Harlequin Tuskfish agressive toward copperband butterfly

[asylumdown]

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to mitigate aggression from a resident Harlequin tusk fish? I recently added a copperband butterfly and the tusk fish isn't having any of it.

I know CBB are crazy delicate as it is, and I'm worried even a little aggression will be too much for it to acclimate properly. It's skinny as is, and while it's eating prepared foods, it's eaten less and less since it went in the tank as the tusk fish really goes on the attack at feeding times.

I am really surprised that this has been an issue, and the only thing I can think that explains it is the CBB has stripes that the tusk fish might be reacting to. I've tried to catch the tusk fish to give him a time out in another tank, but shortly before I got the CBB I used the trap to catch an aggressive tang (the fish that I had anticipated being the problem). The tusk fish watched the whole thing go down, and even after a week of feeding in the trap he won't go near the thing. In fact, since i removed the tang, he only leaves the rock work to attack the CBB. I'm worried I'll have to remove all 200 pounds of rock to get him out if that's what it comes to.

The tank is 275 gallons, and the only residents other than the tusk are 4 anthias, a leopard wrasse, a juvenile labouti wrasse, 2 bengali cardinals, and a cleaner wrasse.

I will eventually be getting another tang, but I don't want to do that until the CBB is established and fat, and at this rate I'm worried he won't survive at all.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

This is one reason to quarantine a fish before introduction to your dt.

In your situation, I would put the copperband in an acclimation box for a week or more. The box can be made of eggcrate (light diffuser) from Home Depot. Make sure the cbb gets enough to eat while in the acclimation box. Hopefully your tusk will get used to the cbb being around and ignore it. They aren't competitors for food so there is no reason for an extended war.

Although cbbs are difficult to acclimate, they will withstand some aggression. Mine has.

 

[MrTuskfish]

IME, very few HTs are aggressive towards fish they can't eat. It may be territorial, or the HT simply showing the CB his place in the pecking order. Putting the HT in a QT for a week or so may solve the problem, (or may not). Making the HT the last fish will eliminate the territorial problem. In any case, CBB don't tolerate being picked on for long; they demand peace & quiet. You can catch the HT with a tiny, barbless hook & a bit of raw shrimp. That's how most wild HTs are caught; I've done it several times.