There’s little more relaxing than watching a thriving aquarium and the wonderful interaction between fish and their environment. However, when things inside the aquarium cease to be wonderful, it becomes a stressful experience for both fish and fishkeeper.
A number of factors conspired (in my opinion) and contributed to what I perceive to be a persistant bullying problem in my aquarium. I chose to add a group of seven botia sidthimunki (dwarf loaches) to my tank. I researched first and decided that their small size and active yet peaceful nature would make them a good choice for my community aquarium. Indeed, they are eye-catching and fun-loving fish. Once added to my tank, they fitted in perfectly. This continued for some months. However, in this time, one of the loaches had grown particularly rotund. I assumed he was probably dominant as he appeared be fulfilling a leadership role among the dwarf loach community. At this point, I lost one of a pair of angelfish. The dwarf loach began chasing the remaining angelfish. The loach in question does not chase any other fish. The other dwarf loaches generally will not get involved.
I wonder if I should have foreseen an issue between my dwarf loach and angelfish. Much as I am a huge fan of botia sidthimunki, I am thinking that the most responsible way forward would be to rehome the loaches. Do you agree?
