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Re: American Flag Fish

> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 21:53:01 -0400
> From: nwwise01 at netzero_net
> Subject: American Flag Fish
> 
> I recently purchased an American-Flag Fish and (as expected, I suppuse)
> he is quite aggressive (I can't get females around here).  But anyway,
> what I was wondering is: are there ways of cutting down on their mean
> behavior?  Should I have more than one?  I have a 55 gallon, medium to
> heavy planting.  He's really tearing up some of my slower moving fish!
> 
> Nick Wise
> 

Pupfish have considerable individual differences, as we have learned here.
They can be fairly territorial, but usually worst during active breeding. 

OTOH, I have had a pair spawning all over the floating plants in a community
55G tank with no attention paid to the other fish. In deeper tanks they
don't build nests and guard them as they do in shallow water, so
territoriality seems to vanish. They only had eyes for each other, and
slow-moving fish were left completely alone.

I'm beginning to suspect that keeping one individual can be a worst-case
scenario, too. I have an old female pupfish (another similar species) that
rules a 55G tank with mostly big fish (SAEs, Clown Loaches). Twice I
introduced pairs of large, aggressive killies (grown *Callopanchax*) into
that tank, only to have them disappear. My suspicion is that the little 1.5"
pupfish did them in!

A couple of months ago, friends in the Tampa area (thanks SKS and
particularly Charlie) sent me five (a pair and a trio) of the most beautiful
American-Flag Fish I have seen in a long time. I tossed some young guppies
in their 10G tank, as feeders, and they have been totally unmolested. The
guppies are happily stealing the food from the pupfish, though one veiltail
male has a very slightly ragged tail. The male Flag Fish have established
"lurking spots," but everyone seems as peaceful as any community tank can
be. Go figure. It's the famous perversity of killifish, I guess.

I think having more than one, but of the same sex, may be a pretty good way
to go. OTOH, don't blame me if the shredding just doubles, as I think they
*can* be a bit unpredictable. If one of my male Flag Fish pairs up and
starts guarding a nest, I have no doubt the guppies will be history and the
rest of the pupfish will get ragged fast if I don't get them out in time.

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679  huntley1 at home_com

        "Congress has not unlimited powers to provide
for the general welfare but only those specifically enumerated."
                                      --Thomas Jefferson

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