Tang warfare

[my2rotties]

I have four tangs in my tank but my Sohal and Sailfin have been fighting. Now my sailfin is pretty badly injured and is hiding out in a quiet corner. She looks really bad but I know how tangs mend quickly. I am well aware that Sohals and sailfins are quite nasty, but they were fine until a couple of weeks ago.

Now for my question

Will these fish establish dominance and stop fighting now that there was a loser in a battle, or will they eventually kill each other?

I don't want to remove the sailfin since it will stress her out for the healing she needs to do. After she is healed up, is it advisable to rehome one of these beautiful fish? It is unfortunate since I got this sailfin as a tiny baby and she is getting so big now. The Sohal is just so darned striking and has such a personality. I hate to part with either one of them.

What is your experience with quarreling tangs?

[fdiddy]

Well, no direct personal experience, but the LFS here has a convict tang that has taken a liking to the yellow tang. This convict tang is constantly initiating the squabbles and the yellow tang is the clear victor in this case. He can't catch the convict tang and it is quite beat up. I would probably advise moving one of these fish as this convict tang situation is pretty rediculous. It's been going on for about a month now and I have not seen it settle at all.

[marie]

I only keep 1 tang per tank so I have no first hand knowledge of tang wars but from what I've read Sohal tangs can be mean sobs and the fighting will only get worse

[dkcrx]

Seems tangs just get ****ed off at one another, I had a yellow and scopas battle out for about 6 months and just last week the scopas was not to be seen again ( little night time creepy crawleys made quick work of the corps )
I had them fof about 8 years and then the just decided to go at each other.
PS tank's to big to catch anything.

[my2rotties]

Thanks for the replies...

I do have a fish trap that I have never used yet. My friend borrowed it and had success with it. It's strange no other fish even dares to bother my female Naso tang.

[reeferious]

my purple and blue tangs have been almost inseparable. except for initial flareups when first introduced, they are swimming together most days and part only when light about to go off which they seem to sense. lol i get a kick out of seeing them wedging themselves into holes 5 to 10 mins b/4 lights go off. come to think of it i think their different body shapes are what keep them peaceful.

[fishytime]

Its the sohal.....they have a reputation for being aggressive. He probably sees the sailfin as his biggest competition for food and dominance and will likely not stop his assault until its "Mission completed". I have heard about and read about many nasty tang fights.

[my2rotties]

Yeah I know it's Sunny (sohal) he has been a jerk to everyone for the past two weeks. When we bought him, I knew they had the potential for aggression. There were several sohals at the store and I watched them all for over an hour. Sunny was very mellow. The sailfin has grown very rapidly as well Sunny.

As for shapes, Sunny and the sailfin look very different. He picks on the foxface these days too, grabbing her by the spikes and tipping her over.

I sure hoped he would work out, but I guess I might have to try to get him out of the tank... wish me luck since I did such a great job of making caves, tunnels and hiding spots. Hopefully the fish trap pans out but I have no place to put him after that.

Maybe it is breeding time in the ocean for these fish and perhaps this is why he has turned into suck a jerk. Perhaps they have a biological clock that ticks which would make perfect sense. I love this fish, he is so beautiful, one of my favorites.

I hope he doesn't end up killing the sailfin before I manage to get him out. She is staying out of his way, and prior to being split open, she was fighting back. I still hope the issue has been resolved now.

Its the sohal.....they have a reputation for being aggressive. He probably sees the sailfin as his biggest competition for food and dominance and will likely not stop his assault until its "Mission completed". I have heard about and read about many nasty tang fights.

[naesco]

IME you need to remove one of the two tangs from your tank.
IMO your sailfin is doomed unless you do so.\
You should remove the sailfin to a QT in any event.

[Razz]

I would let them go for now, if you can shift a bit of rock for one of them (sailfin) to get behind it may work it self out. You are still running a sizeable tank so a little seperation and a bit of real estate ownership transfer may just solve it. Try to keep the front to back seperated for them, I had a powder blue chase a sail for over three months but next thing they are together go figure?

