What to Do with This FISH !

Updated on November 03, 2012
S.D. asks from Peoria, AZ
13 answers

My daughter has a fish tank and about 7 fish. One fish keeps eating and killing other fish and we keep going out and replacing them. It is more agressive then the semi agressive fish in the tank. We have replaced 8 fish in the last 9 months. Do you think it is bad to just flush this one down and be done with it ? He is isolated now from the fish in container but now not eating and being happy. What would you do with this fish ?

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So What Happened?

He is a rainbow shark and we did research prior this journey. But apparently not all Semi aggressive fish are just semi aggressive. When they get bigger over time, they bully and become more aggressive, but the other semi aggressive fish are suppose to handle it. We did have two of its kind as we were told , but ended up eating that fish too ! UGH . The pet store here will not take it as it could carry a disease ???? Or have something to contaminate their fish tanks...IDK, we have a fresh water lake a few miles out and thought of releasing him there.......

Featured Answers

D.B.

answers from Boston on

Fish stores will often take a donated fish and put it in the aquarium with other similar fish. Sounds like you got some bad advice about "community" fish vs. aggressive fish. In the short run, you can isolate one part of the tank from the other with a mesh screen - water and oxygen flow easily but no more death and destruction!

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More Answers

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

You have to research which fish you can actually pair together. You also have to research how many fish per gallon you can safely home in a tank. Stop replacing fish until you've done your research.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Stop replacing the fish he kills and just keep him until he dies of old age.

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T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Talk to the people at the fish store.
Whenever you own pets (even bottom of the food chain pets like feeder fish) it's a good, and humane, idea to know exactly what you're dealing with.

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T.K.

answers from Dallas on

Cage Match! Buy another aggressive fish and let them fight to the death. Juuuust kidding.

I would ask the pet store if there are other types of fish that he can coexist with peacefully and put them in a seperate tank.

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

What kind of fish is it? That would be helpful to know.
If it happens to be a betta, they are very aggressive, but there ARE fish that can live with them... ask at the pet store.

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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I think you need to find out what kind of fish it is so you can determine what type/size of fish it will be compatible. It may very well need to be the smallest fish in the tank.

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V.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Ask a pet store what fish would be compatible with him, find a new home for him (Not in the drain), or just keep him alone in the tank until he passes on.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

When I was a kid, we had a friend give us a gorgeous fish tank as he upgraded. He only gave us one fish.

Well, feeling he might be lonely, we got a bunch of other fish. The next morning, there wasn't another fish in the tank.

He was a Jack Dempsey. He ate all the other fish. It was a little detail our friend didn't tell us.

See if you can sell him to a pet store or a private owner. The one fish will have to go unless you intend to continue to purchase it "feeder" fish.

Best wishes.

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J.K.

answers from Sacramento on

I think if you're going to have pets you have to do your research... and I do consider fish pets. It would be helpful to know what kind of fish it is to be able to give any kind of advice about keeping him. But I am not an advocate for flushing a fish just because you don't particularly like it. Some fish can not live with other fish easily because they are aggressive and carnivorous, but it isn't to say that it must live by itself. For instance goldfish are known to be mostly able to only live with other goldfish... anything else that is small enough to fit it it's mouth it will eat.

Stop replacing fish and do some homework, or give it to someone who will care for it properly.

After reading your SWH, do the research yourself. Who ever you're talking to doesn't know much about fish if they told you two rainbow sharks could live in the same tank. They are aggressive fish toward each other. You don't mention how big the tank is, but these fish need room to swim and to hide. If it's less than 30 gallons it is sure to become more aggressive. Releasing it into the lake will be just as bad as flushing it imo... it's not likely to survive there.

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S.T.

answers from Houston on

Bag him up, and give him to a pet store!

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L.F.

answers from San Francisco on

Take him back to the fish store and ask to exchange him for another who isn't so aggressive :)

S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

The store where we buy our fish lets us trade in fish. I would find a place that does this.

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