Fish Memory

[jonnybravo22]

I moved a fish into QT that was being aggressive to a new addition.

i'm hoping i can reintroduce him where he's the new guy and he wont be as aggressive (when i first introduced him he was quite shy, then b/c he was the only large fish roaming the tank began to think he owned the place).

so he's been in QT for 2 days. if i put him back in the tank do you think he will remember it and go right back to thinking it's his territory or will he be a bit more reserved now that there is another fish already comfortable in the tank when he is "introduced".


also how long do fish remember fish they have previously fought with?

 

[greenbean36191]

You could keep him in QT for months and he won't forget.

If they're really being that aggressive towards one another there aren't a whole lot of options to force them to get along.

First, you can get a specimen cup or breeder net and put the aggressive fish in there and put that in the main tank (If you use the specimen cup, be sure it's aerated). That allows both fish to see and react to each other, but keeps them from hurting one another. However, you can't use that method with tangs or other open-water swimmers and you need to take extra care when using it with fish that like to jump when they get excited. Also, you need to keep a close eye to make sure the fish in the cage isn't beating itself up on the sides trying to get to the other one.

The other method is to simply rearrange your rockwork so the established fish doesn't recognize its territory anymore and has to pick a new spot. If you do that, you want to reintroduce both fish at the same time.

You can also combine both methods and allow the fish to get used to each other and then jumble up the rockwork just before you re-introduce the aggressor to the main tank.

 

[Toxiq reef]

Fish def. remember..