Fish Squabbles

[Quinster]

Hello all,

I put a Copperband Butterfly in my tank yesterday and for the first 16 hours I had just my moonlights on to allow acclimation,then this morning 1 bank of Att. then the other....no MH yet. I understand when the lights start to go on there may be some fighting and I expected it from my yellow tang (big jerk of the tank but I've had him forever) but the one I didn't think would have a problem is my zebra damsil...he has never reacted this way to a fish before....not actually biting but some major charging and fin flicking....poor lil C.B.

Any thoughts

Quinn

wife hates this part of acclimation

[Ryan]

You could take the yellow tang out for 12 hours then put him back in. Just leave him in a 5 gal bucket with a heater and air stone doing little water changes so amonia doesnt build or or u could put him in ur sump. This way when he enters the tank the CBB is the one in there first. You could also seperate them with some egg crate so the CBB can get through but the tang cant. (if the butterfly is small enough) JMO

[Quinster]

thanks Ryan,
the prob with catching him or dividing the tank is it is a 180Gal 1/3 full of rock, no eggcrate behind it, solid wall of small (softball or smaller) layers of rock. I moved my clams around and some of the larger top pieces around (yes Gools before 12 noon) and now all the fish look confused. Maybe this will be enough of a distraction...Also switched my flow directions a bit from my 4 return lines.
If this doesn't work I will try the feeding from a net trick...then nab him!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

To get my old fish used to any newcomers, I usually put the new fish into an isolation chamber (8"x8"x12"deep) for 3-7 days, depending on species. Using this technique, I have been able to get 3 yellow tangs to live together in relative harmony. It gives all the fish a chance to get used to each other (scent & sight) without being able to attack or hurt each other. Just my $.02 worth.

I zap strap the rectangular eggcrate sides to a square bottom & it may look ugly in my tank but it makes the transition easier on the fish, so I live with this ugly box for a few days.

Anthony

[Skimmerking]

yellow tangs and copper bands are know to fight due to the same similar looks that they have .

Take out the yellow and move some rocks in the tank and then 12-24 hrs later put him back in trust me it will work. i had to do it with my tangs in the 280 ...


mike

[Quinster]

Well moving rocks again and again only delayed the pestering....darn thing keeps going to 1 corner which is a normal fighting place with the regular inhabitants never mind the new one...so I am zap strapping away thanks to the suggestion by SeaHorse_Fanatic, and if that doesn't work...I guess the hard decision will have to be made... :frown:

[Ryan]

I would keep working at it eventualy they will get used to eachother and work out a pecking order.

[Quinster]

I am trying the egg crate cage idea…24 hours (well almost) and the copperband is swimming in his 8x8x10 cage like nothing is going on…picking at the small rocks I put under there with him…even chased some mysis (didn’t actually eat any that I saw). The tang pays no attention to him in there, it is still the damn damsel, it is actually biting at the plastic cage, though even when he attacks the cage the copperband doesn’t even flinch anymore…hopefully everything will work out…I am going to leave him in there 1 more day and will probably let him out when there are only attinic light left on just before my moonlight cycle kicks in..

Hope all is better in there

thanks for the help

Quinn


does this post look familiar Delphinus?

[Doug]

Hi Quinn,
When we put a medium sized copperband in my friends 180, his much larger and older yellow would not leave it alone. We finally had to remove the copperband before it was killed.

A week or so later, I was in Winnipeg and seen a very small copperband at the store. I purchased that one for him. The yellow only looked at it, but thats about it. Guess its size made it not a threat. Its lives happily in their today with the yellow and regal, now much larger.

[Skimmerking]

What you have a COpper band now i didnt know you never tell me things anymore doug. Are we drifting apart or what \.


:mrgreen:
mike

[Doug]

:confused:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Quinn,

Usually I place my fish in isolation for several days before releasing, just to be sure. It's like medicating, if you cut it short too soon, you might not get the full benefit. It's also less stressful to go through one extended (4-5 days) period than have to be caught up again if the fighting continues and go through a second isolation period. JME :biggrin:

The yellow tang ignoring it though is a good sign. My second tang circled the cage for the week and still gave the third a couple of days of chasing until they decided to call a truce. Since yours are 2 dif. spp. it should be a lot easier.

Good luck.

Anthony

[Quinster]

Again watching the saga continue I am going again with SeaHorse_Fanatic's suggestion and leaving the "cage" in there a few more days....getting some coral frags in on Friday so after I get them in a day or 2 I will release the little Copperband...I am also moving the cage in different areas to see reactions...thanks for all the suggestions.