gourami can be aggressive towards smaller and more active fish (guppies). Male live bearers will try to breed with anything that moves, that's just how they are. Ideally you either want a single gender or at least 3 females to every male. 20gals is a little on the small size for sword tails and I don't think you have enough room for more fish as it.

I think you need to make a decision on what fish to to keep. If one of the 2 gourami is less aggressive, then keep him/her and remove the other one. If they are both aggressive them rehome them both or you can try adding a bunch of tall plastic plants to break the line of sight and add more hiding places.

As for the sword tails it might be best to return them all or at least the females (trust me, you don't want to deal with hundreds of fry). You can then up the number of male guppies and the panda corries to 6 (they like friends).

 

[Byron]

What you are seeing here is basically the natural behaviours of the respective species. I'll explain.

First on the swordtails...like all livebearers, males will drive the females continually in efforts to breed. This is why in an aquarium you must have either all males, or a ratio of more females to male(s). One male with two or three (better) females, two males with four or five females, etc. Now, added to this is the small size of a 20 gallon tank; this is simply not sufficient room for any swordtail, a fish that will reach 4-5 inches, and maybe 6 inches. Scientific studies have proven that when the aquarium size is restricting (from the fish's perspective), aggressive behaviours will bee heightened, so what I explained about male/female only gets worse in small tanks. If this 20g is your only tan, you should return the swordtails before the females are dead, and the males in this small a space will have further issues.

The activity of the male guppy is related to the male/female issue. It is common for males of most livebearers to be interested in females of other species of livebearers. The same action, removing the swordtails, will deal with this obviously.

Gourami. Male gourami are territorial; this has varying degrees depending upon the species, and also upon individual fish within a species. Gourami are sedate fish by nature. They do not appreciate active fish around them, so these guppies make them "nervous." Again, aggression is just about the only way a fish can respond to such frustration. But here again, individual fish can have differing temperaments too, so different gourami may react differently to this.

Byron.

 

[Karen_2656]

Gourami can be aggressive towards smaller and more active fish (guppies). Male live bearers will try to breed with anything that moves, that's just how they are. Ideally you either want a single gender or at least 3 females to every male. 20gals is a little on the small size for sword tails and I don't think you have enough room for more fish as it.

I think you need to make a decision on what fish to to keep. If one of the 2 gourami is less aggressive, then keep him/her and remove the other one. If they are both aggressive them rehome them both or you can try adding a bunch of tall plastic plants to break the line of sight and add more hiding places.

As for the sword tails it might be best to return them all or at least the females (trust me, you don't want to deal with hundreds of fry). You can then up the number of male guppies and the panda corries to 6 (they like friends).

Thanks! I do have a 90 gallon tank aswell so maybe they can go in there! Defo rehomeing the gouramis!

 

[Byron]

Thanks! I do have a 90 gallon tank aswell so maybe they can go in there! Defo rehomeing the gouramis!

I see Demeter32 posted a second after I posted, we were typing at the same time without knowing. Anyway, we're on the same page. And I second his comment about the fry...in the larger tank you will need more females to maintain that ratio, but this means monthly batches of fry that will soon be in thee hundreds. This will be problematical.

 

[Karen_2656]

I see Demeter32 posted a second after I posted, we were typing at the same time without knowing. Anyway, we're on the same page. And I second his comment about the fry...in the larger tank you will need more females to maintain that ratio, but this means monthly batches of fry that will soon be in thee hundreds. This will be problematical.

Yes I do have a 90 gallon tank running! Would it be okay to move the swordtails to there or do I still need to send them back??

 

[Karen_2656]

I see Demeter32 posted a second after I posted, we were typing at the same time without knowing. Anyway, we're on the same page. And I second his comment about the fry...in the larger tank you will need more females to maintain that ratio, but this means monthly batches of fry that will soon be in thee hundreds. This will be problematical.

I also have a breeding tank! I do love my swordtails but if it means sending them back so they can live that's fine!

 

[Karen_2656]

Thanks! I do have a 90 gallon tank aswell so maybe they can go in there! Defo rehomeing the gouramis!

That's fine I can buy more females, I'm not worried about the frys I can put them in a breeding tank! I love little fish, I can handle it I have 12 tanks! I can keep them living!!

 

[Byron]

One thing we have not touched on yet is water parameters. Swordtails like all livebearers require moderately hard or harder water, with a GH above roughly 10 dGH (180 ppm or preferably higher) and a pH above 7 (i.e., basic). You should check the parameters of your source water (you should be able to find this data on the water authority's website).

Assuming for the moment that the water parameters are adequate for swordtails, you could house them in the 90g and acquire three or four more females (not males), so you would then have two males and five or six females. With lots of floating plants and decor to break up the space, this could work. Keep in mind though that this means hundreds of fry every month, and that believe me is a real problem if you have no plan to deal with them; they need tank space to grow properly, and after the first hundred tasking a few months...what then? And what are you going to do with all these swordtails? To avoid this, return the females and put the males in the 90g, and get a few more males or males of other livebearers. And some other fish, not livebearers, may be possible too, once we know the parameters. Of course if you have soft water, swordtails will not be healthy from day one and different fish need to be chosen.

Byron.

 

[Karen_2656]

One thing we have not touched on yet is water parameters. Swordtails like all livebearers require moderately hard or harder water, with a GH above roughly 10 dGH (180 ppm or preferably higher) and a pH above 7 (i.e., basic). You should check the parameters of your source water (you should be able to find this data on the water authority's website).

Assuming for the moment that the water parameters are adequate for swordtails, you could house them in the 90g and acquire three or four more females (not males), so you would then have two males and five or six females. With lots of floating plants and decor to break up the space, this could work. Keep in mind though that this means hundreds of fry every month, and that believe me is a real problem if you have no plan to deal with them; they need tank space to grow properly, and after the first hundred tasking a few months...what then? And what are you going to do with all these swordtails? To avoid this, return the females and put the males in the 90g, and get a few more males or males of other livebearers. And some other fish, not livebearers, may be possible too, once we know the parameters. Of course if you have soft water, swordtails will not be healthy from day one and different fish need to be chosen.

Byron.

Oki! I have checked the water, its correct for the swordtails! I am thinking of taking the females back tomorrow! Thanks for all your help!