Hawkfish with an attidude

I picked up a neon dottyback a couple weeks ago. The fish rarely emerged from the little hiding spot he found because my spotted hawkfish who was the boss of the tank didn't really care for him that much. So i made myself a little trap out of a 2 liter bottle. So for the last week or so he has been in solitary confinement in my refugium tank. I believe dottybacks and hawkfish are supposed to be compatible but my hawkfish is just getting pretty big and has a bit of an attitude. I've re-arranged all my rock work while he has been in jail (due to an unrelated problem with a coral placement). How long do you think i should leave him in the fuge for before he "forgets" he was head honcho in my display? Or will he go right back to being an a$$ lol. I personally like my new dottyback more than him so if he continues to pick on him i may just have to find him a new home... Such as my schools wet lab in trade for some coral or something...

 

i'd say a month and rearrange ur rocks so its new to him

 

You may be fine with just a rock re-arrangement to keep him from being territorial, especially if the layout of your tank is radically different.

 

Yea the rocks are completely different now. The dottyback was out moving around the next day after i took the hawkfish out so hopefully he'll grow a pair by when i throw mr hawkfish back in. I just feel bad for the hawkfish being stuck in my nasty 29 gallon fuge with all the equipment and macro. Its his own fault tho lol.

 

I just wanna make sure its enough time because he is a pain to catch. Made the trap and every fish went into it BESIDES him the first time. Waited til the next feeding day and instead of starting off with all the food inside the trap i just squirted it in bit by bit with a turkey baster and that got him. He loves his bloodworms, couldn't resist.

 

Um, please dont take this wrong, but it isnt necesarily agression your hawkfish is displaying. I think he sees your dottyback with a side of potatoes...how big is the dottyback in comparison to the hawk? if it is close to the diameter of the hawk's fully open mouth, then likley your hawk wishes to get the new addition out of your tank thru satisfying his appetite.

I had one attempt to eat a small male clownfish. actually chased him to his death, but never went after the slightly larger female who was still smaller than the hawk.

and the fastest way to get one out of your tank is to bait a tiny hook with a chunk of shrimp. I did this and had the fish out in less time than it took to tie the fishing knot.

 

IMO a dotty-back in not compatable with any fish, they can become terrors as they get older and more comfortable with the tank. It needs to be a larger system with multiple hiding places so other more passive fish can get out of the dotty-backs way.

Hawkfish have reputations of being bullies as well, so hopefully they will balance each other out.

Good Luck.

 

yes, they can be little devils.... I have heard of them ruling up to a 500 gallon tank!

 

The hawkfish will probably try to eat anything around its size.

 

I have a hawk fish that was mostly just a bully to a goby I have... the goby would be out if his hiding place most of the time and whenever the hawk fish got sight of him, he would chase him and the goby would dart back to his hole. I took the hawk fish out of there for a while and put him back in and he seemed to forget about the goby for a while but then he set his radar back on the goby and the goby wouldnt come out but just to eat and then back to the hole. I took the hawkfish out and put him a tank alone where he made himself at home. I then put a couple chromis in that tank with the hawk fish. He then proceed to start snacking on those chromis. I assume the hawk fish became territorial because he was in the first tank with the chromis and never bothered them. The chromis have recovered and the hawk fish has been in a small containment box ever since. It has been some months now. He is up for sale but no one even inquired, lol