Melanurus getting Aggressive

[Triggerfish]

have had this fish for 3 years and thinking it's time to find a new home.
it's in a 110 with a tamarin , ornate and potters leopard. I don't feed the tank a ton and the melanurus displays more aggression towards these fish than I really want them to deal with.

last dec when I was away for 3 days the entire front fin of the ornate was missing. I suspected the melanurus on that one.

never liked the left side of the tank so this will be the time to catch him as I attempt a rescape.

 

[SecretiveFish]

The first melanurus I had was a great fish that I enjoyed for many years. He left the cleanup crew alone and never messed with the other fish in the 65g.

My second melanurus was a mean fish. He was OKish in our 150g, although I am pretty sure he was taking out clean up crew, but when I had to move him to the 65g, he killed one of my fish. He went to the LFS with full disclosure about being a total jerk.

 

[scooter31707]

Yep, they can be hit or miss with them. IME, they are a little more aggressive with other wrasses in the tank. I have 3 and 2 were outstanding and they were 2 too smallest in the tank and my 3rd was with other wrasses and about 4.5 inches and was a pure PITA.

 

[Dmorty217]

Tank isn't large enough for that many wrasse/combination

 

[SoloChromis]

I hated my melanurus with a passion :uzi: The first one I kept was a medium sized male that was a model citizen while I had him, then I lost him in a power outage. I then went out and got a smaller male who I named Dexter, who turned out to be the most ruthless, deranged sociopath of a fish I have ever kept. He'd scarf down food to the point there he'd be choking to make sure nobody else got a bite, he'd kill every snail I ever tried to add, he'd beat cleaner shrimp to a pulp and then leave them for dead, without even eating them. He was responsible for killing my leopard, possum and regal pencil wrasses, all 3 of whom I loved. Not only that, but he'd bite me whenever I'd be in the tank. Eventually I had a marine velvet outbreak, which took out all of my fish except for a pajama cardinal and of course Dexter, who seemed to have leveled up if anything. I had the decency to quarantine him, and then brought him in to the LFS where I worked, and eventually some poor unsuspecting couple bought him on one of my days off (he was supposed to have been released into the 3,500g pond we had in the store). Low and behold about 2 weeks later they returned him and he had killed every last fish in their tank, including some clowns and a good sized Herald's angel. I don't know what ever happened to Dexter beyond this point, but if I had to guess I'd say he's probably running the shark mafia in the Florida gulf somewhere.

*ahem*

... The point is, yes, they can be quite "moody", every fish is an individual. Good luck :beer:

 

[Triggerfish]

I agree tank size just isn't compatible for this fish with the others. that could most likely account for the behavior.
thanks .... planning for half day sunday to take this on. six pack and lot of patience will be needed.

 

[Dmorty217]

I agree tank size just isn't compatible for this fish with the others. that could most likely account for the behavior.
thanks .... planning for half day sunday to take this on. six pack and lot of patience will be needed.

Good luck mine was quite the challenge over 2 months of me breaking my old 220 down (all rock out) only for him to take shelter in the 6" sandbed and me digging thru the sand without any success. Even now being one of 4 fish currently in my 625g it will continually chase it's reflection, beautiful but aggressive fish for its size

 

[Triggerfish]

well..this was the one of the easiest fish to catch.. I just shut the lights out quick and he kinda hovered in the front of the tank and just scooped him with the net. done.
going to the lfs where my kid works in their front 260g display tank. cool we will still be able to see it.