Established Tangs Are Nightmares . . .

Ah so you do. Well then I'm at a loss because I had a powder brown a little over a year ago and that one was a pretty gentle fish and I don't remember it attacking new fish at all.

But if the powder brown is the one attacking newbs and not the yellow, then I think your solution is clear. Regardless of its "reasoning." Every fish is an individual and wont necessarily adhere to the common writings about them.

 

I don't think adding the trigger will be an issue. The clown on the other hand maybe. I've had this issue in my tank and the tangs calmed down. But I had a small koran angel that was a nightmare to anything eles I added. I had to eventually pull him out. I tried netting him and puting him in another tank for a week. As soon as he was re introduced he acted the same way. Fish seem to all have different personalitys like us. So just don't seem to get alone.

Matt

 

Something that my LFS suggested to me because my Sailfin is a brute, i know go figure he should be very docile, is to buy one of the hamster balls. You know the ones that you put the hamster in to run around the floor to get excercise. Place a new fish in there to acclimate them to the fish that are already in the tank. I have done this with quite a few fish and have had great sucess. Due to the holes in the ball the water is still able to pass through and the food can still get to them in there at feeding time. Eventually the more agressive fish will have "sympathy" for the fish in the ball and get used to them without the ability to attack the fish directly. This may sound cruel to some but considering our QT tank are so much smaller than out DT, I really do not see much difference. Keep in mind that I usually leave the fish there until I see no signs of agression or the other fish in the DT pecking at the ball. Some times it can take up to 2 weeks for this to occur.

 

You kept a fish in a hamster ball for 2 weeks?

 

I did and it was a small Coral Beauty. My sailfin is wicked mean and it worked. Now the Coral beauty is 3 inches long and the sailfin does not bother it in the least.

I knew there would be debate on this one. Look at the LHS and how big there sections are for their fish.

 

In general, most QT tanks are much smaller than our displays but at the same time a hamster ball is waaaay smaller than the average QT. Did your hamster ball just sit on the sand, or did it float around? I remember seeing a mantis in one at a LFS, it looked like it was floating and spinning.

The ball might have worked for that small CBB I just returned, or the potential clowns, but definitely not the trigger. Has anyone ever tried the mirror trick with any success? I really dont want to get rid of either of my tangs and getting them out would mean tearing my entire rock scape apart and thats really not an option either.

~Will.

 

This is just kind of coincidence - i didn't do it on purpose.

But i have a mirror behind my DT. Last week i added a purple firefish. I noticed my yellow tang was being kind of a D**k to the newb. Nothing that was getting me concerned yet though. Just chasing and being territorial...maybe a few hits here and there. After about 3 days it completely stopped.

Yesterday i was watching him beat the snot out of himself in the mirror though. So maybe that did kind of deflect the aggression and it took me a few days to notice.

My mirror is the whole height of the tank about 18 inches wide so it took up about a 1/3rd of the back of the tank. (it was an old reflector that i was storing behind the tank which isnt black yet)

Might be worth a try though

Another idea to throw out there... what if you got one of those larger plastic reptile carriers... ive seen them for cheap and they are usually like a gallon i think. Drill some holes in the side plus the top is all holes...just submerge it in the tank. It would be like the hamster wheel thing but with more room. You could even keep it up at the top so you could feed separately... plus add the mirrors... give it a few days... you could even try adding two fish during all this so that you completely overwhelm the fish. Maybe he will just be like ya know what - its not even worth it

 

Hopefully tomorrow my blue throat trigger come in. I have been playing around with the idea of getting a 3" maroon clown they have had for a while to add in at the same time to maybe spread the aggression from the established tangs. Is there any other ideas besides lights out and the mirror gag? I like the hamster ball and reptile cage ideas, but I doubt they will fit in the openings of my acrylic tank (22" x 7").

~Will.

 

I would just add the trigger then see how it goes. If there is any aggression, then add the mirrors. As long as the trigger isn't smaller than the tangs by a whole lot, you should be fine. There isn't many reef-safe type fish (tangs included) that are going to successfully PO and bully around a trigger And if they tried my money would be on the trigger personally