jeidafei
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- Oct 31, 2018
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I started keeping tropical livebearers in a tank around two months ago. I now have (some died) 4 guppies (1 female, 3 males), two balloon mollies (pair), two mickey platies (pair) and a yellow moon platy. Let's call him Yellow.
Yellow is a big and pretty fellow, but I'm having trouble with him. At first I had another female of his kind, but she died in the first week when I accidentally dropped the filter machine on her (sorry T T!!!!). As of recently, I noticed that Yellow has started bullying the male mickey platy, who is much, much smaller than him. He's not actually pursuing the female; he just floats near to her and chases away the mickey violently when he tries to come near the female. And the usually darts-all-over-the-place-after-the-girl mickey became so scared he'd hide or avoid approaching them. I tried rearranging the decorations and temporarily isolating Yellow as some webs suggest and no better. I have no choice. I isolated Yellow permanently.
First I put him in a glass jar, and he went stir-crazy, swimming about violently and crashing at his own reflection. At first I thought it was because the jar is too thin and small, so I put him in a clear plastic box. Same thing happened. I thought he's lonely, so I brought the female mickey out to be his friend. The two of them stay very still, but after a while the female starts eating while Yellow butts head with the bowl.
I thought he's actually so violent he'd attack his own reflection. So yesterday I moved female back to the main tank and put Yellow in a large, opaque green bowl on my table. It works. He stopped butting head with the bowl, but now stays very still, hiding under plants and would not eat. He even jumped out once while I'm playing League of Legends (I think he's spooked out by the booms and bangs?).
I'm afraid he'll be stressed to death, but I can't move him back and have him harass the other fish either. I'm also beginning to suspect his bullying of causing the death of two other female guppies earlier, too. What should I do? Will he get better after he is used to his new bowl? Thank you!
Yellow is a big and pretty fellow, but I'm having trouble with him. At first I had another female of his kind, but she died in the first week when I accidentally dropped the filter machine on her (sorry T T!!!!). As of recently, I noticed that Yellow has started bullying the male mickey platy, who is much, much smaller than him. He's not actually pursuing the female; he just floats near to her and chases away the mickey violently when he tries to come near the female. And the usually darts-all-over-the-place-after-the-girl mickey became so scared he'd hide or avoid approaching them. I tried rearranging the decorations and temporarily isolating Yellow as some webs suggest and no better. I have no choice. I isolated Yellow permanently.
First I put him in a glass jar, and he went stir-crazy, swimming about violently and crashing at his own reflection. At first I thought it was because the jar is too thin and small, so I put him in a clear plastic box. Same thing happened. I thought he's lonely, so I brought the female mickey out to be his friend. The two of them stay very still, but after a while the female starts eating while Yellow butts head with the bowl.
I thought he's actually so violent he'd attack his own reflection. So yesterday I moved female back to the main tank and put Yellow in a large, opaque green bowl on my table. It works. He stopped butting head with the bowl, but now stays very still, hiding under plants and would not eat. He even jumped out once while I'm playing League of Legends (I think he's spooked out by the booms and bangs?).
I'm afraid he'll be stressed to death, but I can't move him back and have him harass the other fish either. I'm also beginning to suspect his bullying of causing the death of two other female guppies earlier, too. What should I do? Will he get better after he is used to his new bowl? Thank you!