Fish compatability

[lostmyz]

I have a 80 gal reef with a Purple tang that i have had for 1.5 weeks now thats roughly 2-2.5" (yes i got a baby and shes beautiful) and I just bought a copperbanded butterflyfish thats literally the same size. The Purple tang gets along great with all the other fish in the tank and all the other fish in the tank are leaving the Copperbanded alone but my purple tang is chasing it all around the tank. it doesn't appear to be biting it but bullying it. Are they not compatible or is she doing this because they are roughly the same size and she feels threatened. My other fish in the tank are 2 clowns that are about 3" and a wrasse (longfinned fairy wrasse) and 2 helfrichs and a yellowwatchman goby. The purple tang leaves all of them alone from the beginning.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

purple tangs are generally considered very aggressive. It's strongly recommended that you add that fish last to your tank. I don't think the copperband stands much of a chance in that small of a tank with an already established purple tang..

 

[Triton_Z]

Some Purple tangs (Zebrasoma xanthurum) can be very aggressive to similar looking fish. The bad part is the Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) does not tolerate stress like this well and likely will stop feeding and not thrive.

You could rearrange the rock (if feasible) to change the territory. If you have another tank or large sump, you could place the tang in this temporarily to disrupt the aggression and reintroduce after a week or few days. However, success with these methods is likely low.

If you don't act by removing one or the other, the Copperband will succumb to the stress and likely pass. I like both these species, but if the Copperband was/is feeding well, I'd remove the tang and/or rehome it.

 

[lostmyz]

I have no idea about the copperbanded yet. I got him today from the wholesaler in LA. The tang seems to be chilling out on the copperbanded. My tang isn't aggressive to any of my other fish so I dunno. The tang has been in the tank for a 8 days. Essentially this is what i did.

I had a BioCube 29.... I upgraded set up a larger tank with a sump. Ran it for 2 months with nothing but rock. Bought the Purple Tang (impulse buy!) put him in the tank. Than took down my Biocube and transfered my fish into the new tank and than added the wrasse a day after i added the fish from the other tank. Than today I added the copperbanded. I fed the fish when i added the copperbanded. The other fish really seem to like the copperbanded the tang is chilling out a little. The copperbanded seemed to find a spot (lol the fish dont go to the right side of my tank every really)

 

[lostmyz]

Tang and Butterfly are getting along now! He's no longer chasing him constantly and the butterfly is swimming all around the tank and so is the tang. He just has some little single white nodule on one of his fins behind his gills. No ich or anything and no mangled fins. I havent seen him eat tho yet. Today i gave my frozen food blend of mysis shrimp, ova, emerald dream, plankton, marine cuisine and even threw in some formula 1 (red flake). He was swimming all through the food but didn't look like he ate it. But looked like he wanted to. I will try cyclopeeze tonight for the later feeding and see what happens. I hope he eat something. Hes not being chased around and stressed out so....

 

[LOU A VILLE]

So did your butterfly start eating? Are the two fish still getting along?

 

[lostmyz]

They got along after the second day but his infection got worse and than popeye.... so i put him in QT sadly he didn't make it. He wasn't eating either. Oh well tho I was told hard fish to keep. All my fish are doing good... i saw my YWG and his pistol shrimp for the first time in almost 2 wks haha today! I still haven't seen my black capped basslet in almost 2 wks now i loved that fish! And my anemone today decided to move slowly across the tank through the SPS patch (which is the entire tank) hahah. he is about mid way and ****ing things off left and right hahah