Sohal Tang vs. Passer Angel

[kirkaz]

I've had my Sohal for about 2.5 years, he's about 8 inches, the Passer has been in for just over 2 years. In that time the Passer has gone from 2.5 inches to about 6 now, and he has gotten bolder and bolder over time. The Sohal is very good by Sohal standards and is rarely aggressive other than the occasional chase. The Passer decided to step up and challenge him one evening last week.....Didn't go so well for him, the Sohal chased him into a cave and didn't let him come out, AT ALL, for about 5 days. Things are getting a little better for the Passer now, and I think the Sohal is going to let him rejoin the tank. The Passer is getting to eat now and spending more time out, but the Sohal has not totally forgotten, I took this video today during their lunch.

 

[kirkaz]

Sorry, can't get it to embed for some reason. Here is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPcKsJj4FeU

 

[coralfish]

He looks like he gets really po'd, like the passer says something under his breath as he swims by and the shoal just tries to pummel him. Nice tank and very beautiful fish.

 

[jenny1979]

That's why I got rid of my Sohal. He turned on every fish one by one. Starting with one, after few week he would attack everything that moved. Even ME!! Nife when small, but can turn into real monsters. :-( Maybe my 350g was too small.

 

[snorvich]

That's why I got rid of my Sohal. He turned on every fish one by one. Starting with one, after few week he would attack everything that moved. Even ME!! Nife when small, but can turn into real monsters. :-( Maybe my 350g was too small.

I also got rid of my Sohal from a 350 gallon tank. This fish will not calm down, only get worse; just the way they are. And a Passer is no pussycat.

 

[ccampbell57]

Kirk - I would remove the sohal. Only for the fact that when he decides to go off there will be a huge razorblade slash in one or all of your fish. I saw it in person in a 350g tank where a pair of vlamingis had 5-6" gashes in thief sides from a sohal.

 

[MrTuskfish]

That's a gorgeous fish. I guess the passer qualifies as "whatever else it may feel particularly displeased with"; as that description at Blue Zoo said. It sure makes you wonder what he'd do to another Acanthurus Tang. I know that this is one tough call for you.

 

[kirkaz]

Just fed them lunch today, pretty much the same, the Passer was able to come out and get plenty of food, but the Sohal buzzed him a few times.

I certainly am not getting rid of him, he is an awesome fish....Hopefully things will get better for the Passer. Not trying to sound harsh, but any fish dumb enough to mess with a fish like that deserves to be taught a lesson. If you antagonize Mike Tyson, you get what's coming to you, I'm not going to put the fish in jail (I.E. get rid of him) for doing what Sohal's do. In the (sort of) words of my Arizona Cardinals former coach, "He is what I knew he was", I didn't get this fish without knowing what he was like. In the last 2 years, he hasn't shown any aggression to any fish that wasn't first aggressive toward him.

Mr. Tuskfish, congrats on your Pack...Quite an amazing season for them.

 

[SDguy]

Just fed them lunch today, pretty much the same, the Passer was able to come out and get plenty of food, but the Sohal buzzed him a few times.

I certainly am not getting rid of him, he is an awesome fish....Hopefully things will get better for the Passer. Not trying to sound harsh, but any fish dumb enough to mess with a fish like that deserves to be taught a lesson.

:thumbdown

Tell me I'm hallucinating, and I didn't just read that.

It's ridiculous that you have these fish in the confines of an aquarium, you see the problem starting, and not only do you not act to prevent injury to the fish, but you go so far as to blame the fish for not being smart enough. Did I sum that up correctly?

 

[kirkaz]

:thumbdown

Tell me I'm hallucinating, and I didn't just read that.

It's ridiculous that you have these fish in the confines of an aquarium, you see the problem starting, and not only do you not act to prevent injury to the fish, but you go so far as to blame the fish for not being smart enough. Did I sum that up correctly?

Wow, this coming from the guy that is getting rid of his Tangs in another thread...You and I obviously have different views on keeping fish. When I buy a fish I buy it for life....Period. I don't buy them and get rid of them because I see something prettier or I'm bored with them. I've been keeping fish for 10 years now, I've never dumped a fish and don't plan on it now.

And in case your worried, my household has the financial means to upgrade whenever needed.

And yes, my comment was somewhat tongue and cheek, my point was a 6 inch angel challenging an 8 inch Tang is not very smart.

 

[SDguy]

When I buy a fish I buy it for life....Period.

Then you should have bought a bigger tank, or should buy one now, because those fish you list in your sig will not live their entire lives together in a 240. "Hoping things get better" is obviously not the way to go, judging by others' experiences.

That's why I got rid of my Sohal. He turned on every fish one by one. Starting with one, after few week he would attack everything that moved. Even ME!! Nife when small, but can turn into real monsters. :-( Maybe my 350g was too small.

He looks like he gets really po'd, like the passer says something under his breath as he swims by and the shoal just tries to pummel him. Nice tank and very beautiful fish.

I also got rid of my Sohal from a 350 gallon tank. This fish will not calm down, only get worse; just the way they are. And a Passer is no pussycat.

