Synodontis Catfish fighting?

[Ross Vandegrift]

Hello everyone,

I recently moved my 40 gallon planted tank to a new apartment. The move
is mostly complete (I left my SAE's with my parents - too wily to
capture from their tank).

I have three synodontis catfish that are between four and six inches.
Previous to the move, the three got along well. One was always larger
then the other two.

After the move, I noticed that one of the smaller ones has grown to be
closer to the bigger one. Now they fight a lot! One of the two looks
like it's breathing is stressed, and his dorsal fin is usually clamed.
The two will fight for hours at a time, and I'm a bit worried.

My tank has a large piece of driftwood, with lots of niches to hide, and
a rock that I use to make a cave with the driftwood. It was far more
heavilty planted before, and will be soon, but the plants were cut
pretty far back for the move.

Should I be worried about them? I've always heard that they are
normally fish that do well in groups - is that correct?


--
Ross Vandegrift

"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians
have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine
man in the bonds of Hell."
--St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37

[NetMax]

"Ross Vandegrift" > wrote in message
...
> Hello everyone,
>
> I recently moved my 40 gallon planted tank to a new apartment. The move
> is mostly complete (I left my SAE's with my parents - too wily to
> capture from their tank).
>
> I have three synodontis catfish that are between four and six inches.
> Previous to the move, the three got along well. One was always larger
> then the other two.
>
> After the move, I noticed that one of the smaller ones has grown to be
> closer to the bigger one. Now they fight a lot! One of the two looks
> like it's breathing is stressed, and his dorsal fin is usually clamed.
> The two will fight for hours at a time, and I'm a bit worried.
>
> My tank has a large piece of driftwood, with lots of niches to hide, and
> a rock that I use to make a cave with the driftwood. It was far more
> heavilty planted before, and will be soon, but the plants were cut
> pretty far back for the move.
>
> Should I be worried about them? I've always heard that they are
> normally fish that do well in groups - is that correct?
>
>
> --
> Ross Vandegrift


Hi Ross, do you have another tank to be able to separate them? I suspect
that they are past the point where a few extra plants and driftwood will
solve their problem. Most of these cats are actually quite territorial,
either protecting their feeding ground or for holding spawning territory.
The smaller male(?) might not have been a threat before, but the jump in
size has changed the situation.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Ross Vandegrift]

On 2005-09-19, NetMax > wrote:
> Hi Ross, do you have another tank to be able to separate them? I suspect
> that they are past the point where a few extra plants and driftwood will
> solve their problem. Most of these cats are actually quite territorial,
> either protecting their feeding ground or for holding spawning territory.
> The smaller male(?) might not have been a threat before, but the jump in
> size has changed the situation.


Ah, I'm sad to hear that. It was so nice when they all got along.
Their fins are so fantastic! Feeding time was a fabulous with those
three ::-)

I don't have another tank here at my new apartment, and don't really
have the ability to set one up, but there's another tank at my parents
house I could move one of the two into. There's a full-grown bushynose
pleco in there - do you think they'll be ok together?


--
Ross Vandegrift

"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians
have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine
man in the bonds of Hell."
--St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37

[NetMax]

"Ross Vandegrift" > wrote in message
...
> On 2005-09-19, NetMax > wrote:
>> Hi Ross, do you have another tank to be able to separate them? I suspect
>> that they are past the point where a few extra plants and driftwood will
>> solve their problem. Most of these cats are actually quite territorial,
>> either protecting their feeding ground or for holding spawning territory.
>> The smaller male(?) might not have been a threat before, but the jump in
>> size has changed the situation.
>
>
> Ah, I'm sad to hear that. It was so nice when they all got along.
> Their fins are so fantastic! Feeding time was a fabulous with those
> three ::-)
>
> I don't have another tank here at my new apartment, and don't really
> have the ability to set one up, but there's another tank at my parents
> house I could move one of the two into. There's a full-grown bushynose
> pleco in there - do you think they'll be ok together?
>
>
> --
> Ross Vandegrift


I think that Synos and Ancistrus are far enough apart (behaviourally) that
they would get along, though the Bushynose might do some entertaining
posturing for a while (which the Syno will probably just ignore ;~). That's
my guess.
--
www.NetMax.tk