NeilPearson
06/08/2005, 01:34 AM
Here's the situation...
When setting up my 210 gallon I came across a deal where someone was buying a house that came with a tank. I was about 120 gallon and had a bunch of liverock (with some mushrooms). The rest of the tank was kind of a mess though. It was infested with 100s of aptaisa and the fish were a yellow tank, a tomatoe clown and about 6 different damsels. They wanted the tank cleared out so I had to take everything. All fish are about 6 years old.
They had one black / white stripped damsel that spent most of his time hiding in the rock. The owners said he only came out when the tank was fed... okay not a surprise. He was probably used to getting beat up. Everyone else seemed fine. Anyway when I took them home all the damsels went to the lfs except this one. I thought since he hid and seemed like the shy one in the group, I'd give him a chance.
I kept the yellow tang, the tomatoe clown and the one damsel.
The damsel hid in the new tank for about 2-3 weeks and then slowly started coming out. Eventually he quit hiding all together and felt comfortable swimming around... probably the first time in 6 years.
There are copepods everywhere in the tank even though it is fairly new... a lot of the rock is 6 years old though so I decide to get a mandarin. I put him in and nobody seems to notice him. He spends most of his time hiding deep in the live rock pecking away... I don't see anyone harass him at all. Pod population is good so all seems good.... except the aptaisa is coming back (I tried to kill it all with Joes Juice when I tore down the tank)
There are just too many aptaisa in hard to reach places so I end up getting a copperband butterfly. After his time in QT, I put him in the main tank. The yellow tang isn't real impressed. He tries to brush up against him a couple times and I caught the tang chasing him a couple times too. I figure with a 210 they will hopefully work it out. I don't see him harm the copperband butterfly in any way.
A couple days later, the tang still tries to brush up against him occassionally but I have never seen him actually bite him (although I have seen him chase him) I am not sure if they are going to work it out or not.
Yesterday my mandarin comes out after I turn off the lights and I notice that a couple of his fins are badly beat up and torn... I have never even seen any of the other fish look at him. One of his fins is almost completely gone... poor little guy. He is still eating though.
Then today when I get home from work, I notice about 1/3 of the CBB's tail fish has been torn off.
It looks like I have a bully. None of the 6 year old fish have been bothered at all but the 2 new ones are getting beat up....
I am thinking I may have to banish one of these old fish from my tank... but which one?
The yellow tang looks like he might be the guilty one. The damsel spends more time in the rock work than the others... and something attacked the mandarin bad... and he is a damsel after all. Then there is the tomatoe clown. They don't have a reputation for being the friendly clown out there.
So which one do I banish to the lfs?
Or do you think I should just give him a time out in a QT tank for a few weeks so he feels like the new arrival?
When setting up my 210 gallon I came across a deal where someone was buying a house that came with a tank. I was about 120 gallon and had a bunch of liverock (with some mushrooms). The rest of the tank was kind of a mess though. It was infested with 100s of aptaisa and the fish were a yellow tank, a tomatoe clown and about 6 different damsels. They wanted the tank cleared out so I had to take everything. All fish are about 6 years old.
They had one black / white stripped damsel that spent most of his time hiding in the rock. The owners said he only came out when the tank was fed... okay not a surprise. He was probably used to getting beat up. Everyone else seemed fine. Anyway when I took them home all the damsels went to the lfs except this one. I thought since he hid and seemed like the shy one in the group, I'd give him a chance.
I kept the yellow tang, the tomatoe clown and the one damsel.
The damsel hid in the new tank for about 2-3 weeks and then slowly started coming out. Eventually he quit hiding all together and felt comfortable swimming around... probably the first time in 6 years.
There are copepods everywhere in the tank even though it is fairly new... a lot of the rock is 6 years old though so I decide to get a mandarin. I put him in and nobody seems to notice him. He spends most of his time hiding deep in the live rock pecking away... I don't see anyone harass him at all. Pod population is good so all seems good.... except the aptaisa is coming back (I tried to kill it all with Joes Juice when I tore down the tank)
There are just too many aptaisa in hard to reach places so I end up getting a copperband butterfly. After his time in QT, I put him in the main tank. The yellow tang isn't real impressed. He tries to brush up against him a couple times and I caught the tang chasing him a couple times too. I figure with a 210 they will hopefully work it out. I don't see him harm the copperband butterfly in any way.
A couple days later, the tang still tries to brush up against him occassionally but I have never seen him actually bite him (although I have seen him chase him) I am not sure if they are going to work it out or not.
Yesterday my mandarin comes out after I turn off the lights and I notice that a couple of his fins are badly beat up and torn... I have never even seen any of the other fish look at him. One of his fins is almost completely gone... poor little guy. He is still eating though.
Then today when I get home from work, I notice about 1/3 of the CBB's tail fish has been torn off.
It looks like I have a bully. None of the 6 year old fish have been bothered at all but the 2 new ones are getting beat up....
I am thinking I may have to banish one of these old fish from my tank... but which one?
The yellow tang looks like he might be the guilty one. The damsel spends more time in the rock work than the others... and something attacked the mandarin bad... and he is a damsel after all. Then there is the tomatoe clown. They don't have a reputation for being the friendly clown out there.
So which one do I banish to the lfs?
Or do you think I should just give him a time out in a QT tank for a few weeks so he feels like the new arrival?