# Time out?



## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

i feel really dumb asking this...but has anyone ever put their fish on a "time-out" for being overly aggressive to their other tankmates? i googled it and it seems like ppl have done it with some good results, while others...it was good for a little bit, but they reverted back to their old ways. right now i've got two guys in jail...one guy's calmed down, the other guy acts like he has a.d.d. or something and is off the wall trying to get out, like he still wants to go at it with the other fish outside. heheh i may have to put him in the hole....some solitary confinement for his anal fin! excuse my french. :lol:


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

yes and it can work sometimes, it helps sometimes if you do a large water change too before releasing them from time out


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

oh okay...i'll do that. i did a real major water change last night when i took out the rocks and thats when i separated them, it's sooo much easier to catch them without rocks. i'll probably do it in a week and just observe how they are in there. i know my fuel...isn't really eating, he just wants out. so if it gets to the point where he just doesn't...i guess i'll just have to take him out. maybe i should just keep him in there for 'tough love'.


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## JohnnyAppleSnail (May 30, 2010)

I've tried it,but it only seems a temporary fix,once released back they get used to the fact they're back to their usual surroundings before You know it the same aggression comes back. For Me water changes make no diff.,usually all the Fish are freaking anyway when doing Large WC's. Oh by the way...not a dumb question.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

JohnnyAppleSnail said:


> I've tried it,but it only seems a temporary fix,once released back they get used to the fact they're back to their usual surroundings before You know it the same aggression comes back. For Me water changes make no diff.,usually all the Fish are freaking anyway when doing Large WC's. Oh by the way...not a dumb question.


the WC is to lower pheromone concentrations, along with rearranging the rocks it can help to reset the territories and switch things up
but your right with some fish they go right back to their nasty selves


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## pdoutaz (May 13, 2010)

I have never heard of that, So I for one am glad you asked


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

this is from cichlid-forums, meant for trophs but im sure mbuna social structure isnt too diifferent

"If you have a hyper aggressive fish in the tank, put it in �Time Out�. We will put a hyper aggressive fish in a breeder net if the chasing is getting to be too much. Leave it there for a few days. Tropheus have a social order in their tank and this shakes it up. When you reintroduce the aggressive fish the order does not always go back to the way it was. You can sometimes create a calmer tank this way. □"


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

Here is something that might be worth a try:

_ &#8230;.while breeding the aggressive Cichlid Geophagus: a male that had been isolated for some time, would kill any conspecific at sight, irrespective of sex. However, after Bernhard had presented the fish with a mirror causing it to fight its image to exhaustion, the fish would, immediately afterwards, be ready to court a female. In other words, Bernhard discovered, at 17, that "action specific potentiality" can be "dammed up" as well as exhausted. - Konrad Lorenz -- On Aggression._


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

Thanks!! that's interesting!! has there ever been cases like this where a fish has tried fight itself to death?


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

TomC said:


> Here is something that might be worth a try:
> 
> _ &#8230;.while breeding the aggressive Cichlid Geophagus: a male that had been isolated for some time, would kill any conspecific at sight, irrespective of sex. However, after Bernhard had presented the fish with a mirror causing it to fight its image to exhaustion, the fish would, immediately afterwards, be ready to court a female. In other words, Bernhard discovered, at 17, that "action specific potentiality" can be "dammed up" as well as exhausted. - Konrad Lorenz -- On Aggression._


...interesting stuff...would be worth a try in the future


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

Yes, sometimes when a fish behaves badly you have to tune them in a bit...like they say, you may never be able to tune-a-guitar but you can always tun-a-fish!...that's funny right there!


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