So Disappointed

P

phishman1

New member
Well I made a decision to purchase a royal gramma for my reef tank, at the time it had a yellow tail damsel, two smallish clown fish in it and numerous soft corals.

I acclimated the Gramma and introduced it and turned off the lights as the LFS owner suggested for less stress.

When I came back in a couple hours to turn the lights back on I found the Damsel had just beaten up the Gramma to the point his dorsal fin was bitten, his tail and other fins had been torn as well.

Immediately I got the Damsel out after tearing up the tank to do it and flushed it.

The Gramma last two days and finally died of its injuries. The LFS owners said he'd replace it for free but that isn't necessary he didn't do anything wrong I did, but probably knowing the damsel would be aggressive. Its a smallish 46 gallon so not many hiding places.

I'm going to a different store today, but want suggestions on an absolutely peaceful fish to replace the Gramma with for now.

Thanks

Jim
 
I don't think the Gramma was the problem. They will make a show of defending territory to scare other fish off but they are not aggressive. Damsels on the other hand...

If you do go the gramma route again just make sure you don't get a dottyback. They look similar but are aggressive.


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The gramma was not the problem at all it was the Damsel, but won't have that problem again.

Listen, while I have you on here, how do you acclimate new fish to your tank. I read many different ways, and my LFS owner who is a friend had a different way, so looking for opinions on that as well
 
This hobby sure has a lot of disappointments fish / coral u really love die for no reason heaters malfunction tanks leak alk swings ugh all the guys that show there drop dead gorgeous reef tanks have delt with most / all these issues at one time or another frustrating for sure but all worth it what else would I do with free time at home ....


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This is what I do for fish acclimation:

-find out what your LFS keeps salinity at. Most are low compared to where we keep reef tanks. The bigger the difference, the longer acclimation.

-place the new fish (in the bag or in a container that works) in the sump and drip acclimate them. 2-3 drops per second. This will acclimate for temp at the same time as water chemistry.

-I wait until the water volume has doubled before adding the fish(if salinity was fairly close). If there was a big salinity gap I will remove half the water in the container and repeat.

-I keep the lights off during the drip and only add the fish when lights are dim and about 10min to lights out.

-not a bad idea to rearrange some rocks if possible to make all current fish focus on finding new territory.( I don't always do this)

This is what has worked for me.


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Harsh flushing the fish. Could have brought it into the LFS for credit or even to donate it. They are territorial fish and the attack comes with their personality. Just be aware of what you buy in the future and how they will react with other tankmates you have or plan to.

Also be careful when going to different stores if you are not Qt'ing your fish. Don't want to introduce something to your tank unknowingly.
 
so all you have now are 2 small clownfish? I also had 2 small clownfish, I added a purple firefish, beautiful fish, they all swim together very peaceful. I recently added a small yellow clown goby, but now regret it, its very peaceful but hides in the rock and only comes out a few minutes per day. I did have a yellow watchman goby that was peaceful and swam with the clowns, I was very upset when it jumped my tank one night, very amazing fish.

As for acclimation, I have never heard of turning off the lights, not sure what is the purpose. I float the bag and add a few spoons of water every 5 minutes for about 30-40 minutes, then add it. Lights on, and I've never lost a new fish (unless it jumped). i usually feed the tank lightly after adding a new fish.

Anyway, good luck
 
Thanks for the reply.

Yup for now just the two small clown fish. Lots of soft corals, inverts etc.

I was thinking of getting maybe a fire fish today, plus the LFS guy where I bought the gramma at is replacing it for me for nothing, which was incredibly nice of him, didn't expect that, wasn't his fault.

I still am having a low calcium problem though.
 
Turning off the lights when acclimating new fish is to simulate nighttime - when fish are less active. So, the theory goes, the resident fish go to their nighttime hidey-holes and are less likely to attack newly added fish.

Kevin
 
Couldn't agree more Keven, not sure why he was attacking me in the first place anyway, but unfortunately it seems to be the way this country all of a sudden conducts itself...sad.
 
When I got in this hobby 20 years ago Yellow Tail Damsels were peaceful fish that would have never done something like this, but you know how it is these days, the damsels have changed just like everything else.
 
Damn, one of my two clownfish jumped out of the tank? Are they normally jumpers?
Click to expand...
All fish are jumpers, some are worse than others. Yellow Watchman Gobies and firefish are NOTORIOUS jumpers. If you have one, it'll try to jump at some point in the near future. That's a bit of hyperbole, but not a lot. Your best bet is to buy some window screen frame and some 1/4" hole mesh from bulk reef supply. It's pretty easy to build your own screen top that doesn't block light or look terrible. I use one on my rimless tank and it's barely noticeable. I used silver trim (lowes and home depo both have kits), but you can also get black and brown.

When replacing clownfish, you have to be careful. Young clowns aren't either male or female. They're undifferentiated. Within a group, one fish will come out as the dominant fish and become female. The next most dominant fish will become male. All others in the immediate area will remain undifferentiated. This is a one way street. Once male, a fish will never become undifferentiated. Once female, a fish will never become male. Add two males and there will be fighting, but you'll probably come out with a pair. Accidentally add a female to the mix and you'll eventually end up with one female and some snail food.
My point is, when adding a new clown you need to be picky. Assume your fish is a female and find a store with a group of the same species. Pick one of the smaller fish from the group and you'll be okay. I've never had this rule of thumb fail. There's a small chance you'll bring in a genetic monster that is hell bent on domination, but you'll likely have a small fish that becomes a nice, compliant male to the established female (who may or may not be in transition).
 
Thank you cody..Ya, that's my project for the day, to find something that might cover that area, its not a big area at all, but big enough.

I will be going to my LFS today and getting another clown from the same tank I bought these two in, so they are all the same size etc., and came from the same group.

My Gramma I put in a couple of days ago is doing fine but hides a lot so far, nothing picking on him, but he just seems like he likes it better hiding,,,I'm sure he'll come out eventually when he gets comfortable?

Looking for my next fish, Neon Goby perhaps, Firefish, something colorful very peaceful and obviously safe after my Damsel disaster of this week.

Jim
 
I wish everyone would get the book "MARINE FISHES" by Scott W. Michaels. First I am no way affiliated with this author, nor am I being endorsed by him. I don't even know this guy. My point is, this book has just about every fish imaginable and how they get along with other fish, how hard they are to keep, and if they're reef safe or not.
Like I said, I'm not associated but I have had this book for over 10 years and go to it regularly. My 34 year old daughter has started a 20 gallon nano and boy has she been bitten by the saltwater bug. I told her to always look in the book before buying fish.
Thanks\Carl
 
wilsonreefs said:
I wish everyone would get the book "MARINE FISHES" by Scott W. Michaels. First I am no way affiliated with this author, nor am I being endorsed by him. I don't even know this guy. My point is, this book has just about every fish imaginable and how they get along with other fish, how hard they are to keep, and if they're reef safe or not.
Like I said, I'm not associated but I have had this book for over 10 years and go to it regularly. My 34 year old daughter has started a 20 gallon nano and boy has she been bitten by the saltwater bug. I told her to always look in the book before buying fish.
Thanks\Carl
Click to expand...
Could not agree with you more there. Back in the days when I started out with saltwater is all about the books. Now a days you can do a lot of research on the net
 
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