[my2rotties]

Hello stranger!!! Believe me with all the awesome rock I had bought from you, I have so much real estate and nooks and crannys for the fish to hide in. I have to admit the sailfin was being a little monster and infuriating the Sohal. She would make him mad so he would chase her into a rock he could not fit into, as he was at the entry she would slap him back and forth across the head with her tail. It would put him in a rage. It looked pretty hilarious and he would be looking all over for her and she would hide out. I guess he caught up to her today.:twised:

I am just hoping she got put into her place and will accept the pecking order. With all my fish they have always worked things out themselves even though it was a rough couple of days. As bad as she was filleted this morning it's already healing up and she seems alright.

Nobody bothers with the awesome rabbitfish you gave me. She has grown a lot since she came home... I think we can eat her soon. My husband calls her "the tuna"...:wink:

I would let them go for now, if you can shift a bit of rock for one of them (sailfin) to get behind it may work it self out. You are still running a sizeable tank so a little seperation and a bit of real estate ownership transfer may just solve it. Try to keep the front to back seperated for them, I had a powder blue chase a sail for over three months but next thing they are together go figure?

[Haloreef]

I have had a few tang fights over the years! Seems like every time I add a new tang "it's on like Donkey Kong!"
The trick I use, and it has worked every time for me, is to tape a small mirror on to the outside of your tank. It seems that the only thing A tang hates more than another tang is a tang of it's own ilk. After a couple of days fighting that pesky tang in the mirror it will be used to seeing the other and, leave it alone.
As I said it has worked for me.
Hope this helps.

[fishoholic]

Not so sure about mirror tricks. The lavender tang that I had that I set up the mirror trick for ignored the mirror completely. But when my Salfin who wasn't bothering anyone saw the mirror he went nuts and almost killed himself from attacking the mirror.

7 tangs in my tank right now and very little aggression. Luck of the draw maybe? My Sohal and Clown tangs are the most peaceful while my regal is the most aggressive.

If you do decide/manage get the Sohal out, a good friend of mine will give him a good home.

[my2rotties]

I'm just hoping they work it all out like they usually do... I would hate to part with Sunny, I love that guy. The sailfin is fine this morning and healing. She has been a little monster and she was put into her place. She is being more submissive now.

[fishoholic]

I'm just hoping they work it all out like they usually do... I would hate to part with Sunny, I love that guy. The sailfin is fine this morning and healing. She has been a little monster and she was put into her place. She is being more submissive now.

That's good to hear :biggrin:

[naesco]

Good to hear she is doing better. I prefer the cautious approach as I have lost a tang to dogfights in the past.

[my2rotties]

I agree with you, and wish I could get her out of the tank... or even the Sohal for that matter. It sucks to have a large tank with endless escape routes and hiding spots. I also worry about stressing her out with capturing her and putting her into my fuge... alone. She did not eat today, but she is healing and looks okay. She is still banished to the corner but does have the nerve to swim around at times. The Sohal is just making sure she stays on her side of the tank, and he is not being violent to her at all. She is a very sassy fish and I think she got knocked back down the totem pole.

It is hard to know what to do, since if I leave her in the display she could get killed, but if I QT her, the stress of that alone may kill her... I would hate to lose her either way and feel like my hands are tied at the moment.

Good to hear she is doing better. I prefer the cautious approach as I have lost a tang to dogfights in the past.

[naesco]

If she is in the upper corner try this.
Get a very large net or smallish trout net and move lighting etc away from the capture corner.
Set everything up ready to go stool, chair and whatever you need.
Wait until dark and with the net handy, swoop her up quickly before knows what is happening.
Put her in the qt with lights off and a big rock she can hide in/under.
Keep the lights off in the QT, feed her garlic soaked foods and avoid going near the tank.
If you dont think you can do it get someone who can because the swoop needs to be quick
Alternatively stick a nori on a magnet on the other end of the tank and while the sohol is busy toss some food her way, and than, go back to the other end and keep feeding the sohol food tidbits to keep him busy. If the nori magnet is at the top you may want to try scooping the sohal but be quick.
There will be water everywhere so dont do this in front of your wife.
Good Luck

[24storm]

There will be water everywhere so dont do this in front of your wife.
Good Luck

To funny cause she is the wife!!!!

[my2rotties]

Hahaa I am the one that does all the dirty work. My hubby built the entire system, so does his impulse buys and I do all the damage control and maintain the system as well as peace in the tank.

My sailfin is savvy, she is under my rock cave and does not venture out much. I will get hubby to distract the sohal so I can feed her a little. I will see what I can do when the lights go out, but these fish are not stupid. They already got netted once or twice in their lives and REMEMBER THE NET! I can pick it up and hold it in front of the tank when there is upheaval, then POOF, I do not have a single fish in the tank anywhere, aside of the clowns in their anemones.

