Thinking of trading in Royal Gramma

I have had a RG in my 55 for 7 months now. As expected, he spends most of the day hanging out in one place or another (sideways behind the overflow, in the rock crevice where he sleeps, etc). However, he is becoming increasingly aggressive towards the tankmates (male and female Lubbocks Fairy Wrasse and Tiger Wardi Goby). He has attacked and bitten (you can still see the "scars") the male wrasse no less than 4 times (and the wrasse got him back once). Throughout the day he will go up to the tankmates, open his mouth, shake and then chase them. Its much worse during feeding, as he will chase any fish that tries to get any food near him. From everything I read, they were supposed to be peaceful, if not territorial fish. However he thinks the entire thank is his apparently.

I even re-did the entire aquascape, which did not help. My current plan is to catch him and at least put him in the sump. But I am strongly considering trading him in due to the aggression I have seen.

Thoughts on this, and if anyone else has seen this in a larger, "understocked" system?

 

Are you sure it isn't a bicolor dottyback? I've never heard of a gramma being as aggressive as you describe, just a defender of it's cave/smaller area.

What you do with it is up to you. If the fish is that aggressive in a 55, you probably aren't going to upgrade to a tank large enough to keep him in a display again without having some kind of problem so it's either sump for life or the fish store.

 

I have a RG in my 75 and he mostly just hangs out in his cave, comes out to eat, does a lap around his rock and then back in he goes

This behavior is surprising for an RG, as mentioned you may wabt to make sure its not a bi-color dottyback, look at his eye if there isn't a black bar then its most likely a dottyback

I'm sure you know that but just thought I'd mention it

 

Thanks guys, I have never heard of this kind of aggression either. Definitely a Gramma though:





He is definitely going in the sump as soon as I can catch him. From there, its either trade him in, or I will think about putting him in my 46BF with a dwarf lionfish...

 

I wouldn't put him with a dwarf lion. From the pics he looks like an adult and the lion might not see it as something small enough to be food. Then the lion may just get harassed by him and you'll have to catch him again lol.

 

That was the concern I was having with that as well. He is definitely an adult, and I don't think a Dwarf Lion would have a shot at swallowing him LOL. But the Gramma could definitely harass the lion. I just don't understand where the aggression is coming from, seeing as they are supposed to just keep to themselves...