small fish eating large one

fhapgood · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 3

For the last several years I had two GF in a 50 gallon tank -- both
were feeders I bought
when they were small, and both grew to a nice size. One had the most
beautiful fins,
white and long and lacy. Recently the other fish died and I replaced
it with another
small feeder. Of course my fear was that the large fish would eat the
small one, but
the small fish hid in the plants for several days, eventually getting
large enough
or confident enough to swim around freely.

Now I see to my dismay that the small fish is eating up the fins of
the big one. I hate
the idea of disposing of the small fish and I hate the idea of letting
nature take its
course and I don't really have the room to set up a whole new tank so
I can separate
the fish. But those are my options, I guess. Any suggestions??

Archived from group: rec>aquaria>freshwater>goldfish

fhapgood · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 3

Let me add some more history, just to see if it sparks a response.

Like I say, I kept these two GF, both on the order of 7-8" in a 50
gallon tank. I swap out 5 gallons a day, every day. My filter isn't
much, but I figure
given I am adding clean water at a pretty fair rate I don't need the
best in the crowd.

About a year out of nowhere I started getting some kind of growth in
the tank. It's like a brown algae, which I guess means it might be a
fungus, though in fact I think I have read that there are brown algae
-- they carry enough brown pigment to overpower the chlorophyll.
That's what it looks like, but it doesn't seem like the fish are
eating it. After a year or so one of the big fish died. Perhaps there
was a connection -- I think the GF fish were about ten years old,
which might be getting on for a GF or it might be the first blush oif
adolescence, I dunno. After the first fish died I noticed that the
second started to look "old" -- slow and lethargic and quiet. It sits
on the bottom of the tank a lot doing nothing, which it didn't use to
do. Perhaps it is getting old or perhaps the brown algae killed the
first fish and is now burdening the survivor. On the other hand the
feeder fish I just got, the fin eater, could
not have been livelier.

Any of this ring a bell with anyone??

dr-solo · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1445

you broke a cardinal rule. never add new fish to old tank without quarantine.
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/care/care2.htm#quarantine%20new%20fish

you need to check your water parameters. nitrates are probably way high.
start changing out 15 gallons every day. add salt to the tank.
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/disease/treatment/trtmnt.htm#salt

the brown stuff is diatoms. completely harmless altho some nice green algae would be
better. need better light.

what are you feeding? get some freeze dried krill or daphnia and just feed a pinch
at a time. Ingrid

fhapgood wrote:
Now I see to my dismay that the small fish is eating up the fins of
the big one.
I kept these two GF, both on the order of 7-8" in a 50
>gallon tank. I swap out 5 gallons a day, every day. My filter isn't
>much,
>About a year out of nowhere I started getting some kind of growth in
>the tank. It's like a brown algae, which I guess means it might be a
>fungus, though in fact I think I have read that there are brown algae
>-- they carry enough brown pigment to overpower the chlorophyll.
>That's what it looks like, but it doesn't seem like the fish are
>eating it. After a year or so one of the big fish died. Perhaps there
>was a connection -- I think the GF fish were about ten years old,
>which might be getting on for a GF or it might be the first blush oif
>adolescence, I dunno. After the first fish died I noticed that the
>second started to look "old" -- slow and lethargic and quiet. It sits
>on the bottom of the tank a lot doing nothing, which it didn't use to
>do. Perhaps it is getting old or perhaps the brown algae killed the
>first fish and is now burdening the survivor. On the other hand the
>feeder fish I just got, the fin eater, could
>not have been livelier.
>
>Any of this ring a bell with anyone??

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Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

fhapgood · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 3

On May 3, 7:44 am, dr-s...@wi.rr.xx.com wrote:
> you broke a cardinal rule. never add new fish to old tank without quarantine.

I don't understand the connection with what I wrote. How would a
quarantine have prevented the small fish from eating the fins of the
larger??

> you need to check your water parameters. nitrates are probably way high.

Again, I'm missing the connection. Are you saying that high nitrates
stimulate fin eating??? That's amazing. But I'm probably
misunderstanding
you somewhere.

dr-solo · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1445

one GF doesnt just eat the fins of another GF. the fish being picked at has to be
diseased. new fish bring in disease, give the disease to fish already in the tank.

high nitrates leads to fin erosion, so the fins are eroded, not eaten.

Ingrid

fhapgood wrote:

>On May 3, 7:44 am, dr-s...@wi.rr.xx.com wrote:
>> you broke a cardinal rule. never add new fish to old tank without quarantine.
>
>I don't understand the connection with what I wrote. How would a
>quarantine have prevented the small fish from eating the fins of the
>larger??
>
>> you need to check your water parameters. nitrates are probably way high.
>
>Again, I'm missing the connection. Are you saying that high nitrates
>stimulate fin eating??? That's amazing. But I'm probably
>misunderstanding
>you somewhere.
>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?hl=en&q=puregold&qt_s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

swarvegorilla · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 235

The brown algae is harmless diamtoeous algae.
You need to put a filter in there to process ammonia and nitrite.
If you cannot give the fish water free of ammonia and nitrite they will die.
Get one of those air powered sponge filters, the round black ones with a
weighted base.
Once cycled they are good bio.
If it really is a the fish eating fins, feed them more.
but odds are espec with the 'new tank syndrome' algae blooms and
deaths/behaviour.
You are keeping it too clean.
Grow some filter bacteria!!!!

"fhapgood" wrote in message @e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> Let me add some more history, just to see if it sparks a response.
>
> Like I say, I kept these two GF, both on the order of 7-8" in a 50
> gallon tank. I swap out 5 gallons a day, every day. My filter isn't
> much, but I figure
> given I am adding clean water at a pretty fair rate I don't need the
> best in the crowd.
>
> About a year out of nowhere I started getting some kind of growth in
> the tank. It's like a brown algae, which I guess means it might be a
> fungus, though in fact I think I have read that there are brown algae
> -- they carry enough brown pigment to overpower the chlorophyll.
> That's what it looks like, but it doesn't seem like the fish are
> eating it. After a year or so one of the big fish died. Perhaps there
> was a connection -- I think the GF fish were about ten years old,
> which might be getting on for a GF or it might be the first blush oif
> adolescence, I dunno. After the first fish died I noticed that the
> second started to look "old" -- slow and lethargic and quiet. It sits
> on the bottom of the tank a lot doing nothing, which it didn't use to
> do. Perhaps it is getting old or perhaps the brown algae killed the
> first fish and is now burdening the survivor. On the other hand the
> feeder fish I just got, the fin eater, could
> not have been livelier.
>
> Any of this ring a bell with anyone??
>