Thanks for the awesome advise.

To funny cause she is the wife!!!!

[my2rotties]

I have had no luck in catching either fish... they are too fast and the sailfin is hiding in a cave on me. I did do the target feeding this morning, which was difficult to do alone. The tank is seven feet wide and its tough to feed from side to side. The sohal is a pig and chased the gravy train no matter where it goes. A seven foot span is nothing to him.

So far, so good... she had breakfast and is healing well... it still looks really bad though. I can't believe they can live through things like that.

If she is in the upper corner try this.
Get a very large net or smallish trout net and move lighting etc away from the capture corner.
Set everything up ready to go stool, chair and whatever you need.
Wait until dark and with the net handy, swoop her up quickly before knows what is happening.
Put her in the qt with lights off and a big rock she can hide in/under.
Keep the lights off in the QT, feed her garlic soaked foods and avoid going near the tank.
If you dont think you can do it get someone who can because the swoop needs to be quick
Alternatively stick a nori on a magnet on the other end of the tank and while the sohol is busy toss some food her way, and than, go back to the other end and keep feeding the sohol food tidbits to keep him busy. If the nori magnet is at the top you may want to try scooping the sohal but be quick.
There will be water everywhere so dont do this in front of your wife.
Good Luck

[my2rotties]

After spending the last two days observing my fish and especially the sohal tang, I have decided to remove him from my system. I spent all evening trying to patiently catch him, but have had no luck at all. I will be picking up my fish trap from my friend but I already know I won't have much chance at getting him out with it. It is close to midnight right now and the lights have been out in my tank for quite awhile. I am trying to see where he sleeps but he of course is in the back of my tank under a tunnel... I left the fishnet in the tank, but I have my doubts that I will get him.

This is a heartbreaking choice to make, but I do know it is in the best interest of my other fish. Sunny is my favorite and it will be hard to let him go back to the LFS where I purchased him from... He has not done anything since the fight with the sailfin, but I can tell I won't be able to keep him in a nice community tank. He was a model tank mate, and now he suddenly is not. Strange how they can turn on dime for no real rhyme of reason. I read if they are hungry they may get aggressive, I feed him all the time pellet by pellet, but he is always hungry.

I just have no idea fo how in the heck I am going to catch a streak of lightening that knows he is on the wanted list.:sad::sad:

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

After spending the last two days observing my fish and especially the sohal tang, I have decided to remove him from my system. I spent all evening trying to patiently catch him, but have had no luck at all. I will be picking up my fish trap from my friend but I already know I won't have much chance at getting him out with it. It is close to midnight right now and the lights have been out in my tank for quite awhile. I am trying to see where he sleeps but he of course is in the back of my tank under a tunnel... I left the fishnet in the tank, but I have my doubts that I will get him.

This is a heartbreaking choice to make, but I do know it is in the best interest of my other fish. Sunny is my favorite and it will be hard to let him go back to the LFS where I purchased him from... He has not done anything since the fight with the sailfin, but I can tell I won't be able to keep him in a nice community tank. He was a model tank mate, and now he suddenly is not. Strange how they can turn on dime for no real rhyme of reason. I read if they are hungry they may get aggressive, I feed him all the time pellet by pellet, but he is always hungry.

I just have no idea fo how in the heck I am going to catch a streak of lightening that knows he is on the wanted list.:sad::sad:

Ya it can be such a pain to catch them and I don't know if its more stressful for me or the fish!

How many chances have you given him? I certainly think its best he goes but at the same time its going to really stress him out to try to catch him. Also stressing out the rest of the guys.

Hard situation. I just went through the same thing the past week but in my case I removed the bullied fish and not the bully. In retrospect I made a mistake I think...the Hippo was beating the crap out of the PBT and since the PBT was the new comer, I opted to catch him out. But since then, the Hippo has just moved on to harassing my Tusk pretty badly. Maybe I should have removed the Hippo. Not sure what I am even getting at really :)

I also noticed my Naso has a small gash on his side too now. Not sure if it was the Hippo but I wouldn't be surprised. And my Naso absolutely does NOT stand up for himself. If the Naso ever gets hurt, the fish that does it will be gone in an instant. Guess you can tell who my favorite is ;)

I would say if it starts to escalate again, try to get the Sohal somehow and fast. I almost waited too long to "save" my PBT. By the time I went to catch him, he was so tired and beat up that he pretty much had no fight left in him and let me net him near the top of the tank.

