my shark fish wont leave my electric blue jack dempseys alone

[Kaylab2021]

I have had my shark for nearly 2 years now and he's lived with all sorts of fish and always been calm and hardly ever chases anyone. I have just bought two small electric blue jack Dempsey's which were on the very thin side when I bought them from the pet shop (I wanted to rescue them and feed them up) since adding them to my tank my shark will not leave them alone and is constantly chasing them every time he sees them. The biggest of the jacks some times stands its ground and then the shark circles him until the jack shoots of then the chasing begins again. I have put the smallest jack in a breeders tank as its really skinny and I felt bad that it doesn't have enough energy to cope with sharky. Will this settle down? Are these to fish compatible? I really like these jacks and don't want to rehome them if i can help it. The tank is fully planted my waters are all fine done with a liquid test kit. Does any one have experience of keeping these two fish together?

 

[Ichthys]

No, it probably won’t “settle down”. The shark is territorial about its feeding area. Two fish have swum into its territory and won’t leave. Sharks are like that. Their territory tends to be the bottom half of the tank.

 

[Byron]

Can you give us the scientific name of the "shark," as there are several different fish commonly called sharks.

 

[Kaylab2021]

Its a rainbow shark

 

[Kaylab2021]

 

[Kaylab2021]

ITS A RAINBOW SHARKi

No, it probably won’t “settle down”. The shark is territorial about its feeding area. Two fish have swum into its territory and won’t leave. Sharks are like that. Their territory tends to be the bottom half of th

No, it probably won’t “settle down”. The shark is territorial about its feeding area. Two fish have swum into its territory and won’t leave. Sharks are like that. Their territory tends to be the bottom half of the tank.

If i was to take the shark out for a while and then put him back in would that settle this down?

 

[Kaylab2021]

He is in there with a blue gourami and he never bothers the gourami

 

[Byron]

Epalzeorhynchos frenatum is the species. This fish is sometimes more docile than some of its relatives, but it is still a trait of the genus that they are territorial. This fish can take a real dislike to certain upper fish, for reasons that are not understood, but it is a genetic trait that cannot be "trained." it is there and has to be accepted and worked around.

You have several "aggressive" fish in this tank, the rainbow, the blue gourami, and now the jack dempseys. The latter really should be re=homed/returned, as this is not going to play out well. This cichlid is not a community fish. It is best kept individually, or may be kept in a small group of 6 or more in a very large tank. Should not be kept in smaller groups due to their aggressiveness. As the fish matures it becomes increasing more territorially aggressive.

 

[GaryE]

Generally, a "shark" will tolerate many fish that don't claim territory on the bottom of a tank. But dempsies are Cichlids, and their home is along the bottom. Your gourami is interested in the higher reaches of the tank, so they could probably work things out, but the dempsies are competitors.

 

[Ichthys]

“If i was to take the shark out for a while and then put him back in would that settle this down?”

Probably not. You can’t make a territorial fish non-territorial.

 

[Kaylab2021]

So my only option is to rehome the jds then i really like these fish, i should of really looked into it first i did with the other fish i just thought with sharky been so calm with the others he would be fine. Theres loads of plants and hide aways so guessed they would hide out. But it is every time sharky sees the jds hes after them they do not get 5 seconds with out been chased again, like i say iv put smallest in a breeders tank inside the big tank coz hes to skinny to handle it all. My shops are all shut now and dont no there policy on taking back fish but dont really want to take them back were i got them as its not good there iv always known it as dying world

 

[Byron]

The shrk's aggression is one issue, but please understand that in time the Jack Dempsey's will be real terrors. I pointed this out previously, they are not community fish.

 

[Kaylab2021]

Right ok i will try and rehome them straight away, will the pet shop give me a refund?

 

[Byron]

Right ok i will try and rehome them straight away, will the pet shop give me a refund?

Some do, no idea on this one.

 

[Essjay]

Some shops give a refund; some give store credit, usually for less than you paid for the fish; others give you nothing. Some shops won't take them back at all, though if you can prove that the shop mis-sold the fish knowing that the tank was too small or has incompatible tank mates, you may be able to twist their arm on the grounds they should not have have sold them to you in the first place - but that's a long shot.