time before this fish ended up like his predecessor, dead. Not wanting to kill another fish when I could prevent it, I decided to move the Green Terror to my seventy-five gallon community tank, which contains mostly large catfish and some African tetras. Now, some months later, the Green Terror seems to be doing okay. It still seems skittish when I come near the tank, but if I approach slowly I can come right up to the tank. The important thing is that the fish is eating, and seems to be thriving. In fact, he may be thriving too well. He seems to be establishing himself as the boss of the tank, and a bully at that. Lately, I have noticed that the other fish seem to move away from him when he approaches them, and I have seen him lunge out at the other fish. So far, no damage is visible on the other fish, but I am keeping my eyes on him, and I am on the lookout for obvious signs of aggression. Let me ask you a question. "Who among us hasn't kept one of the freshwater 'sharks' that are available?" I have, over the years, kept many of them, with varying degrees of success. I have had luck with both the tricolor, and iridescent "sharks." Actually, as you know, neither is a true shark. But, the high dorsal fins, combined with the imagination of retailers, has dubbed them as "sharks." There is also the Rainbow shark, in both standard and albino form. These are attractive fish that are often impulse purchases, and should not be. They do not tolerate members of their own kind well, and are known to be jumpers. I have tried on several occasions to keep them, and never had them for long, usually finding them on the floor. Once again, one of my children, in this case my son Eric, decided that he wanted to keep a rainbow shark. I told him that they are prone to jump, but we decided to give it a try. I am happy to say that this one seems to be a keeper, eating well, getting along with the other fish, and growing, as well as coloring up nicely. My latest round of experimentation with Discus has met with mostly failure. I purchased four small "Pigeon Blood" Discus. I hoped that, by purchasing four, there would be
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a minimum 6f "dominant versus subordinate" bullying among them. Discus are, after all, cichlids, and do behave as such. Alas, as I write this, three of them are dead. There were no signs of aggression such as ripped fins, extremely dark fish (a typical indicator that a Discus is in distress), or hiding/cowering. The fish just failed to thrive. I perform a 30% water change each week, and keep them with small, peaceful tetras. The good news is that one of the four is alive, growing very nicely, and seems to be doing well. I swear, once again, that I will never try to keep Discus. Well, not until the next time, anyway. Finally, I want to update you on my Neolamprologus ocellatus experience. As detailed in both "Disappointments" and "I Know What I Did Last Summer," I have always liked the ocellatus, and have tried to keep them twice. The second time seems to have been the charm, as they have grown, formed a pair, and spawned. I am now happy to report that a second and third spawning has occurred. With this third spawning, I noticed that the fry were disappearing. I realized that the juveniles were eating the new fry, and, unlike other shell dwellers I have kept, the parents do not seem inclined to protect the fry. In an attempt to save some of the fry I placed the shell containing the female and some fry in a 2 V£ gallon tank. I was only able to save two fry, but they are growing well, and I am getting ready to re-unite the female with her mate. This time I will be more proactive in separating the female and her fry from the other fish. What lesson can be learned from my experience (and that is why I write — to share my experience)? Sometimes, I guess you just have to keep trying until you have the right combination of factors to guarantee success. Of course, there are also times when you have to "know when to fold 'em." Some fish just aren't meant to be kept, and I have found that experience (and lots of dead fish!) often teaches us that lesson also.
January 2001
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)