[MitchM]

I've had great luck using 2 nets to catch fish. I'll keep one net still and chase the fish with the other. Many times they will flee right into the waiting net.
I use black colour nets, if that makes any difference.

Mitch

[my2rotties]

Sigh... I have tried the two nets, but I have this stupid 18" euro brace right smack down the middle...:neutral:

I was not chasing anybody last night since it does stress my other fish. Just left the net floating (supposed to be invisible:mrgreen:). I thought if I put the net where he seems to be the most active in his movement... the nori clip.

My Naso tang never gets messed with, she used to be the peace keeper for the little fish but the sailfin is now large enough to fend for herself. I may remove her eventually as well, since she instigates a lot of fights. If we didn't get two feet of snow out here I would go get my trap from my buddy. Right now it will just have to wait.

I really wish we thought about the euro brace and ways to make it more livable when we put the tank together, darned it.

[PoonTang]

Have you tried placing a mirror up against the tank? The offender may be more interested in fighting "Himself" than the other fish.

[my2rotties]

I am on it now... lets see what happens.

Have you tried placing a mirror up against the tank? The offender may be more interested in fighting "Himself" than the other fish.

[my2rotties]

The sohal took one look at himself and booked it into the rocks and is peeking out to see if the other fish is still there. The sailfin is posturing at herself. My banana wrasse changed colouration and wow I thought he was nice before...

My butterfly fish is wanting to kill his reflection and this is the sweetest most mellow fish I have. My puffer took one look at himself and went to hide. My naso looked like she knew it was a reflection and went about her business...

I took the mirror away after ten minutes since it was riling up the fish and the sohal was the last one fighting with himself. I see that fish are not all that smart sometimes...

Fun experiment for a snowy Sunday afternoon though. NOw the fish are looking for the interlopers and will probably be doing that for the rest of the day.

[MitchM]

I've also had good luck with partioning off parts of the tank with eggcrate. I cut the eggcrate to fit around rocks, sand, height and width. It really reduces down the space they have to run, then I remove rocks from the side they're hiding on which leaves them open for capture.

Mitch

[my2rotties]

Wow and you have a 360g system I believe... So far I have not had an issue today, but I know that could change in a second. I notice there are little tiffs now and then but the fish work it out in the end. It is looking like the sailfin is not backing off from the sohal and she got hurt this time. She has not challenged the sohal all day, but we watched her do it last night. I think I mihgt be accusing the sohal of being the one to remove since they are known to be aggressive. I did read sailfins can be quite fiesty too, but she was the one that has a hole in her which amazes me that she is alive. The sohal does not have a a scratch...

Judging by the mirror trick, I think the sailfin is the more aggressive of the two tangs. The sohal had no real desire to fight with his reflection, but the sailfin was in her glory. Mind you peaceful fish were riled up and fighting with their reflections so I guess I cannot prove much with this tactic.

I was going to go to the city to pick up my fish trap but didn't want to make the trek in butt deep snow and Calgary drivers when I hit the city limits.

Seems like I have a really big job ahead of me, and I have a reef tank so I have to plan of just how to do this properly. I am just hoping the fish trap will pan out in the end...

Thanks for the help.

I've also had good luck with partioning off parts of the tank with eggcrate. I cut the eggcrate to fit around rocks, sand, height and width. It really reduces down the space they have to run, then I remove rocks from the side they're hiding on which leaves them open for capture.

Mitch

[MitchM]

...
I was going to go to the city to pick up my fish trap but didn't want to make the trek in butt deep snow and Calgary drivers when I hit the city limits.
...

Actually I just made a trip to and from Calgary. Hwy 8 and in town is bare and dry.
The side roads are not very good though.

Mitch

[my2rotties]

Show off:lol:

I find the highways and roads into Calgary are always pretty decent... until you hit the city limits. With all the taxpayers money the city has, you would think they could keep up at least. The road here are plowed and sanded always, but my driveway is a risky endeavor. I need to borrow the neighbors bobcat again...

Actually I just made a trip to and from Calgary. Hwy 8 and in town is bare and dry.
The side roads are not very good though.

Mitch