My fish are Evil

[bignick]

I just lost an Anularis Angel due to my existing fish. I don't knwo why they picked on this fish so much but i have a serious problem. I am worried that theey are going to beat up any fish that i try to add and am wondering what i should do? I know that a lot of you guys have aggressive tanks but how do you add fish without watching them get massacred by the fish you already have.

I know a lot people say to reaquascape the tank to break the territory thin with fish, but i really don't want to reaquascape my tank every time i get a new fish.

i also know that people say to remove the fish that are doing all the fighting until the new fish gets settled in but that means i'll have to basically tear apart my rockwork to get the fish out. So that idea is out.

Here is a list of the fish that i have right now:

12" Pinktail Trigger
6" Porkfish
5" Blue tang
4" Niger Trigger
2 Perculas

Note this is in a 210 with about 250lbs of LR

The fish that did the most damage to the angel where the pinktail and the blue tang. The niger did too but it was mainly just chasing it out of its area.

Am i going to have to get rid of these fish or is there a way to acclimate them without my new fish getting beaten to death?

I am so confused and ****ed and depressed right now because i have never had to deal with this problem before. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

 

[jmccown]

I too had a similar situation. Here's a starting point:

Get a QT tank to nurse your new fish or injured fish to good health. Even though your new fish may appear in good health it is probably stressed from all the traveling it done to get to the LFS you bought it from.

I have a vlamingi that reigns terror on any new fish I add. I learned the hard way and lost a Naso the way you lost your Annularis. The vlamingi kept him cornered and he withered away to nothing and died. I have been QT'ing my fish till they eat like horses and know for sure they are healthy then add them to the display. Sure the vlamingi tries to intimidate the new fish now, but they are not as stressed this way.

BTW, best time to add new fish to the display is early in the morning when the lights are off and the fish are still groggy from sleep.

This is my method and has worked good so far.

 

[bignick]

Well i was thinking about if i get a new fish i will add it at night and leave the lights off for a day. Hopefully that will help.

 

[Hattie B]

You could always add them to the tank with a type of partition, a temp one, where they will see eachother and swim with eachother, next to eachother but not be able to fight or get picked on.

that IMO would help a lot with established fish that are dominate.


There are also things like a holding device that goes into the tank where you can do the same thing ( I cant remember the name but reminds me of a breeder net).

 

[bignick]

I like that idea a lot as a matter of fact my LFS suggested building a holding tank out of egcrate so that the fish get use to the fish but they can't get the fish. Which sounds like a great idea but i am worried what to do after i take the fish out of the egcrate. I mean won't the fish just attack him as soon as he's out of the cage?

 

[triggerfreak]

WOW you have a 12'' pinktail trigger. I have never seen one that big. Do you have a picture?

 

[Hattie B]

well thats a possibility, but with time they will see the fish and be swimming next to it; make sure its clear.

Its different then just a new fish showing up one day in 'their' territory. They have seen it and will be 'used' to the new fish, but not just all of a sudden, poof intruder.

They will probably act aggressive at the side of the plastic or whatever you use. Better that then the fish. =)

There will probably still be some squabbles when you open the part back up, dominace thing; hopefully, less to none then just adding it in one fatal swoop.

 

[Hattie B]

Oh ya, another idea/thing I would not do is get a small baby one. IMO, a larger specimen 4-6 inch range would be a good idea; the same size as the current fish.

A little one might get picked on a lot easier then the big one, of course a little one could hide in the rocks easier, but then probably world not come out.

 

[danorth]

mirrors on the sides of the tank really mess with the fish and keep them guessing.

sometimes you have to take one out to set as an example to the rest of the group...............maybe that will work with fish too?!

That is a big pink tail......I wanna see some pics too. I've only seen one that big in a huge 2000+ gallon tank. Give us some history on it, size at the beginning, how long you've had it...

 

[bignick]

Well thats the big mean green machine that is giving me the most trouble.

I actually ordered him through a LFS and got him that big. He was shy at first bet after a i started feeding fresh squid he quickly recognized how important i was and is out all the time waiting for me to drop in some food. he eats everything except me thank god!

 

[danorth]

Harpoon it! With that big ole fish, you'll have to add something pretty good sized so that it isn't monkey see/monkey do and have another gang bang on the new fish.

 

[PuffersKick]

First of all I would not add any ONE fish to that tank.

Here is my suggestion, and it worked great for me.

Once you decide on the new fish you want to add, get that fish AND a Yellow Tang and add them at the same time.

The old fish will then focus all their attention on the Yellow Tang and most likely ignore the other fish.

Yellow Tangs are so strong they cannot do anything to him and will eventually give up and they will all live in harmony.

Trust me, it works. And in your case it will work perfect since the only other Tang you have is the Hippo. Plus Yellow Tangs are beautiful and cheap too!

 

[PuffersKick]

Oh, just make sure you get a GOOD SIZED yellow tang! At least big enough to withstand your pinktail (who is probably your main suspect in this case).

 

[PuffersKick]

Oh, just make sure you get a GOOD SIZED yellow tang! At least big enough to withstand your pinktail (who is probably your main suspect in this case).

And a nice suggestion for would be a Passer Angelfish. A beautiful fish that is EXTREMELY hardy. Nobody will mess with him I guarantee that!

 

[shifty99]

Speaking of new fish being pummeled by the old ones, how have your clowns survived the triggers and tang? I want to add a pair, but have been told they would not fare well with my huma huma and porcupine puffer.

 

[bignick]

Thanks again for the advice everyone please keep it coming.

As for my clowns they have done fine. Of course they were in before i added the triggers but they always seem to leave each other alone so iguess they go together okay.

 

[LisaD]

I would change the aquascape dramatically if you can before adding new fish. The trigger is probably too big, but if you could catch him and put him in solitary confinement or a bucket before adding another fish to the re-aquascaped tank, he would be further disoriented and not as likely to be territorial and aggressive right off the bat.

 

[55gSW]

I have used the divider to add new fish to a tank and it worked great for me. The whole idea is that it gives the new fish time to acclimate to his new home and establish his own territory while the "old" fish have time to get accustomed to the sound and smell of the "new" fish. Leave the divider up for a couple of weeks then remove it at night. There may be a small amount of aggression but that is usually limited to proving who is tank boss and who isn't
For an added effect try putting in a new object on the new fishes side of the divider. It can be anything at this point like a clay pot, new rocks, or fake decor, it's just to throw the existing fish off balance a bit. The object can be removed a week or so after the divider has been removed if you want to.
HTH and good luck!

BTW your fish are awesome!! :thumbsup:

 

[gotoneon]

I have a purple tang that gave me simular problems. Every new fish was a punching bag. He was even getting aggresive towards the other fish already in the tank. It took me about two hours and half the rock was removed from the tank but I cought him and put him in QT. I added all the fish I wanted, which where waiting in QT themselves. Basically I switched tanks with the fish. I left the purple tank in the qt tank for about a week until everyone in the main tank was happy and gettin along. When I put the purple back in the tank he was at the bottom of the pecking order. There have been no problems for over a year. Put a bully in a room of strangers and roles change.

 

[kodyboy]

not much can survive the affections of a 12 inch trigger!
How about a puffer? Large wrasse?
I would go with the above suggestion not to put one fish in at a time, put in three or more and the yellow tang idea is a good one.