Kirk - I would remove the sohal. Only for the fact that when he decides to go off there will be a huge razorblade slash in one or all of your fish. I saw it in person in a 350g tank where a pair of vlamingis had 5-6" gashes in thief sides from a sohal.

I certainly am not getting rid of him, he is an awesome fish....Hopefully things will get better for the Passer.

Why post, get all that input, and still come back with that comment?

There's nothing wrong with realizing things in your tank have changed, and perhaps it's time to act accordingly.

 

[kirkaz]

Then you should have bought a bigger tank, or should buy one now, because those fish you list in your sig will not live their entire lives together in a 240. "Hoping things get better" is obviously not the way to go, judging by others' experiences. Why post, get all that input, and still come back with that comment?

There's nothing wrong with realizing things in your tank have changed, and perhaps it's time to act accordingly.

I'm not looking for advice, I was merely sharing something that has happened that I found interesting among 2 of the more potentially aggressive fish in the hobby...I watch my tank every day, I know exactly how my fish are, and nobody would watch my tank for an extended period and think I am in dire need of an upgrade. There is no reason to flip out and sell off your tank when you see some aggression among aggressive fish. My Passer doesn't have mark on him, I have absolutely no fear that he is in danger at this time. This is posturing and it will IMO end in a few days.

I know I'm in the minority, and I'm not coming down on people whom buy fish "temporarily" like you. I just grow attached to my fish and plan to keep them for life, not get rid of them because they act like they are supposed to.

So, go ahead and "dump" your tangs, I'm sure they will go to an appropriate home and live a long and healthy life....Or maybe not. What do you care, you get buy pretty Butterflies now.:thumbsup:

 

[MrTuskfish]

Mr. Tuskfish, congrats on your Pack...Quite an amazing season for them.

Thanks! It was fun. We knew after the trouncing of the falcons that it was the Packers year. We went to the game in Atlanta, those fans know less about football than any crowd I've ever seen. Sorry if that offends anyone.

On the subject. Don't laugh before you think about this. My good friend (who speaks very little English), helper, accomplished hobbyist, the best DIYer, and inventor of the recently patented aquarium slurp gun; had an idea a while back. My Sohal was being a real a problem. Why not pull out the Tangs scalpels? Clipping would probably allow them to grow back. The tang doesn't need them in captivity, the procedure should be quick & simple, an anti-biotic would be used.

Would this destroy the aggression of the Sohal, which would also destroy its "charm" the whole idea raises countless concerns & objections and is really dumb....or is it?

 

[Toddrtrex]

So you think it is better to keep your fish for life -- even if that life is going to be greatly shortened because of the fish you have put together??

It will not end in days, things are only going to get worse. One can only hope that you will do the right thing (( sell the fish )) before fish start dying. This is only the beginning and it will only get worse.

 

[SDguy]

So, go ahead and "dump" your tangs, I'm sure they will go to an appropriate home and live a long and healthy life....Or maybe not. What do you care, you get buy pretty Butterflies now.:thumbsup:

It's a shame that you only will listen to what you want to hear, and talk about my fish instead of yours in your own thread

The whole idea that a fish "deserves" to get beaten by another because it wasn't smart enough to figure out levels of aggression in an aquarium just shocked me. I've said my peace. Enjoy your tank.

 

[Wolverine]

The sohal may live a long life in the tank, but I'm willing to bet that the rest of the fish are going to have much shortened lives living with the sohal. Your hope that things are going to get better for the passer will not likely end well. More likely, once the sohal has finished beating on the passer (i.e., killed it), it will move onto the next fish that irritates it the most.

 

[coralfish]

Why do people get so angry when someone posts something, while not asking for advice, (just posting something), and the OP doesn't want to do what others say to do? Its his tank, his fish.

We all talk about a tank big enough to allow our fish to grow and swim, last time I checked even a 300g tank is smaller than the ocean; and much smaller than the range of even a damsel.

BTW, my question above doesn't need an answer....as a matter of fact I don't want an answer. (Just for thought only)

 

[Wolverine]

Why do people get so angry when someone posts something, while not asking for advice, (just posting something), and the OP doesn't want to do what others say to do? Its his tank, his fish.

BTW, my question above doesn't need an answer....as a matter of fact I don't want an answer. (Just for thought only)

You're going to get one anyway. For one, I wouldn't describe the responses as being in anger, but more disappointment. More importantly, yes, we recognize that it's unlikely that we'll change the OP's opinion or behavior (not impossible, because I've seen it happen, but unlikely). However, often, when responding to a situation like this, we do so to help prevent someone else who may be newer to the hobby who's reading this post from making the same mistakes. I've had countless people thank me for posts in threads like these because they were able to avoid running into the same problems by reading our posts, even though they were never involved in the thread, or, in some cases, have never actually posted on the board.

 

[kirkaz]

I don't really want to argue anymore with people that think they know more about the tank I have been watching every day for 3 years now.....I will update this thread in a week.

 

[Wolverine]

I don't really want to argue anymore with people that think they know more about the tank I have been watching every day for 3 years now.....I will update this thread in a week.

No one's claiming to know more about your tank than you do. It's about experience with this particular species in tanks of this size (and much larger). I'll be more interested in an update in a year.