Here's my little story:
I recently had a tank of females put together. You know... a sorority. Also in with the girls are two nerite snails and an albino pleco.
While everyone seemed to be getting along alright for a while, one of my girls, Mali, decided she was going to be the bully. Being the oldest and once being the tiny one that got pushed around, I sort of understood.
At first it was mostly just horrific flaring. By this, I mean that she flared with her whole body, and all of her fins to others. The other girls would flare back this way just to defend themselves, but that was about it... And Mali started chasing a few every now and then, trying to nip at them.
I was about to throw Mali in a cup (figuratively "throw", of course) as a time out of sorts... I saw her and my new cambodian Bandit flaring it out. Mali started to turn a little towards Bandit as if about to nip at her...
It startled me, but it definitely startled the competing girls when my pleco threw himself between them and knocked them away from each other a good distance. He stuck himself to the nearby plant for a bit... then went back to the cave he was de-algae-ing.
Mali hasn't started a flare contest or fight since.
So now I'm curious... has anyone else experienced a tank bouncer (as I call my pleco now) or referee in their tank before? Of course this doesn't apply just to sororities.
In any case, I'm glad I have that specific algae eater. Harmony is in play. :D
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