Tank Aggression: Do you separate?

[pseuro]

Yesterday I noticed one of my juvies getting beat up badly and he looked helpless out there. It was strange it looked like he just gave up and accepted his fate? There are plenty of spaces for him to swim away or hide but he decides to go back into the territorial areas and get attacked again. Shortly after it looked like he was unable to swim and started to sit on the sand. This is when I separated the fish as I noticed something was wrong.

Maybe I was late as he didn't make it by today. He still had an appetite and no stringy poop so it doesn't seem like a bloat issue. Perhaps nature is just taking it's course? Obviously growing out a tank of juvies i'm expecting to lose a few. 

Do you separate fish when they are injured from tank aggression? 

[...]

I would sometimes separate the aggressor for a few days into a fry net or some other floating penitentiary...let him (usually a male) lose his place in the hierachy b4 reintroducing. The problem with removing a fish altogether is that when you add it back in gets attacked all over again as it re-enters the group as the lowest in the pecking order...

[jkdjedi]

Sept 11, 2017 21:47:10 GMT -5 pseuro said:

Yesterday I noticed one of my juvies getting beat up badly and he looked helpless out there. It was strange it looked like he just gave up and accepted his fate? There are plenty of spaces for him to swim away or hide but he decides to go back into the territorial areas and get attacked again. Shortly after it looked like he was unable to swim and started to sit on the sand. This is when I separated the fish as I noticed something was wrong.

Maybe I was late as he didn't make it by today. He still had an appetite and no stringy poop so it doesn't seem like a bloat issue. Perhaps nature is just taking it's course? Obviously growing out a tank of juvies i'm expecting to lose a few. 

Do you separate fish when they are injured from tank aggression? 

I've done it a couple of times for females that hold and maybe a battered soul but they just get picked on right away when you add them back, the more the merrier holds true if you don't want to lose that many. You always do lose some though no matter what sometimes. I've had better luck with numbers in a tank. Especially in the beginning of my Tropheus journey, with some sound advise and experience I've managed to earn a Tropheus Thumb. how many juvies do you have and what size tank are they in?

[pseuro]

Sept 16, 2017 3:06:58 GMT -5 jkdjedi said:

I've done it a couple of times for females that hold and maybe a battered soul but they just get picked on right away when you add them back, the more the merrier holds true if you don't want to lose that many. You always do lose some though no matter what sometimes. I've had better luck with numbers in a tank. Especially in the beginning of my Tropheus journey, with some sound advise and experience I've managed to earn a Tropheus Thumb. how many juvies do you have and what size tank are they in?

Yeah I've read many stories about the same fish getting bullied after separating and re-introducing, which was why I was hoping they'll just sort themselves out. But I guess sometimes nature does it's thing and that's just how it is. Currently I have 32 juvies in a 48x18x18 250litre/67gallon tank

[...]

Like I mentioned above, sometimes separating the aggressor from the rest of the group works as well. Pull him out, let the bullied fish recover fully, then add the aggressor back. He will almost always be strong enough to handle being reintroduced, and will be too busy trying to reestablish himself to bother the bullied fish...in theory...but I have experienced this working on several occasions over 10 yrs of troph keeping as well...every now and then a rouge male just needs to be removed permanently for the overall health and safety of the group...

[pseuro]

Sept 16, 2017 11:41:46 GMT -5 ... said:

Like I mentioned above, sometimes separating the aggressor from the rest of the group works as well. Pull him out, let the bullied fish recover fully, then add the aggressor back. He will almost always be strong enough to handle being reintroduced, and will be too busy trying to reestablish himself to bother the bullied fish...in theory...but I have experienced this working on several occasions over 10 yrs of troph keeping as well...every now and then a rouge male just needs to be removed permanently for the overall health and safety of the group...

Thanks Danny! Yep noted about potentially separating the aggressor. After that one incident above, the tank is nice and peaceful so far, everyone minding their own business just grazing algae. All good so far!

[jkdjedi]

Sept 16, 2017 10:19:17 GMT -5 pseuro said:

Sept 16, 2017 3:06:58 GMT -5 jkdjedi said:

I've done it a couple of times for females that hold and maybe a battered soul but they just get picked on right away when you add them back, the more the merrier holds true if you don't want to lose that many. You always do lose some though no matter what sometimes. I've had better luck with numbers in a tank. Especially in the beginning of my Tropheus journey, with some sound advise and experience I've managed to earn a Tropheus Thumb. how many juvies do you have and what size tank are they in?

Yeah I've read many stories about the same fish getting bullied after separating and re-introducing, which was why I was hoping they'll just sort themselves out. But I guess sometimes nature does it's thing and that's just how it is. Currently I have 32 juvies in a 48x18x18 250litre/67gallon tank

That's plenty for that size tank, Hows your rock arraignment?