[tylergvolk]

I have x3 Harlequin Rasboras and two of them have been at it for days. I am wondering if this is normal behavior. I started with x10 and now I am down to x3 due to jump outs.

http://youtu.be/vcQHdkdxsPY

Are they fighting or mating or what?

 

[Smeagol]

I have 6 Harlequins in my 20g. They spar like that quite frequently. I always assumed that it's a kind of dominance ritual, that they are sorting out their "pecking order." I've never had any jump outs.

 

[Grah the great]

Do you have a lid? Failing that, do you have a lot of floating plants? Both can reduce incidents of jumping dramatically, and you may want to try them if you want to get more rasboras.

 

[lauraleellbp]

This can happen sometimes with fish that need to be kept in schools.

My advice- buy more Harlies (so you have at least 5-7 total). Pull all of them out of the tank, rearrange some things inside the tank so that the "old" fish feel like they're in a new territory, and then add them all back to the tank at the same time.

 

[tylergvolk]

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[Smeagol]

Do you have a lid? Failing that, do you have a lot of floating plants? Both can reduce incidents of jumping dramatically, and you may want to try them if you want to get more rasboras.

I don't have a lid. I used to have floating water sprite, but I got rid of it a couple months ago. I've had the 6 Harlequins in my tank for a bout a year and a half. They are very active, but they have never jumped.

 

[Betta132]

You definitely need more harleys (Up it to at least 7, I'd say), and yes that's normal. That's two males sparring, they won't hurt eachother.

 

[tylergvolk]

Okay thanks. I know I need more but I don't want more. Instead, I'm going to give them back to my lfs.