Lyretail Anthias Agression

[jml1149]

Good Evening-

Started out with three Lyretail Anthias, down to one "boss fish" and one badly damaged fish. Not sure if he/she's going to pull through.

The first fish I found dead one morning, and chalked it up as an unfortunate loss. This next one though, I watched the "boss" Lyretail beat the snot out of it before I could get it out of my tank and into the sump.

Is this normal behavior for these fish? I didn't think so, and I'm hesitant to go purchase any further.

120g tank with plenty of rock, other inhabitants are a Tomini Tang and and Orange Back Wrasse. The "boss" lyretail leaves them alone, no problems. The lyretails seemed to get along fine and then one day boom. Is it possible I had a couple developing males?


Thanks!

 

[Maritimer]

Very.

From all I understand of anthias, and lyretails in particular, aggression is the name of the game. If you're the male, you keep the ladies in line, and if you're the boss female, you keep everyone below you in check. There's usually one little wallflower at the bottom of the ladder who's going to find herself in a bad way. In a large group, the aggression gets diffused enough in the lower echelons that 'most everybody can get by, but with only three fish in the social hierarchy, the one on the bottom will take a beating. They generally are supposed to keep it among their own kind, though.

Wish me luck - I have a pair of Bartlett's in QT . . .

~Bruce

 

[jml1149]

Thanks. Do you think keeping just one would be a long term issue?

 

[Relativity]

I had one and it constanly chased a fire fish into a hole