I have a 29 gal tank that currently has 2 Fantails & a pleco. I'm returning the Pleco to the FS tomorrow.

My tank had fully cycled about a year ago. All my tank attributes look good, except nitrates are a little high at 40. I added the second Fantail yesterday (s/he is mostly striped white and orange with black spots). The first day, Dorcy (the mostly gold with a white tummy Fantail that went thru the cycling of my tank almost a year ago and who recently bullied two angle fish to death) appeared to bullying the new Goldfish (Tony). Dorcy would hold Tony against plants on the bottom of the tank and appeared to be sucking on Tony. Today Dorcy seems a little bit more amicable and Tony seems contently swimming around the tank. Lately Dorcy spends some (not a whole lot) time resting on the bottom. Is this behavior normal? Do gold fish like to push other gold fish around? I thought a Fantail would be compatible with another Fantail? Do they like to spend some time resting on the bottom? Dorcy is a male. I'm not sure about the new one.

In the end my tank will have the two goldfish and some type of algae eater.

I swear, some goldfish just love to pick on others. Take my Oranda, Chui, for instance. He's a fish crazy, and he was almost from my goldfish tank forever. He's injured five fish that are FOUR TIMES bigger than he is, and killed one. He's just too murderous, he can only live with tropical fish. And let me tell you, it wasn't "breeding behaviour".
But then again, your goldfish might be breeding, but it wouldn't hurt at all to make sure they don't kill one another. Fantails are compatible with eachother, I know, but different goldfish have different personalities, and some just so happen to be murderous.
G'dluck.

Hi there.

Be very observant of each of their behaviors for a while. VERY especially if you didn't quarentine your new one!

If you didn't quarentine, there is a sooper high chance that you brought parasites and/or bacteria into your new tank from the tanks at the lfs (or breeders). Trust me, this happens all the time!

If you see any spots, streaks, bumps, cottonlike fungus, fins rapidly shaking, tearing or shredding or clamped to the body, excessive yawning or any other symptoms that aren't normal, quickly test your tankwater and tapwater and post back here.

I might just be a little too worried for you and this is just breeding behavior or just resting from playing so much. I really hope this is so.

Post back soon.

I once bought a big bully of a fish , he was fine in the dealers tank but after almost a month of quarantine , when he was added to the 30 gal, he would not stop chasing Delmar, who I think may be a girl, I thought he wanted to breed because he would chase all of the time until del was exausted, and lying at the bottom,I don't know if he was wanting a little fishy action or if he may have been territorial.I read when you add new fish some times it is better to rearrange the tank. Needless to say the darn dealer wouldnt take him back,so I had to give up my 10 gal and gave him to my niece, who keeps him alone...HIs attitude has caused him to lead a life all alone. That's so sad.

and some fish just LOVES to get picked on.. like my RIP black moor, he just liked to get picked on.. and see what happened to him.

Thanks for the replies. Everything appears to be Ok. I have three Fantail GF and a snail in my 29 gal tank.

Dorcy was my first fish. He made it thru the cycling of my tank about a year ago. About a month or so ago he killed two angle fish.



I just recently added Tony. The first day I added him, Dorcy spent quite a bit of time chasing him around the tank. By the second day this behavior pretty much went a way.



After Dorcy & Tony seemed to be getting along pretty good, I took a common pleco back to the FS and got Rocky. At first both Dorcy and Tony spent quite a bit of time chasing Rocky around the tank. Now it's pretty much just Dorcy chasing rocky around the tank





Now I've got my tank pretty much where I want it (3 GF and a Snail). I've been watching them and everything seems Ok. Thanks for the responses.

That last pic looks to me like dorcy wants to mate with your black guy! Congrats! lol. He even had white spots on his gills and fins. Maybe thats why he was just chasing them around, but that last picture looks to me like DEFFINATE flirting. Id look about for some eggs if i was you!!! <silly fishes> Id say Dorcy's behavior stopped toward tony because he realised it was a male, then spent the day at the bottom of the tank sulking. But watch the mating video pinned in fish breeding, that looks to me to be whats going on here!