Mean Fiash ?

[Gillundr]

I have a purple tang that was one of the first fish I put in my tank. (120 g tank). Along with the tang, I have 2 black clowns, 2 green chromis, 1 yellow wrasse, and a lawnmower blenny. These fish all live together fine and everybody knows the pecking order. When ever I add another fish the tang will relentlessly beat up on the fish until it's dead. It doesn't matter what fish I put in there, gobies, wrasses, anthias, etc. I really want to add other fish. Yesterday I got a mystery wrasse, and put it in my tank. I thought it wouldn't go after the wrasses since I have a yellow wrasse that gets along great and has no issues at all. Right away the tang chased it into the rock and wouldn't let it out. So I caught the purple tang and moved it to another tank I have up and running. The mystery wrasse is out swimming and happy with life, and most of all not dead. If I wait a week or so and put the tang back into my 120 will it go after the new fish? How long does it take to reset the pecking order? I can't rearrange the rock work, so I was wondering if the tang would just forget. Or, am I stuck. Maybe I shouldn't keep the tang? It is a gorgeous fish and I hate to get rid of it, but I really do want to have a couple more fish in the system, I especially want a couple of gobies and wrasses (flashers). I can't have the purple tang killing my others and I would rather have those fish than be stuck the way things are now. Any ideas? I need to solve the situation asap because the tank the tang is in now is too small for it.

 

[argi]

IME they seem to fall right back into the pecking order and Purple Tangs tend to get more aggressive as they get older. I don't know if there is a time frame to try to reintroduce the fish, but I would think it would be at least a couple of weeks.

You could also try the mirror trick. Tape a mirror on the outside of the tanks glass so the tang can see his reflection. Since they don't like tangs you hope he will go after his reflection instead of the new fish. Leave it on the tank for a few weeks, then try to remove it.

 

[mylifeismyown66]

My powder brown did the same thing, but he would just chase the new fish, and then eventually would be fine with them. Chased the crap out of my flame angel for a day, then they were buddies the next day.

 

[DgenR8]

Purple Tangs are notorious for that kind of behavior, and should always be the last fish added to a tank. Short of rearranging your rock, you're probably not going to get that fish to behave as you want him to.