Power Blue Tang

[Rhoms]

I have a 250g tank I have a yellow tang and powder blue tang in there together and they get a long just fine. Yesterday I picked up a sailfin tang and when adding him to the tank the powder blue lost his mind. He was never aggressive towards any other fish in the tank. But as soon as the sailfin went he attached and wont leave him along. Its not just nipping its full fledged trying to destroy him. I got the sailfin out and in my 60g sump for the time being but is there anything I can do to resolve this or does the sailfin or powder blue have to go?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :beer:

 

[nikon187]

possibly re arange the tank to break up the powders territory. Powder blue tangs can be extremly aggressive fish so not really surprised.

 

[MreasyC]

I had the same problem in my 135 with a purple tang. I put him in "fish jail" for 3 days, which is a plastic container with enough slits for water flow with a rock on top to keep him at the bottom. During that span I re-aquascaped. It made a big difference, he still can be a jerk but not very often or close to as severe previously. This was about a month ago, and am hoping it keeps trending positively, but it's very possible he will go "psycho" again on a large timeline.

 

[MreasyC]

I forgot. How close are the tangs in size? This could explain a lot as well.

 

[3FordFamily]

Closer in size is better. In my experience the bullying eventually subsides. Not good though.mirrors on side of tank can help.

I never add one tang at a time, either. Two or more spreads aggression and helps substantially

 

[Hal]

I had the same problem in my 135 with a purple tang. I put him in "fish jail" for 3 days, which is a plastic container with enough slits for water flow with a rock on top to keep him at the bottom. During that span I re-aquascaped. It made a big difference, he still can be a jerk but not very often or close to as severe previously. This was about a month ago, and am hoping it keeps trending positively, but it's very possible he will go "psycho" again on a large timeline.

What he said. When I started using an isolation tank the aggressiveness on the new fish dropped to almost zero when I finally added it into the DT. Find the largest plastic critter keeper and drill a few extra holes for flow. Then put it in the tank for 3-4 days. I hang mine off the edge of my euro-bracing so it's easy to feed. Works amazingly well.

 

[triggreef]

mirrors on side of tank can help.

I never add one tang at a time, either. Two or more spreads aggression and helps substantially

This.

You can also zip tie some egg crate together to use as an acclimation bite inside the tank. Just 3 days like that should make a big difference.

 

[ca1ore]

I know some people have aggressive Sailfins, but the ones I have had have always been wimps. I have five tangs in my tank, and when a Sailfin has been part of the mix it has been at the bottom of the pecking order. If the Sailfin is smaller than the established inhabitants, it's in for a tough time. Frankly, that's why I do a long QT. Not just to ensure the new fish is clean, but to give it time to put on some weight. That way if it doesn't eat much for a few weeks in the display, it has the reserves to cope.

There are all sorts of tricks you can try, many of which have been suggested here already. But fish are individuals, so what works with one may not work with another. So, try them all!