One Fish Picking On Other - Need Advice

[Carlisa]

The antiobiotics seem to be helping my sick rainbow albino shark, but the other rainbow albino is picking on him - biting his fins and chasing him into a corner of the tank. The sick rainbow stays in a plant to try to hide. These two fish have been together for almost 5 years, and there's been no problem until the first fish got sick.

I put the sick rainbow into a smaller tank as a temporary measure, but it is really too small a space for him and I need to do something quickly. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I could put something in the large tank to keep the two fish apart? (I only have three fish in a 30 gal. tank - the two rainbows and a dwarf algae eater.)

 

[johnatkin]

The only think I can suggest is a perspex sheet cut to size with holes drilled to allow water to filter through whole tank from both sides.

 

[Carlisa]

What is a perspex sheet and where could I buy it? Can it be cut with scissors or something else? Thanks.

 

[babybell911]

perspex is like plastic/ glass u'll need more than scissors to cut it like a hacksaw or something?

 

[Carlisa]

Wanted to provide an update - I called the local aquarium store and they carry a mesh tank divider that I bought and put in the tank.

In the hopes that this info might help someone else with the same problem, it is Lee's AQ2 Aquarium Divider System. While the package says it fits most 20H-gallon aquariums, it is really the actual dimensions, not the tank size per se that is important. The tank divider measures 12 inches wide by 16 inches tall (20.5 cm x 40.6 cm) and fits perfectly in my 30 gallon tank that is 12" x 18" - because the gravel at the bottom takes up about 1.5" and the water level does not go all the way to the top (of course). It has clips that keep it in place, and side rails that keep it rigid. It says that you may need to use aquarium silicone to secure it, but so far my little bully hasn't figured out how to get through and may not be strong enough anyway. He seems pretty frustrated, but he deserves to be separated for picking on the sick one.

I want to thank those who responded to my original question - if I didn't find this solution I was going to try the plastic sheet with the holes drilled in it.

 

[WILDER]

Glad you bought something, lfs sell a range of tank dividers, its quite normal and not nice i know but alot of fish can turn on sick fish, hope he gets well, good luck.