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Hi:

I just added 2 m/f pair of dwarf neon rainbows to a 28 gallon bowfront already stocked with 5 Bleeding Heart Tetras and 2 False Julii Corys. Upon entry into the tank, the two male rainbow immediately went after each other in a scrum, only to be separated 2 hours later after an aggressive alpha male was established and the loser had half of his tail nipped off. Has anyone ever heard of such behavior in rainbows? All literature says this breed is very peaceful but the males tend to offend the females with a LOT of attention.

To add insult to injury, one of the Tetras is bullying the lesser male rainbow. I am not much worried about infection with this guy as the tank is immaculate. I just found the behavior of fighting to be very odd.

ajm

UPDATE: The alpha male rainbow is not stopping with his torment of the lesser male rainbow. This has been going on for two days now. Should I remove the lesser male to save him from ruin?

ajm

I'd suggest trying to take the non dominant male back to the store you purchased him from and ask to exchange it for a female. Usually when there is one very dominant male having more females and fewer males can help reduce the tensions.


^_^