Aggressive behavior during feeding times?

[hakkobetta]

Hey all 

As many of you may know, I have a bronze oranda and a red cap oranda. During feeding times, my red cap oranda becomes, well, almost violent towards the bronze oranda. I know they don't have teeth or anything like that, but he begins SHOVING the bronze oranda around the tank in circles to discourage him from eating the food (at least that's how it appears.)

Has anyone else seen this behavior in goldfish?

Do I need to get a third goldfish to help defuse the tension that apparently is going on? It only happens during feeding times. I've tried feeding both floating and sinking foods at the same time to encourage them to split to different levels of the tank as well.

Tank perams are normal.

Water changes: 1 gallon, every day
Tank size: Ten gallons (it's their "college" home) at home home they have a 20 gallon w/ every other day 2 gallon water changes. (After my fifty-five split a seam and caused $600 worth of damage, my mom won't let me have anything bigger than a twenty)

[LittlePuff]

Can you place a temporary divider in the tank for feeding time?

[Cholly]

^Brilliant! I like it!

[hakkobetta]

That would probably work! I could also net one into a hang over divider thingy and let him eat there. I tried putting food on two different sides of the tank today. It seemed to work. When Zombie, the red cap, tried to bother the bronzey one it went to the other side of the tank.

[hakkobetta]

So, they're settled in their twenty gallon home and the behavior is continuing. I will keep you posted. It's harder to separate them in such a large tank.

[Fluffy92]

Are they the same size. Try this, float a orange pingpong ball during feeding time.
Other thing is adding a third goldfish but your'll need a 29 gallon min.

[Cholly]

Until she's on her own permanently, 20 is it. A 55 gallon with a burst seam put paid to that, if I remember right. Ping pong ball might work, if she can find one of those orange ones. I haven't seen an orange ping pong ball in a long time.

[nrich]

I finally had to seperate my fantail, Cosmo, from my other two goldies. He was pure evil all the time, not just for feedings. I did find that the aggression was a little less if there was something that blocked his view of the other two goldies while I fed. I've got a huge peice of driftwood in the tank and I would always try to feed him on one side and the other two goldies on the other. Fake plants might help as well.

[hakkobetta]

The aggression has died down a little. The bronze oranda has started growing at an absolutely alarming rate. Cholly, you're right about the tank, lol. Now the bronze oranda dwarfs the red cap.

I'm actually thinking the red cap may have a parasitic problem, he hasn't gained any weight and he's be snarfing food like nobody's business. I'm going to pick up some parasitic medicated food tomorrow and add that to their normal sinking pellets and flakes.