Aggresive tank enviroment

Jcarvallo · Nov 10, 2017

Hi all,

I don’t know how, but I manage to have a tank that is making impossible new additions. It seems to be a quiet tank, with only a few occasional chasing (coral beauty chasing the dotty and the purple tang chasing the powder brown tang) that luckily does not escalate.

I decided to stop adding any fish until I solve the aggression problem that I'm currently having.

What do you think can be done to solve this situation?

Tank

340 lts (app 96gal) + sump (115cms*60cms*50cms)

2 years old tank

Inhabitants

Ocelaris 1 (first fish in the tank)

Randall Goby (second fish in the tank)

Springeri dottyback (third one)

Coral Beauty (fourth)

Powder brown tang (fifth)

2 green Chromis out of initial 5

Purple tang (Last)

FAiled introductions

Blue Flasher,

It lasted 2 days before I found it dead lying over the egg-crate that covers the tank.

I saw some level of aggression from Dottyback and Coral Beauty, but though it might go away with time, wrong from my part.

Having in mid that the fish is a known jumper, I didn´t though it was that serious. The second event lead me to think I have a bigger problem.

Second event

Gramma Loreto

I expected certain level of aggression from the Dottyback, so I introduced the gramma using a acclimation box for 5 days. By the end of the 5 days, the Dotty didn’t even bother the gramma in the box.

When I released it into the tank, the problems began almost immediately. The dotty start chasing the gramma (expected), but then the coral beauty start chasing it. Finally the CB cornered it on a hole, but it didn’t stop there, it was triying to get in the hole to keep biting it (like the movies when the dinosaur is trying to get in the cave where the protagonist is hiding). Later on the gramma tried to escape and the PBT start chasing it biting his tail.

After seeing this I manage to get it out, and now is trying to recover in the acclimation box.

On a side note, I think the chromis are being bullied, they do not swim around as much as before.

Diesel · Nov 10, 2017

Oops!!

Kinda small tank for that kind of fish.
Tangs need larger when they mature or you end up with the chasing game, as results stressed fish.

eatbreakfast · Nov 10, 2017

The fish that died were not good fits for the fish you had. When you have aggressive/semi-aggressive fish adding new fish can be a challenge.

The chromis aren't swimming around as much because the two you have are likely a pr and will begin laying eggs soon.

Jcarvallo · Nov 10, 2017

Thanks for the comments.

Without getting into the Tangs size issue.
Do you think that if I remove the CB the situation could improve?

eatbreakfast · Nov 10, 2017

Jcarvallo said:
Thanks for the comments.

Without getting into the Tangs size issue.
Do you think that if I remove the CB the situation could improve?

No, because the cb isn't the entirety of the issue. The dottyback and tangs are part of the problem too.

Jcarvallo · Nov 10, 2017

Thanks
I'm going to think about it. Tangs are going to an issue since the purple is a gift from my wife.
At least I found a home for the gramma.

eatbreakfast · Nov 10, 2017

A purple tang can work in that size tank, the powder brown will outgrow it though.

Jcarvallo · Nov 10, 2017

How can I now if it is to big for the tank?

I think I'll let go the CB and the Dotty. A pity, the dotty is a wonderful fish with its neon blue lines and the black body.

Mark Waltermire · Nov 10, 2017

The way that I like to judge if a fish is too large for the tank is if it's making random movements throughout your rock structures compared to if it's only swimming back and forth. I have a 72g bowfront with a 5" melanurus wrasse in there. Some people would say that's too big of a fish for the tank but he swims all throughout my rock structures and does not pace back and forth in the tank. My purple tang (only been in there 2 days now) likes to hang out on only one half of the tank, so that tells me that he is not in too small of a tank as he is not taking advantage of the rest of the tanks swimming area.